78th Fighter Group
78th Fighter Group
Personal pictures, stories and web "links" submitted by 78th Fighter Group veterans, family and friends.
_Capt. Huie H. Lamb Jr., 82nd Fighter Squadron, 8-44 to EOW
Captain Huie H. Lamb, Jr., was a pilot in the 82nd Fighter Squadron from August 1944 to the EOW. He was credited with 5.5 victories( 2.5 air and 3 ground).( Source Credit: Martin W. Bowman via Andrew Height, "The US Eighth Air Force In Camera, 1942-1944", 1997, Sutton Publishing, Ltd., ISBN 0-7509-1680-X )
Captain Huie H. lamb Jr., shown with P-47D, MX-O, s/n 42-28422 in the background. Captain Lamb was part of the "third recycle" pilot group that arrived at Duxford to replace the heavy casualties of the 1944 summer months and tour completions. ( Source Credit: Garry L. Fry via Huie Lamb, "Eagles of Duxford", 1991, Phalanx Publishing, Ltd., ISBN 0-9625860-2-1 )
Another picture of P-47D, MX-O, s/n 42-28422 of the 82nd Fighter Squadron ready for takeoff roll at Duxford. This aircraft was shared by Captain Huie H. lamb Jr. with another 82nd pilot. (Source Credit: Huie Lamb collection via Peter Randall's "Little Friends" web site )
( Captain Huie H. Lamb, 82nd Fighter Squadron, recollects a unique account of ditching and rescue in the English Channel )
Author Preston P. Clark was a high school and college classmate of 82nd Fighter Squadron pilot, Huie Lamb. During a September 1982 mini-reunion of 78th Fighter Group pilots at Red Bird Field near Dallas, Texas, Huie Lamb and John C. Childs( 82nd Fighter Squadron ) related a story to Clark about their experience in Lamb's ditching his P-51 Mustang in the English Channel during a mission on December 29, 1944. Huie Lamb credits John Childs as saving him from a watery grave. Clark writes, in an article named "Little Friends", for the book "The P-51 Mustang", (1):
Huie Lamb recalls:
"On December 29, 1944, John was my wingman on a raid over Germany. John's radio went out and I was ordered to escort him back to base. John and I had been flying Thunderbolts out of Duxford and this was our very first mission in the new Mustangs. We were cruising at 25,000 feet when my plane sudddenly lost engine coolant and began losing power. My first thought was to stretch my glide and try to make it back to the English coast, but I was dropping to fast. Then the nose of my plane burst into flames and I decided to try to bail out, but couldn't release my canopy. I finally got the canopy open but was too low to bail out. "
"The first in a succession of miracles was being able to ditch the P-51 in the icy waters of the North Sea. I saw the whitecaps coming up at me. Somehow I was able to point the nose into the wind, drop my flaps and stall out just above the surface. I remember thinking I should hit the water as slow as possible. The tail hit first. Then a wave caught my right wing and the plane cartwheeled."
"It was a miracle that I survived the ditching in the high waves because I had my seat belt and shoulder harness unbuckled in anticipation of bailing out. I got out of my seat and out of the plane, pushing away as far as possible to avoid the down suction. The nose plunged under with a burst of steam. The plane sank like a rock. It was gone in 30 seconds. The water was freezing cold. I pulled the strings to inflate my Mae West and dinghy but couldn't get into the dinghy so just hung on for dear life."
At this point, John Childs(2) picks up the story:
" I saw Huie's plane going down with the nose in flames. It all happened in a flash. He seemed to dive straight toward the water. I thought he was gone. I circled around him, rocked my wings as a signal that I was going for help."
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(Left): 1st Lt. John C. Childs, 82nd Fighter Squadron, was a pilot in the 82nd from 8/44 to the EOW. Fortunately, he was assigned to Surtax Yellow Flight as Huie Lamb's wingman on that December 29, 1944 mission. ( Source Credit: Robert E. Smith collection) (Right): an amphibiousWalrus use extensively by the RAF ASR(Air Sea Rescue) (Source Credit: unknown)
"I had no radio and knew the only possible way I could help Huie was to go for help. I took a 278 degree heading toward England. Pretty soon I saw the lighthouse at Orfordness. I dropped down to 500 feet and headed inland."
"Then another miracle: It was a cloudy day, but suddenly I spotted an airfield with a big old Walrus sitting there with it's engine running."
"I landed as quick as I could and rolled right up to the Walrus, set my brakes, jumped out and yelled to the pilot to follow me. He got the message and we took off, him about 150 mph and me not trying to run off and leave him at 280 mph. I headed back toward the lighthouse at 500 feet and soon we were over water again."
"Then came the biggest miracle of all. Suddenly, in all that vast expanse of water, I saw Huie and his dinghy, bobbing like a fishing cork. I couldn't beleive it, but there he was. The Walrus crew also spotted him and set the flying boat down so close they could just reach out and haul him in. It was a true miracle."
Lamb continues the story:
"The only thing I remember at that point is that they grabbed me out of the water, pulled me into the Walrus and loaded me down with hot water bottles and blankets. The next thing I knew I was in a base hospital with doctors working on me. The rest is history. I am alive today because John Childs kept a cool head in a life-or-death situation. He saved my life and for that he received the DFC for "extraordinary action in the line of duty"."
The reunion at Red Bird, for Childs and Lamb was an emotional meeting of two wartime buddies who had not seen each other in over 30 years.
Huie Lamb states:
"Nowadays, when I tell the story about ditching a P-51 in the North Sea and living to tell about it, some people find hard to believe. Others say, It must have been a miracle. I have to agree."
Garry L. Fry reports, in the "Eagles of Duxford" (3):
"Surtax Yellow Flight was escorting bombers near Franfurt when John Childs experienced his radio failure and he and Huie Lamb turned back for home. Huie Lamb was in the water for approximately 40 minutes. After he was recovered, the Walrus took him to the nearest airfield which was at Martlesham Heath. The only thing Huie Lamb could remember about the rescue was being pulled out of the water into the Walrus and having his clothes ripped off. They loaded him down with blankets and hot water bottles. Once in the base hospital, his temperature was found to be ninety-three degrees and his pulse very weak Doctors later told him that he was very lucky to be alive."
"Huie Lamb was the first 78th pilot to ditch a Mustang into the sea and one of the few Eighth Air Force pilots to be successful."
Richard A. Hewitt writes of the incident, in "Target of Opportunity - Tales and Contrails of the Second World War"(4):
"Huie Lamb recalls, 'The Walrus refused to start. Finally, after the sixth attempt it started and we were airborne and headed inland. A U.S. ambulance met us and I was rushed to the base hospital(Martlesham Heath) where it took a number of stitches to close my lip gash( Huie Lamb apparently struck the gun sight with his face on impact). An overnight stay and I was flown back to Duxford the next day. Four days later, I was OK'd to fly by our Squadron Flight Surgeon. I was not quite that ready to get back in the air, despite what old "Doc Pinchbottle" thought.' "
Fact was that Huie Lamb was flying again within ten days of the incident. 4,361 8th Air Force crewman ditched into the North Sea during the war(5). Of these, only 1,538 were rescued(5). The P-47 and P-51 pilots had a rescue rate of approximately 40%. It was not much better for the 8th Bomber Command crews.
Captain Huie H. Lamb Jr., shown with is new P-51D Mustang, MX-V, s/n 44-11631, " Etta Jeanne II", after his ditching incident. The a/c is named for his younger sister. The two(2) victory markings are for an Me-109 and a Me-262. ( Source Credit: Garry L. Fry via Huie Lamb, "Eagles of Duxford", 1991, Phalanx Publishing, Ltd., ISBN 0-9625860-2-1 )
A profile art work of P-51D, MX-V, s/s 44-11631, Etta Jeanne II, assigned to Capt. Huie H. Lamb Jr. The aircraft was named after his younger sister. (Source Credit: Nick King collection(© Nick King )via Peter Randall's "Little Friends" web site )
Webmasters Notes:
(1) - Source Credit - The P-51 Mustang Pilots Association, "The P-51 Mustang", 1987(limited edition), Turner Publishing Co., ISBN 0-938021-56-7
(2) - John C Childs - 1st. Lt. John C. Childs, pilot in 82nd FS from 8-44 t0 EOW.
(3) - Source Credit - Garry L. Fry, "Eagles of Duxford", 1991, Phalanx Publishing, Ltd., ISBN 0-9625860-2-1
(4) - Source Credit - Lt. Col. Richard A. Hewitt, USAF (Ret.), "Target of Opportunity - Tales and Contrails of the Second World War", self published, 2000, ISBN 0-9705180-5 )
(5) - Source Credit - "One Last Look", Philip Kaplan and Rex Smith
This page was last revised on 11 / 09 / 04
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