Issue 24.12
This tells of the adventure of Paul D. “Don” McCloud, WWII fighter pilot who was enlisted one week after High school graduation from Ogden High in 1942, and his 18th birthday. He trained in California for ten months in a great program. Don graduated Dec.1943; class 43K at Luke Field, Phoenix, AZ. and was cited as one of the top ten gunners in the class. He was assigned to Chico, CA, for fighter training (327th Ftr. Sqdn, 4th Air Force) and flew P-40s, P-39s, P-63s and P-38s. Don was chosen as a Flight Leader (instructor) in the expanding unit for a year along with his great friend Forrest Green when his classmates moved on to combat areas.
Likely his greatest contribution to the war effort was at Chico where “I did my best to give those new pilots every opportunity to learn the characteristics of our planes. We were great friends both in service and in town.”
In March ’45, he went to Karachi, India, and flew P-51s for three months awaiting assignment to China – 449th Fighter Sqdn., 51st Grp. 14th Air Force (P-38s). A book has been written about his unit “The Forgotten Squadron,” by Daniel Jackson.
He circled over the Taj Mahal; spent a day touring the Pyramids, then over the “Hump” (Himalayas) to Kunming and Mengtze, Yunnan Prov., China. “We lived in tents and our airstrip was gravel, we flew missions into French Indo-China strafing and bombed river and railroad transportation. I was promoted to Flight Leader after my second mission and received my own plane ‘IGIT’.”
After the war ended he led a flight of four P38s escorting an American Colonel to accept the Japanese surrender in Hanoi. A Japanese “Betty” flew into Mengtze to acknowledge the ceasefire. Besides the pilots lost in combat before he joined the unit he lost two friends after the war in pilot error accidents and one due to engine failure on take-off. After the war ended he spent three months near Calcutta, India, waiting for the ship T.H. Bliss (3000 cap.) to take them home – to San Francisco with stops at Singapore, Manila and Wake Island. A sign near Calcutta said 16,560 miles to San Francisco, 16,560 miles to New York. So far away and almost on the other side of the world! He wondered at the time – how could he make it home safely over so many miles? It was an exciting moment sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge after thirty days at sea that March evening – “I’m home!” I was still twenty one.
“It was a great adventure for which I will always be grateful. I was discharged with rank of Captain and over 1,000 hours of flying time. What a privilege to have been born in America and serve in the Army Air Corps and see the life style in other countries! The opportunity to travel to remote parts of the world and return home safely was a blessing when so many of my classmates never returned. We should remember them forever!
I’m sure very few pilots had the opportunity to fly all those different fighters. I don’t know why we changed so many times. At the time none of us questioned it, but loved the experience. I have great memories of people, places and planes. I’m Grateful.”