Strana 29
41-5509, 1Lt. Joseph J. Kruzel, 17th PS (Provisional), 4th CG, Java, February 1942
41-36171, 2Lt. Clyde H. Barnett Jr, 8th FS, 49th FG, Kila Kila, New Guinea, 1942
Joseph John Kruzel was born on February 17, 1918,
in Pennsylvania. He entered the Air Force in May
1940 and was assigned to the 2nd Observation
Squadron in the Philippines in December of that
year. He was then transferred to the 17th PS in
September 1941. After the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philippines,
the 17th PS moved to Australia and Kruzel
subsequently took part in the fighting in the
Dutch East Indies. He achieved his first kill on
February 17, 1942, when he shot down a Ki-27
over Palembang. This was followed by two A6M
kills on February 19 and 20. In March he joined
the 9th FS in Australia, where his wingman was
George Preddy. He served with the unit until his
return home in December 1942. In November
1943, he moved with the 361st FG to England to
Bottisham Base, where the group received its
P-47Ds. In Europe, Kruzel achieved three more
kills plus one shared. This brought his total to
6.5 kills and one damaged aircraft. He returned
to the US in January 1945 and held a number
of important positions postwar, achieving the
rank of Major General. He retired on August 1,
1970 and died on July 10, 2002 at the age of 84.
His P-40 from when he was still with the 17th
PS sported the drawing of a dragon breathing
fire on both sides of the nose. A similar drawing
then adorned another P-40E that Kruzel used in
Australia. This one, however, was camouflaged
in British colors, and Kruzel’s Flight was named
“Dragon Flight” after it.
Clyde Haygood Barnett Jr was born on 23 June
1916 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He scored
a total of four kills, two of them in the defense
of Darwin. During his time with the 49th FG
he took a number of photographs, many of
which are well known today. Like a true patriot,
he named his P-40 West Palm Beach Playboy.
This is the second aircraft of that name, and
of interest is the drawing of the West Palm
Beach scenery on the left side of the fuselage,
as well as the mischievous drawing of Donald
Duck on the national insignia on the same
side of the fuselage. Although this P-40E was
finished in British colors, the lower surfaces
were repainted in Neutral Grey. Presumably
this repainting also created the non-standard
white borders around the US Army lettering and
the emblem. Clyde H. Barnett died on April 24,
2002, at the age of 85.
KITS 02/2025
INFO Eduard
29
February 2025