Page 53
s/n 44-13321, Lt. George E. Preddy, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF,
Bodney, United Kingdom, July 1944
s/n 44-13318, Lt. Col. Thomas L. Hayes Jr., CO of 364th FS, 357th FG,
8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, August 1944
George Earl Preddy, the future fighter ace with
the highest score achieved on Mustang, was born
on February 5, 1919, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
He had completed the pilot training before the
War and tried three times to enlist in the US Navy
in 1940 unsuccessfully. Fourth time he tried to
enlist in the USAAC and was accepted in 1940.
He was assigned to 49th PS and dispatched to
Australia after training. Flying P-40Es in the
defense of Darwin he was credited with two
Japanese airplanes damaged. He was wounded in
a mid-air collision in July 1942 and sent back to
the United States. As of September 1943, his next
combat assignment awaited him in Europe with
352nd FG, where he was flying P-47s. In April,
the unit converted to P-51 Mustangs. This aircraft
lacked any camouflage and sported the blue-
painted nose, same as other 352nd FG aircraft.
In the photography taken at the end of July, there
are already 23 kill marks painted on Preddy’s
aircraft nose. The plane was already missing
invasion stripes on the upper side of the wing,
they remained on the bottom of the wing and
fuselage. In August 1944, Maj. Preddy was sent
back to United States for a rest. After his return
in October the same year he took command of
328th FS, part of 352nd FG. On December 25,
in vee hours when chasing Fw 190 over the front
line was Preddy’s Mustang hit by the American
anti-aircraft fire. He attempted the emergency
landing nearby the anti-aircraft battery, but he
was fatally wounded and crashed.
Thomas Lloyd Hayes was born on March 31, 1917,
in Portland, Oregon and after his studies at the
Oregon State College he enlisted in the USAAF.
After the training he was assigned to 35th PG
where he was flying P-40s defending Java
against Japanese forces. After being wounded
in combat with Zeros of 3 Kōkūtai on February
20, 1942, he was dispatched to New Guinea. There,
he was assigned to 41st PS flying Airacobras.
In the fall of 1942, Thomas Hayes was sent back to
the USA where, in May 1943, he was assigned to
357th FG with which he completed the advanced
training. Already in command of 364th FS, he
was sent to Great Britain where he flew combat
missions until August 11, 1944, when he was sent
back to the United States. During the World War
II he was credited with 8.5 aerial kills. After the
World War II he remained in the service with the
USAF and retired in February 1970 in the rank of
Brigadier General. Lt. Col. Hayes’ aircraft carried
inscription Frenesi on the nose port side after
the then popular song Free ’n Easy. Number of
missions was depicted in form of 85 little bombs
painted above the exhaust stacks. It remains
unclear which camouflage paint were used on
the 357th FG aircraft. Some veterans speak of the
British colors Dark Green and Medium Sea Gray,
surviving color photographs indicate American
Olive Drab and Neutral Grey colors theory. Noses
of the 357th FG aircraft were decorated with
yellow-red checkerboard, propeller spinner was
painted in the same colors.
KITS 11/2024
INFO Eduard
53
November 2024