Major George Earl Preddy Jr. (February 5, 1919 – December 25, 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces officer during World War II and an American 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 The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

ace of World War II and eighth on the list of all-time highest scoring American aces. Preddy was born and grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Early life

Preddy was born on 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. Following graduation, he worked at a cotton mill and attended Guilford College for two years, before becoming a barnstormer pilot.

Military career

On 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 Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

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 29, 1941. He was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

U.S. 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 ...

and was awarded his pilot wings at Craig Field in Alabama, on December 12, 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 "Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...

, which provided air defense 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 and in December 1942, 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 The 487th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It activated during World War II and was assigned to the 352nd Fighter Group of VIII Fighter Command. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Thea ...

of the 352nd Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolts. In July 1943, the 352nd FG boarded the troopship RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' in June 1943. The group landed in the United Kingdom, and was assigned to RAF Bodney in

Watton, Norfolk Watton is a market town in the district of Breckland in the English county of Norfolk, about west-southwest of Norwich and northeast of Thetford. The annual Wayland Agricultural Show in its west is one of the oldest one-day such shows i ...

, under the operational control of the 67th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command. George Preddy was killed on the morning of December 25, 1944, by friendly fire. As commanding officer of the

328th Fighter Squadron 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, 352nd FG, he was leading a formation of 10 P-51s. After patrolling for about three hours, they were directed to assist in a dogfight already in progress. Preddy destroyed two

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

s before being vectored to intercept a lone

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...

strafing Allied ground forces southeast of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, Belgium. As he pursued the , Preddy's aircraft as well as two other P-51s passed over the Allied front line at treetop height. A US Army

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

(AA) battery (believed to be part of the 430th AA Battalion, XIX Corps) fired at the but missed and, 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. Preddy's brother William, a P-51 pilot with the 503rd Fighter Squadron,

339th Fighter Group The 339th Fighter Group was a unit of the United States Air Forces during World War II.Maurer, Maurer (1983). ''Air Force Combat Units Of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . It comprised the 503rd, 504th, and 5 ...

, was later buried alongside George at the Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold, France. William died in what is today's Czech Republic on April 17, 1945, from wounds he sustained when he was shot down by enemy AA fire, while strafing České Budějovice airfield.

Military decorations

Preddy's military decorations include: Army Presidential Unit Citation

Memorials

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

Post 2087 in Greensboro was named after George Preddy, soon after the end of World War II. In 1968, Business Interstate 85, through Greensboro, North Carolina was given the street name Preddy Boulevard, in memory of both Preddy brothers. There is a memorial kiosk with video, photos, and models of planes flown by the Preddy brothers at Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Footnotes

References

National Museum of the United States Air Force: Major George Preddy- one magazine article
*Noah, Joe & Sox, Samuel L. Jr. (1991). George Preddy Top Mustang Ace. Greensboro, NC: Preddy Memorial Foundation. *Scutts, J. (1994). Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120211053517/http://raleightelegram.com/20120206752 - North Carolina Newspaper Article: Preddy Fighter Ace Legends Live On Through Cousin

External links

The Preddy Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preddy, George 1919 births 1944 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II American World War II flying aces Aviators from North Carolina People from Greensboro, North Carolina Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army Air Forces officers Aviators killed by being shot down Military personnel killed by friendly fire Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1945 Burials at Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)