78th Fighter Group

Portraits and Profiles

Personal pictures, stories and web "links" submitted by 78th Fighter Group veterans, family and friends.

_Major Jack C. Price, 84th Fighter Squadron, 5-10-42 to 2-25-44

Major Jack C. Price shown in the cockpit of his P-47D-6-RE, s/n 42-74641, WZ-Z, " Feather Merchant II " . Major Price finished the war with 5 air victories giving him ace status. (Source Credit : "Aces at War, The American Aces Speak, Volume IV ", Eric Hammel, 1992, Pacifica Press, ISBN 0-935553-24-X )

" Bomber Escort To Paris "

By Eric Hammel via Jack C. Price

" Jack Clayton Price was born in Grand Junction, Colorado on July 26, 1918, and raised on a small farm in a rural area east of the town. He attended Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction for two years, was accepted into the U.S. Army Air Corps Flying Cadet program in March 1941, and earned his wings and commission with Class 41-H at Mather Field, California on October 31, 1941. Second Lieutenant Price initially flew Curtiss P-36 Hawks and Curtiss P-40 Warhawks with the 14th Pursuit Group at March Field, California, and had approximately ten hours in the former and sixteen hours in the latter by December 7, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.

The 14th Group was transferred to Hamilton Field, California, in early 1942 and began flying Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-engine fighters. When the Group was split in two in order to create the 78th Fighter Group, Price was posted to the 78th as a flight commander in the 84th Fighter Squadron, which began flying out of the municipal airport at Oakland, California. "

" In late 1942, the 78th Fighter Group was shipped to Great Britain, where it was posted at Goxhill Airdrome in East Anglia on December 1, 1942. Once established, the group continued training in P-38s, getting ready to fly escort missions in support of the U.S. Army Air Forces daylight bombing effort. In February 1943, however, P-38 groups in combat in North Africa had an urgent need for airplanes and trained pilots, so all the 78th Fighter Group's line pilots below the rank of flight commander were sent with their aircraft to North Africa.

In time, our 78th Fighter Group cadre in England was reequipped with Republic P-47B/C Thunderbolt fighters, which few of us had seen on the ground before. New pilots were assigned, most of them fresh from fighter schools in the United States, but there was also a sprinkling of combat-experienced American pilots who transferred to the Group from RCAF and RAF units. Also, a new P-47 group, the 4th, was activated in England to take advantage of the transfer to the U.S. Army Air Forces of Royal Air Force American Eagle personnel.

The remanned 78th Fighter Group underwent several weeks of intensive training and was transferred to Duxford Airdrome in April, 1943 and we flew our first operational combat mission on April 8. Early missions were for the most part uncontested fighter sweeps over the coast of Belgium and France.

The heavily armed P-47C, with its 2,000 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engine, used so much fuel that all missions were fairly short fighter sweeps. There were no auxiliary fuel tanks available in England at the time, so the 4th, 56th, and 78th Fighter groups were able to escort the bomber force for only a short distance on penetration and then pick them up again for withdrawal support as they approached the English Channel.

P-47D-6, b/n 42-74641, WZ-Z, " Feather Merchant II " was the personal aircraft of Major Jack Price in November, 1943. (Source Credit: "Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force", Jerry Scutts, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1998, ISBN: 1-85532-729-5)

My first clash in the air occurred on July 14, 1943. while we were escorting the bomber force on withdrawal in the area of Abbeyville, France. I shot down an FW-190 fighter out of a flight of four that was trying to position itself for an attack on the bomber force. I next destroyed two FW-190s on July 30, during withdrawal support of the bomber force returning from a raid on the Focke_Wulf assembly plant at Kassel, Germany.

The action on the July 30 mission was a first in many respects. It was the first time the entire VIII Fighter Command escort force was equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks, and it was the first time American fighters engaged a large enemy fighter force and came away with an overwhelming victory. We were outnumbered by at least three-to-one odds but were able to maneuver into attacking position with very little difficulty. the main reason for this success was that the German fighter pilots and Luftwaffe high command did not believe we could possibly be that far inland and were not expecting to see a defensive force at all.

Although seven P-47s were lost, sixteen enemy fighters were destroyed by the 78th Fighter Group alone. In addition, eight others were destroyed earlier and later by members of the 56th and 4th Fighter groups. Captain Chuck London,(1) of the 78th Group's 83rd Fighter Squadron, shot down two German fighters and thus became the first Army Air Forces ace in the European Theater. And the 84th's Squadron Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Gene Roberts(2), became the first VIII Fighter Command pilot to shoot down three enemy aircraft in a single action.

We continued to fly combat escort and sweeps over northeastern Europe, and on October 20, 1943, I damaged a Bf-109 over Dinant, Belgium.

During the months since our important July 30 victory over the Netherlands, the VIII Fighter Command had substantially increased the number of it's operational fighter groups. Two P-38 groups had arrived in England, and several new P-47 groups were in place and operational. This permitted the Eighth Air Force to split it's operations and bomb a variety of targets in different areas on the same day.

On November 26, the main VIII Bomber Command force of more than 350 B-17s and 77 B-24s was sent to Germany to hit submarine pens and industrial targets in the Bremen area. More than 350 P-47s and P-38s were assigned to support this operation into Germany. Enemy reaction was expected to focus on the main bomber force into Germany, while little or no reaction was expected to against a raid against a ball-bearing plant in Paris. The 78th Fighter Group was assigned the task of providing target and withdrawal support for the VIII Bomber Command's 3rd Heavy Bombardment Wing, which was undertaking the Paris mission. By this time, I was a major in command of the 84th Fighter Squadron.

We flew beefed-up squadron of twenty-four aircraft--eight more than usual at that time-- and we took off from Duxford at 0930 hours. We made rendezvous with the bombers at approximately 1025 hours at 29,000 feet, so far according to plan. I was leading Bayland Red flight in the first section of eight aircraft. We picked up the bomber force in the Paris area as they were coming off the bomb run, they were not being attacked, but shortly after they had passed over Paris, bandits were reported below them and just above the clouds, the tops of which were approximately 10,000 to 12,000 feet.

As we started down, a B-17 in the lower box of bombers blew up in flames. We could see five or six enemy fighters around the bombers. Lieutenant Colonel Gene Roberts, by then group deputy commander was leading our group. As he started down to attack the enemy aircraft, I saw two FW-190s flying parallel to the bomber force at about 20,000 feet. They were 1,200 to 1,500 yards ahead of me and heading for the front of the bomber formation in order to make head-on attacks. I started after them, pulling 47 inches of mercury(manifold pressure) and 2,600 rpm.

While growing up, I frequently hunted and fished in the western Colorado area. As a result of this bird-hunting experience, I fully understood deflection shooting and could judge distances, speed of targets, and angle-off required to hit a flying target. This background greatly enhanced my ability to apply the correct geometry to air-to-air combat and deflection shooting.

I closed on the first FW-190s very slowly. When I was 600 yards from the 190s, the second aircraft broke off and split-essed down. I continued to close on the first one, which was then about in position for a head-on pass at the B-17s. I saw that I was not catching him fast enough to stop him from making his pass, so I opened fire on him at 500 yards. As I opened fire, I observed heavy strikes and flashes on the left wing root, close to the fuselage. I gave him a three second burst, at which point he started turning to the left. I started giving him deflection and opened fire again. This time, I closed to about 100 yards and scored heavy hits. He stalled out, fell off to the right, and started down, spinning and trailing smoke. My wingman and element leader observed pieces falling off as the enemy aircraft spun down and trailed smoke into the cloud deck at 1,000 feet.

At this time, I looked around and discovered that I was headed almost head-on into the bomber formation, so I broke hard to the right and down to avoid flying through the bombers.

As I reformed my flight at the 11 o'clock position on the first box of bombers, I saw twenty-five to thirty-five enemy aircraft climbing up underneath us at 2,000 to 5,000 feet below us. They were slightly below my flight and directly in front of us at approximately 1,000 yards. I saw five Bf-109s in line-abreast formation trying to get into position to make head-on attacks on the bomber formation. I dove slightly below their level, hit the throttle, and closed to about 600 yards. At this time, the last 109 in the formation flipped over and split-essed away. I closed in on the next in line from dead astern and opened fire at 300 yards, giving him a two-second burst. The 109 blew up and later caught on fire. Meanwhile, the other three enemy aircraft split-essed away.

I looked around for my flight as I pulled up into a zoom climb. The second element was about 1,000 yards behind me and 1,000 feet below. About 4,000 feet lower, I saw a Bf-109 was climbing towards them. I called them and told them to pull up. Then I looked around to see if there were any other enemy aircraft in the vicinity. When I looked back, the 109 I had seen beneath my second element was closing rapidly on the number-four man, 2nd Lieutenant Wayne Dougherty(3). I called Dougherty to break hard left into the 109. The enemy must have come up out of his split-S, because of his rapid closing speed.

The 109 fired a very short burst and broke away before I was able to to get my sight on him. Although Lieutenant Dougherty broke almost as soon as I called him, I saw a puff of smoke from his aircraft. He rolled over and dived toward the cloud deck. He was not smoking then.

At this time, we were still in the 11 to 12 o'clock position on the bomber formation and there no enemy aircraft in the area. I felt we accomplished our mission to protect the bombers and drive away the German fighters.

We found out later that Lieutenant Dougherty recovered from his dive, but his aircraft was damaged too badly to fly. He bailed out and was a POW for the remainder of the war in Europe ".

" Jack Price, who on November 26, 1943, became the first Army Air Forces ace born in Colorado, flew eighty-two combat missions with the 78th Fighter Group before completing his tour on February 24, 1944. Instead of receiving orders to the United States for leave, however, he was ordered to report to the VIII Fighter Command headquarters to serve as a combat operations officer. He spent six months in that job before finally returning home.

Major Jack Price returned to the United Kingdom in September 1944 and was assigned to the 67th Fighter Wing as a combat operations officer and the fighter wing representative on the Eighth Air Force Combat Film Assessment Board. Six months later, in February 1945, Price was assigned to the 20th Fighter Group as deputy group commander. By the time the war in Europe ended, he had flown an additional 125 combat hours with the 20th Group, in P-51 Mustangs. Major Price was assigned to command the 20th Group, to bring it back to the United States at the end of the war. He remained on active duty after the unit was disbanded at Camp Kilmer in October 1945.

Price was given a Regular Air Force commission in 1947 and continued to fly fighters for most of the rest of his years in the service. He commanded a Florida based jet squadron during the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis and retired from the Air Force in 1968 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. "

Webmasters Notes:

(1) - Captain Chuck London - Captain Charles P. London, pilot in 83rd FS from 5-11-42 to 11-1-43, "A" Flight CO, first 8th Air Force Ace, returned to US.

(2) - Lieutenant Colonel Gene Roberts - Lt. Colonel Eugene P. Roberts, pilot in 84th FS from 5-10-42 to 9-3-43 to Headquarters Squadron, Deputy Group CO.

(3) - 2nd Lieutenant Wayne Dougherty - 2nd Lieutenant Wayne M. Dougherty, pilot in 84th FS from 4-21-43 to 11-26-43, POW, North of Paris, France, hit by an Me-109, last seen under control, but smoking.

This story and profile is presented with permission of the author, Eric Hammel. It is unlawful to reproduce this story in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the author. Copyright © 1993 by Eric Hammel .

This story was published along with others of American Fighter Aces in a book by Eric Hammel in 1992, entitled "Aces at War, The American Aces Speak, Volume IV " , Pacifica Press, ISBN 0-935553-24-X.

Eric Hammel is an acclaimed military historian, author and publisher. He has written and published more than twenty other combat histories, including; "The Battle for Hue", "Air War Europa Chronology" and "Carrier Clash" to mention a few. More information about Eric Hammel and his work can be found on the web site " Pacifica Military History ".

Jack C. Price Picture Gallery

Major Jack C. Price, 84th Fighter Squadron. (Source Credit: "Duxford Diary", East Anglian Aviation Society, reprint, 1975)

84th Fighter Squadron "A" Flight; July, 1943. Standing ( left to right ); William Vallee, George Hartman, John Bertrand, Philip Larsen, Gray Doyle. Kneeling ( left to right ); Jack C. Price(A-Flight CO), Norbert Lentz, Wayne Dougherty, James Casey, Eugene Roberts( SquadronCO). ( Source Credit: Garry L. Fry collection )

Major Jack C. Price and his P-47D-6-RE, s/n 42-74641, WZ-Z, " Feather Merchant II " shown at Duxford.( Source Credit: "Thunderbolt, The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt in the European Theater", Ernest R. McDowell, Squadron Signal Publications,1998,ISBN 0-89747-393-0)

" Feather Merchant II " P-47-D-6-RE, s/n 42-74641, WZ-Z leaving dispersal at Duxford Airdrome. Note the centerline mounted 108 gallon drop tank. ( Source Credit: "Aces and Wingmen II, Volume I ", Danny Morris, Aviation - USK, 1989, ISBN 0-85435-241-3 )

" Feather Merchant II ", WZ-Z, b/n 42-74641 with the rest of the 84th Squadron waiting for takeoff clearance at Duxford. Note that the aircraft are fitted with "Babies"(belly tanks) indicating a long mission into enemy territory. (Source Credit: Jerry Scutts, "Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force", Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1998, ISBN: 1-85532-729-5)

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( Left ) 84th Fighter Squadron 1943 Scoreboard and a proud Captain Jack C. Price ( Source Credit: Jerry Warstler collection ). ( Right ) On his second ETO Combat tour, Major Jack C. Price, 55th Fighter Squadron CO, 20th Fighter Group. ( Source Credit: "Aces and Wingmen, Volume II, Bill Hess, 1999, Aviation USK, 0-9623080-2-1 )

A picture of Major Jack C. Price believed to be taken after the end of the war. Note the "Training Command" shoulder patch. (Source Credit: Arthur E. Sevigny Collection, MSgt USAF (Ret), Historian, 20th Fighter Wing Association)

Jack C. Price passed away on July 29, 2001 at the age of 83. He was very active with the "Duxford 78th Fighter Group Association". One of his last projects was the implementation and dedication of a memorial plaque in honor of the all the members of the 78th Fighter Group at the U.S. Air Force Academy's "Wall of Remembrance" garden. Jack Price(right) is shown in the above picture at the plaque dedication ceremony held on October 26, 2000 with Association President, Don Silveus(center) and member, Pete Peterson(left)

The webmaster had an opportunity to meet Jack C. Price at the "Duxford 78th Fighter Group Association" October, 2000 reunion in Phoenix, AZ.. Jack was quite a gentleman and was most willing to share his personal experiences of those early days of World War II.

Thank you Jack....You will be missed by All!

Thanks... to all that have contributed to these pages on behalf of the 78th Fighter Group Family!

This page was last revised on 8 / 12 / 04

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