Major George E. Preddy Jr. of the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group. 1943 – 1944.
George Earl Preddy Jr. (February 5th, 1919 – December 25th, 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces officer during World War II and an flying ace credited with 26.83 enemy air-to-air kills (a number that includes shared one-half and one-third victory credits), ranking him as the top P-51 Mustang ace of World War II and eighth on the list of highest scoring American aces.
Early life
Preddy was born in 1919 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the second of four children born to George Earl Sr. and Clara Noah Preddy. He attended Aycock School and Greensboro High School. After graduation, he worked at a cotton mill and attended Guilford College for two years before becoming a barnstormer pilot.
Military career
In September 1940, he enlisted in the North Carolina National Guard and served with the 252nd Coast Artillery Regiment. Preddy attempted to become a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy, but was rejected thrice. As a result, he entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Corps on April 29th, 1941. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was awarded his pilot wings at Craig Field in Alabama, on December 12th, 1941, just five days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
World War II
Preddy was assigned as a P-40 Warhawk pilot with the 9th Pursuit Squadron of the 49th Pursuit Group, which provided air defence against Japanese aircraft attacking Darwin, Australia. Preddy claimed two Japanese aircraft damaged over Darwin. He was hospitalized after a midair collision with another P-40, in which the other pilot, 2nd Lt. John Sauber, was killed. After his recovery, he arrived at Hamilton Field in California, looking for an assignment. In December 1942, following recommendation by I. B. Donalson, who served in the 49th FG with Preddy in Australia, he was sent to Mitchel Field in New York and later to Westover Field in Massachusetts, where he was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolts. On June 30th, 1943, the 352nd FG boarded the troopship RMS Queen Elizabeth. The group landed in the United Kingdom and was assigned to RAF Bodney in Watton, Norfolk, under the operational control of the 67th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command.
Preddy flew his first European combat mission in September 1943 and on October 14th, 1943, he took part in the Second Schweinfurt raid but was forced to turn back from the mission along with 196 other P-47 pilots due to near-empty fuel tanks. On December 1st, 1943, he shot down a Bf 109, his first aerial victory. On December 22, he led his flight in breaking up an attack by Me 210s against a straggling B-24 Liberator; he shot down one of the twin-engine fighters and lured the remaining ones away, for which he received the Silver Star.
On January 29th, 1944, the 352nd FG escorted a formation of 800 bombers returning after targeting industrial complexes in Frankfurt. Over the French coast, Preddy shot down an Fw 190 but was hit by enemy flak. After he bailed out over the English Channel, his wingman Lt. William T. Whisner circled over Preddy, his fuel dwindling as he repeatedly radioed Preddy’s location while air-sea rescue arrived. A Royal Air Force flying boat arrived and attempted to rescue Preddy, but struck him with a pontoon in the rough seas. The bruised Preddy was hauled aboard, but a broken pontoon left the aircraft unable to take off. A Royal Navy launch eventually towed the aircraft to the English coast.
Major George E “Ratsy” Preddy Jr. of the 352nd Fighter Group in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang (HO-P, serial number 44-13321) nicknamed Cripes A’ Mighty 3rd
In April 1944, the 352nd FG converted to North American P-51 Mustangs. Preddy became a flying ace when he shot down two Bf 109s during a bomber escort mission to Neubrandenburg on May 13th. On June 20th, while escorting bombers to Magdeburg, he shot down a Fw 190 and shared in the destruction of an Me 410 with another airman. From June 12th to August 5th, he had nine aerial victories.
His biggest day came on August 6th, 1944. Despite suffering from a hangover during a war bond party on the previous day, Preddy led his squadron on a bomber escort mission over Hamburg, Germany. As they reached the target, the bombers were attacked by a formation of Bf 109s. As the Bf 109s did not notice the escorting P-51s, Preddy led an attack against the Bf 109s from astern and shot down two of them. Preddy shot another two Bf 109s before the Germans began to escape after realising they were being attacked. As the Americans continued to follow them, Preddy shot down a fifth Bf 109. As the fighters descended to 5000 ft, Preddy shot down a sixth Bf 109, making him one of the 38 USAAF pilots to become an “ace in a day”. For his actions in the mission, Preddy was nominated for the Medal of Honor, the highest American military award, by his squadron commander John C. Meyer. On August 12th, Preddy was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in recognition for his actions during the August 6th mission. After the mission, Preddy returned to the United States for a 30-day stateside tour.
On October 28th, 1944, he returned to England and was assigned as commanding officer of the 328th Fighter Squadron within the 352nd Fighter Group. He was provided with a brand new P-51D-15NA and on November 2nd, he led the squadron on the bomber escort over Merseburg, Germany. During the mission, he shot down a Bf 109 using the P-51’s K-14 gunsight while the remainder of his squadron shot down 24 enemy aircraft, setting an Eighth Air Force record for aerial victories by a squadron in a single mission. The following day, he shot down a Fw 190. During the Battle of the Bulge, which started on December 16th, the 352nd FG was moved forward to airfield Y-29 near Asch, Belgium. The pilots flew aerial patrols, ground attack, and reconnaissance missions to support the Allied ground forces.
Death
George Preddy was killed on the morning of December 25th, 1944, by friendly fire. He was leading a formation of 10 P-51s and after patrolling for about three hours, they were directed to help in a dogfight already in progress. Preddy destroyed two Bf 109s before being vectored to intercept a lone Focke-Wulf Fw 190 strafing Allied ground forces southeast of Liège, Belgium. As he pursued the Fw 190, Preddy’s aircraft as well as two other P-51s passed over the Allied front line at treetop height. A US Army anti-aircraft (AA) battery (believed to be part of the 430th AA Battalion, XIX Corps) fired at the Fw 190 but instead hit Preddy’s P-51. Preddy managed to release his canopy but was unable to bail out before his aircraft hit the ground at high speed. Although the shallow angle of impact meant the crash was potentially survivable, his wounds from .50-caliber machine gun fire were mortal. He was buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold, France.
Preddy was credited with the destruction of 26.83 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 4 shared destruction and 5 destroyed on the ground while strafing enemy airfields. While serving with the 352nd FG, he flew P-47 and P-51s bearing the name “Cripes A’Mighty”. Initially, the United States Air Force Fighter Victory Credits Board in the 1950s reduced his aerial credits to 25.83 before Preddy’s first cousin Joe Noah challenged the change after discovering that the board disallowed one of Preddy’s aerial victories for which he received his first Silver Star. In 1978, the USAF corrected the error when another board was convened, officially crediting Preddy with 26.83 aerial victories.
Preddy’s brother William was a P-51 pilot with the 503rd Fighter Squadron, 339th Fighter Group, credited with destroying one enemy airplane in aerial combat. William died in what is today’s Czech Republic on April 17th, 1945, from wounds he sustained when he was shot down by enemy AA fire while strafing České Budějovice airfield. He was buried alongside George at the Lorraine American Cemetery.
Aerial victory credits
- December 1, 1943 / 1 Messerschmitt Bf 109 / Rheydt, Germany / P-47D Thunderbolt 487 FS, 352 FG
- December 22, 1943 / 1 Messerschmitt Me 210 / Zuiderzee, Netherlands / P-47D 487 FS, 352 FG
- December 29, 1943 / 1 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Malmedy, Belgium P-47D 487 FS, 352 FG
- April 22, 1944 / 0.33 Junkers Ju 88 Stade, Germany P-51B Mustang 487 FS, 352 FG
- May 13, 1944 / 2 Bf 109 Neubrandenburg, Germany P-51B 487 FS, 352 FG
- May 30, 1944 / 2.5 Bf 109 Magdeburg, Germany P-51B 487 FS, 352 FG
- June 12, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Rennes, France P-51B 487 FS, 352 FG
- June 20, 1944 / 1 Fw 190 Messerschmitt Bernburg, Germany P-51D Mustang 487 FS, 352 FG
- June 20, 1944 / 0.5 Me 410 Bernburg, Germany P-51D Mustang 487 FS, 352 FG
- June 21, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Magdeburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- July 18, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Rostock, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- July 18, 1944 / 2 Bf 109 Ju 88 Rostock, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- July 21, 1944 / 0.5 Bf 109 Munich, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- July 29, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Naumburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- August 5, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Hamburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- August 6, 1944 / 6 Bf 109 Hamburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
- November 2, 1944 / 1 Bf 109 Merseburg, Germany P-51D 328 FS, 352 FG
- November 21, 1944 / 1 Fw 190 Merseburg, Germany P-51D 328 FS, 352 FG
- December 25, 1944 / 2 Bf 109 Koblenz, Germany P-51D 328 FS, 352 FG
Major George E. Preddy Jr. of the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, hold up hands for six enemy aircraft he shot down on 6 August 1944 mission. This was a record number of victories for a single pilot in one mission.
Military decorations
Preddy’s military decorations include:
USAAF Pilot Badge
Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze oak leaf cluster Silver Star with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf clusterBronze oak leaf cluster Distinguished Flying Cross with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Purple Heart
Silver oak leaf clusterBronze oak leaf cluster Air Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Bronze star Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze campaign star
Bronze starBronze starBronze starBronze star European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze campaign stars
World War II Victory Medal
Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium)
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Distinguished Service Cross citation
Preddy, George E.
Major (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force
Date of Action: August 6th, 1944
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9th, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Air Corps) George Earl Preddy, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 6th August 1944, during an air mission in the European Theater of Operations. On this date Major Preddy was leading a fighter group on a bomber escort mission against targets in the vicinity of Hamburg, Germany. As the bomber formation approached its objective, a flight of thirty enemy fighters with top cover support of an additional thirty fighters attempted to intercept the bombers. Major Preddy, with his wingman individually attacked the lower enemy flight, and in spite of its superiority in numbers and the danger of attack from above, pressed home his attack with such aggressiveness that the enemy threat was completely broken up. In the ensuing engagement Major Preddy destroyed six enemy fighters. By his disregard for personal safety and his determined will to destroy the enemy, Major Preddy rendered outstanding and valorous service to our nation.
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HA7756 Hobbymaster P-51D-5-NA Mustang “George Preddy” 487 FS, 352 FG, 8th AF, USAAF, Bodney UK, July 1944
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Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard
Flying Tigers.
