Frederick Joseph Christensen Jr. (October 17, 1921 – April 4, 2006) was an American fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

who flew with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. A member of the 56th Fighter Group in England, Christensen scored 21½ aerial victories. He later served 24 years as a command officer with both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Early life

Christensen was born of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrant parents Frederik and Ruth Christensen in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Waterto ...

, on October 17, 1921. His father worked as a machinist for

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Prior to World War II, he attended

Boston University School of Music The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...

and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

World War II

In 1942, Christensen joined the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet and was commissioned in December 1942. After pursuit training, 2nd Lt. Christensen went to the Eighth Air Force in England in July 1943. Completing an operational training unit course at

RAF Atcham Royal Air Force Atcham or more simply RAF Atcham is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on the north eastern boundary of Attingham Park. Initially built for RAF Fighter Command, during the Secon ...

to familiarize himself with the

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...

fighter, he joined the 56th Fighter Group, based at RAF Halesworth, as a replacement pilot on August 26, 1943. Christensen was assigned to the

62d Fighter Squadron The 62d Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Mission The 62d Fighter S ...

. He was credited with his first German aircraft shot down on November 26, 1943, a

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

near Papenburg, Germany. He was recognized as an ace on February 11, 1944, with the crediting of his fifth kill, a Bf 109. He continued to regularly shoot down German aircraft, scoring two kills on the first day of Big Week, another on a long-range bomber escort to Berlin on March 6, and four more in consecutive missions of March 15 and 16. Promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in February and captain in April, Christensen shot down his 16th aircraft on July 5, and also that day incurred the first battle damage of his tour. On July 7, leading the 62nd FS, Christensen was returning from a bomber escort mission and overflew

Gardelegen Gardelegen (; nds, Garlä) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Milde, 20 m. W. from Stendal, on the main line of railway Berlin-Hanover. History Gardelegen has a Roman Catholic and three Evangelical chur ...

Airfield, assessing it as a possible strafing target. Christensen noted numerous parked aircraft dispersed on the field, but then observed a flight of Junkers Ju 52 transports in trail at very low altitude, approaching to land. Christensen dove on the landing pattern from and shot down the next-to-last transport with hits on the left side. He quickly overtook and fired at a second target, which burned and crashed. A third transport attempted to evade to the left, but he downed it with a

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burst, setting its fuel tanks on fire. The German pilot attempted to land, but crashed short of the field. As Christensen maneuvered for a fourth interception, his engine quit from fuel starvation. Christensen switched tanks, air-started his engine, and barely off the ground, fixed another Ju 52 in his sights. He scored several hits, and in its attempt to evade, the transport flew into the ground. Christensen attacked a fifth airplane, observing strikes on its fuselage and wing root, and shot it down before it could land. He then destroyed a sixth Ju 52 to become an "

ace in a day The term "ace in a day" is used to designate a pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day, based on usual definition of an "ace" as one with five or more aerial victories. World War I Ace in a day on two occasions A Bristol F ...

" in an engagement that had lasted less than two minutes. In all, 10 of the 12 transports were shot down by the 62nd FS. Christensen flew 107 combat sorties with the 56th Fighter Group and used five different aircraft to record his victories, including two assigned as his personal aircraft: *P-47D-10-RE 42-75207 LM: C, named ''"Boche Buster"'' on the nose cowling and ''Rozzie Geth'' near the cockpit, and *P-47D-25-RE 42-26628 LM: C, named ''Miss Fire'' and ''Rozzie Geth II''. Representations of both aircraft can be viewed here. ("Rozzie Geth" was a diminutive of the name of a college girlfriend, Rosamand Gethro.) *P-47D-21-RE 42-25522 LM: H, named "Sylvia" (backup plane, after Miss Fire was damaged, on this he became ace in day) Christensen's 21.5 officially credited kills rank him 20th among all American aces, 12th among USAAF aces, 7th among of the 8th Air Force aces, and 5th among P-47 aces. p. 40

Sinbad

While in England, Christensen adopted a stray black cat and named it Sinbad. He is reputed to have taken Sinbad with him on missions, carrying him in the cockpit of his P-47 as both a

good luck charm In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

and inspiration to his fellow pilots, then bringing the cat to the United States as a pet in September 1944 after the end of his tour. A family anecdote held that a war correspondent covering the 56th FG tried to photograph the cat, which kept jumping all over packed parachutes. All of the pilots using the gear returned safely, contributing to his legend.Both obituaries tell the story of Sinbad, quoting his daughter, including mention of the wartime press interview.

Aerial victory credits

::Sources: ''Air Force Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II'', Freeman, ''The Mighty Eighth'' and ''56th Fighter Group''

Post-war

Christensen became a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in 1947 and served as a full-time ANG pilot until 1961. He commanded 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing of the

Massachusetts Air National Guard The Massachusetts Air National Guard (MA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America. It is, along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of the Massachusetts National Guard. As common ...

from November 1947 to August 30, 1961. He was base commander of the ANG base at

Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...

between 1948 and 1961, then joined the Air Force Reserve at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Christensen retired from military duty in 1970 with the rank of lieutenant colonel and retired from reserves on October 17, 1981. Christensen resided in

Wayland, Massachusetts Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboring Sudbury (incorporated 1639). As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was ...

, was a

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musician on both the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and clarinet, and was a member of the American Fighter Aces Association, the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society, and the

Order of Daedalians The Order of Daedalians is a fraternal and professional order of American military pilots. The namesake of the order is Daedalus who according to Greek mythology was the first person to achieve heavier-than-air flight. History The idea of a fr ...

in addition to several veterans groups. He died of complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

on April 4, 2006, at

Northborough, Massachusetts Northborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The official spelling of the town's name is "Northborough," but the alternative spelling "Northboro" is also used. The population was 15,741 at the 2020 census. History ...

and is buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

Command pilot U.S. Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in "regular and frequent flight",The standard by which flight status has bee ...

Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1950. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve components and is awarded to both officers and enlisted per ...

with silver

hourglass device The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1950. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve components and is awarded to both officers and enlisted pers ...

'' Croix de Guerre'', with Palm (Belgium)

Notes

References

*Freeman, Roger A. ''The Mighty Eighth'' (1993 edition).
USAF Historical Study No. 85: USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, WWII
* ttp://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/04/10/fred_j_christensen_at_84_world_war_ii_flying_ace/ Marquard, Bryan. "Fred J. Christensen", ''Boston Globe'' April 10, 2006br>Capt. Fred J. Christensen AcePilots.com

External links

*

Photostatic copies of Christiansen's claim reports, all confirmed, of Nov 26, 43, Jan 5, 44, Feb 4, 44, Feb 11, 44, Mar 6, 44, Mar 15, 44, Mar 16, 44, Apr 15, 44, Jun 27, 44, and Jul 5, 44. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christensen, Fred J. 1921 births 2006 deaths American people of Norwegian descent American World War II flying aces United States Army Air Forces officers Aviators from Massachusetts Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Deaths from diabetes Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Air Force officers United States Air Force reservists Massachusetts National Guard personnel Military personnel from Massachusetts Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Burials at Massachusetts National Cemetery