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P-51D-10, 44-14223, Lt. Col. Elwyn G. Righetti, CO of 55th FG, 8th AF, Wormingford,
United Kingdom, January 1945
P-51D-10, 44-14164, Lt. Urban L. Drew, 375th FS, 361st FG, Little Walden, October 1944
Elwyn Guido Righetti, also known as “Eager El”,
was not only the 55th FG top fighter ace but also
the most successful strafing ace in the whole
ETO. Righetti joined the 338th FS, 55th FG in
October 1944. At the age of 29, he was already
a matured pilot, however he lacked the combat
experience. Despite his age he was eager and
aggressive, so he was able to boost morale of his
rather tired group. One of Righetti’s “hobbies” was
destroying the locomotives. He also managed to
shoot down two Mistels and destroyed several
Me 262 jets on the ground. Unfortunately, Righetti’s
outstanding achievements were cut short right
before the end of war. On April 17, 1945, exactly
on his 30th birthday, Righetti was shot down by
flak while raiding the airfield near Dresden. He
successfully performed the emergency landing
and advised his friends over the radio that he was
okay, just had broken his nose. Since then, no one
ever heard about Righetti again. Supposedly he
was murdered by the enraged German civilians.
During his short combat career, he scored 7.5 kills
and destroyed 35 enemy aircraft on the ground.
He flew two personal Mustangs (44-14223 and
44-47222), both of them were decorated with the
inscription KATYDID and grasshopper artwork on
the port side of the fuselage.
Urban Leonard Drew was born in Detroit,
Michigan, in 1924 and received his education at
Wayne University and the University of Michigan.
He graduated with a degree in Political Science.
Three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Drew enlisted in the USAAF and entered
the Aviation Cadet Program in October 1942.
He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and
awarded his pilot wings on October 1, 1943. Instead
of combat, he was trained as an instructor for
the P-51 Mustang and served in this role with the
56th FS. He went overseas in May 1944 and was
assigned to 375th Squadron of the 361st Fighter
Group “Yellowjackets”, stationed at RAF Bottisham
and later at Little Walden. During his tour Drew
completed 75 missions and after leading the
A Flight, he was promoted to the role of CO of 375th
FS. He was credited with six aerial victories, one
destroyed on the ground and one damaged enemy
aircraft. He added one special victory, when
he destroyed the Blohm & Voss BV 238V-1, the
largest aircraft in the world at the time. Another
interesting achievement came on October 7, 1944,
when Drew shot down two Me 262 jets at Achmer.
He remained the only pilot who managed to do
so in one mission. He was assigned to the 413th
FS of 414th FG flying Thunderbolts at Iwo Jima in
1945. After the war he helped to organize the 127th
FG of Michigan ANG and became first the deputy
Commander and later was appointed first Adjutant
General of the state of Michigan. He stayed in the
position until the end of his active duty in 1950.
Urban L. Drew passed away on April 3, 2013.
KITS 08/2024
INFO Eduard38
August 2024