Donald James Matthew Blakeslee (September 11, 1917 – September 3, 2008) was an officer in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, whose aviation career began as a pilot in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

flying Spitfire fighter aircraft 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 opposin ...

. He then became a member of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Eagle Squadrons The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941. Wit ...

, before transferring to 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 ...

in 1942. He flew more combat missions against the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

than any other American fighter pilot, and by the end of the war was a

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 ...

credited with 15.5 aerial victories.

Early life

Blakeslee was born in

Fairport Harbor, Ohio Fairport Harbor is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River. The population was 3,109 at the 2010 census. Fairport Harbor is home to two lighthouses: the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Li ...

on September 11, 1917, and became interested in flying after watching the

Cleveland Air Races The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...

as a young boy. With money saved from his job with the

Diamond Alkali Diamond Alkali Company was an American chemical company incorporated in 1910 in West Virginia by a group of glass industry businessmen from Pittsburgh. The company soon established a large chemical plant at Fairport Harbor, Ohio, which would opera ...

Company, he and a friend purchased a

Piper J-3 The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

in the mid-1930s, flying it from Willoughby Field, Ohio. However, his friend crashed the plane in 1940, and Blakeslee decided the best way to remain flying was to join the

(RCAF).

Military career

World War II

RCAF and Eagle Squadrons

After training in Canada, Blakeslee arrived in England on May 15, 1941, where he was assigned to No. 401 Squadron RCAF. The squadron was assigned to the

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a settlement on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Kent, prior to 1965 it was also in the administrative county of Kent. I ...

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

. Flying sweeps over France,

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

Blakeslee seems to have first seen combat on November 18, 1941, when he damaged a

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 ...

near

Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of 4, ...

; and he claimed his first kill on November 22, 1941, a Bf 109 destroyed, over

Desvres Desvres (; pcd, Dèfes; vls, Deveren) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a market town, known for its pottery. In 2018 its population was 4,930 inhabitants. It is the seat of the canton of Desvres. Populati ...

, about 10 miles south of Marck; on the same mission, he damaged a further Bf 109 whilst returning to base. His next kills were not claimed until April 28, 1942, two

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, t ...

probably destroyed. He proved to be not a particularly good shot, but was receptive to the principles involved in air fighting tactics, and was soon shown to be a gifted leader, in the air and on the ground. By the summer of 1942 he was an

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

, and was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross on August 14, 1942. The citation read: He then completed his first

tour of duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

, clocking 200 combat hours with three victories. Blakeslee had studiously avoided being part of the American volunteer

, claiming "they played sister in making their claims." But when told he would be assigned to be an instructor pilot, he finally volunteered to be sent to No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF as its commanding officer, which was the only way he could remain on combat status. During the raid against Dieppe, France on August 18, 1942, Blakeslee shot down a further

, and another probably destroyed on the 19th, thus achieving

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

status.

4th Fighter Group

Commanding officers of the Fighter Groups of the 8th Air Force in 1944

On September 12, 1942, the 71, 121, and

133 133 may refer to: *133 (number) * AD 133 *133 BC *133 (song) *133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to: *133 (number) * AD 133 *133 BC *133 (song) 133 may refer to: *133 (number) *AD 133 *133 BC *133 (song) *133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to: * ...

Squadrons were "activated" as the

USAAF 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 ...

's 4th Fighter Group, operating from a former RAF field at Debden. After a few months flying Spitfires, the group was re-equipped with the new

Republic 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-bombe ...

. On April 15, 1943, Blakeslee claimed an Fw 190 for the group's first P-47 "kill", and claimed a further Fw 190 on May 14, 1943, both near

Knocke Knokke () is a town in the municipality of Knokke-Heist, which is located in the province of West Flanders in Flanders, Belgium. The town itself has 15,708 inhabitants (2007), while the municipality of Knokke-Heist has 33,818 inhabitants (2009). ...

. Leading the 335th Squadron of the 4th FG, Blakeslee flew the group into Germany for the first time on July 28. Towards the end of the year, Blakeslee led the group more often, and developed a tactic of circling above any air battle and directing his fighters as necessary. Blakeslee flew the

P-51 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 ...

Mustang for the first time in December 1943 and thereafter worked hard to have the 4th FG re-equipped as soon as possible with the new fighter, pushing hard, especially as he now became commanding officer of the 4th on January 1, 1944. The 8th Air Force Command eventually agreed to the request, provided the pilots were operational on the P-51 within 24 hours of receiving them. Blakeslee agreed, instructing his pilots to "learn how to fly them on the way to the target". On March 6, 1944, Blakeslee flew in the first Mustang over Berlin while defending

Boeing B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

s and

Consolidated B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s. Escorting the massed daylight raids of the 8th Air Force over Occupied Europe while under Blakeslee's command, the 4th FG became one of the highest-scoring groups of VIII Fighter Command. The 4th's aggressive style was very effective, and the 4th Fighter Group passed the 500-kill mark at the end of April 1944. At the end of the war, the group had destroyed 1,020 German planes (550 in flight, and 470 on the ground). The next landmark for Blakeslee was leading the first "shuttle" mission to Russia on June 21, 1944, flying 1,470 miles in a mission lasting over 7 hours. Don Gentile and Don Blakeslee Distinguished Service Cross presentation

Don Gentile and Don Blakeslee Distinguished Service Cross presentation

Don Blakeslee was finally grounded in September 1944, after the loss of several high-scoring USAAF aces. He had accounted for 15.5 kills in the air and 2 more on the ground. He had flown over 500 operational sorties and accumulated 1,000 combat hours.

Barrett Tillman Henry Barrett Tillman (born 1948) is an American author who specializes in naval and aviation topics in addition to fiction and technical writing. Tillman's most influential book to date is ''On Yankee Station'' (1987), written with John B. N ...

, who served as an executive secretary of the

American Fighter Aces Association American Fighter Aces Association is a non-profit organization which recognizes the 1,450 combat American pilots (referred to as Aces) who have had five or more aerial victories in combat. The AFAA is located in Seattle's Museum of Flight. The ex ...

, stated that Blakeslee had more missions and hours "than any other American fighter pilot of World War II". Blakeslee retired from the

in 1965 with the rank of colonel. An obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' further described him as: "the most decorated second world war US Army Air Force fighter pilot." Blakeslee's personal standing among Allied pilots was considerable. British ace Johnnie Johnson described him as "one of the best leaders ever to fight over Germany".

Post war

Following the end of World War II, Blakeslee continued to serve in the newly-created

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, he served as commander of the 27th Fighter-Escort Group at

Taegu Air Base Daegu International Airport (Hangul: ; Hanja: ; Revised Romanization: ''Daegu Gukje Gonghang''; McCune-Reischauer: ''Taegu Kukche Konghang'') is the international airport serving the city of Daegu and the surrounding area in the southeast of ...

in South Korea and Itazuke Air Base in Japan, and flew several missions in the

F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

from December 1950 to March 1951. On March 1963, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and his final assignment was as Special Assistant to the Director of Operations for

Seventeenth Air Force The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during (1953–1996) and AFAFRICA, United Sta ...

, from December 1964 until he retirement from the Air Force on April 30, 1965.

Awards and honors

His awards include:

1st Distinguished Service Cross citation

:Blakeslee, Donald J.M. :Colonel (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces :4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force :Date of Action: January 7, 1944 :Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Air Corps) Donald James Mathew Blakeslee, 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 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces in the vicinity of Headin, France. Colonel Blakeslee, on 7 January 1944, after engaging a flight of six enemy aircraft intent on the destruction of crippled and straggling heavy bombers, observed ten to twelve FW-190's attacking unescorted bombers which were above him. Though attacked by three enemy aircraft from astern and flying into heavy and accurate fire which struck and damaged his aircraft, Colonel Blakeslee, disregarding damage, unfavorable altitude, obscured vision from spraying oil, and enemy superiority, climbed into the mass of enemy aircraft which he attacked and scattered, pursuing one of them through the haze to 2,000 feet, where he destroyed it before escape could be accomplished. Colonel Blakeslee's courage, aggressiveness, and will to destroy the enemy in the face of overwhelming odds reflect the greatest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

2nd Distinguished Service Cross citation

:Blakeslee, Donald J.M. :Colonel (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces :4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force :Date of Action: June 21, 1944 to July 5, 1944 :Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Air Corps) Donald James Mathew Blakeslee, 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 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces during the period from 21 June 1944 to 5 July 1944. During this period Colonel Blakeslee led a fighter escort in protection of bombers on the longest escort mission in fighter plane history, the first shuttle mission from England to Russia and return by way of Italy. On this unprecedented mission Colonel Blakeslee overcame the obstacles of poor navigational facilities, adverse weather, and enemy fighter opposition in such a manner that no bombers were lost while being escorted. While sweeping in front of the oncoming bombers on the mission over Budapest on 2 July 1944, he observed 50 enemy single-engine aircraft above him and about to attack the bombers. He immediately led his flight of four aircraft to attack, disregarding all odds and disadvantage of altitude. Joined later by his quadroon's two other flights, the enemy attack was completely disrupted and ten of his aircraft destroyed- -Colonel Blakeslee personally destroying one of them. His courageous leadership and heroic action on this occasion reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

Personal life and death

After retiring, Blakeslee lived in Miami, Florida. Blakeslee married Leola Fryer (died in 2005) in 1944 and had one daughter. Blakeslee died on September 3, 2008, at his home due to

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. On Friday September 18, 2008, Colonel Don Blakeslee and his wife's ashes were interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony took place at 1100 hours and was open to the public. The 4th Fighter Wing also did a flyover at the ceremony.

References

External links

Don Blakeslee at acesofww2.com

4th Fighter Group Association WWII
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakeslee, Donald 1917 births 2008 deaths People from Lake County, Ohio Aviators from Ohio United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces colonels American Royal Air Force pilots of World War II American World War II flying aces Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Air Force colonels Recipients of the Air Medal Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Royal Canadian Air Force officers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots Military personnel from Ohio