William Norman Reed
Nickname(s)Bill
Born(1917-01-08)January 8, 1917
Stone City, Iowa
DiedDecember 19, 1944(1944-12-19) (aged 27)
China
Buried
Anamosa, Iowa
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Corps
Flying Tigers
United States Army Air Forces
Years of service1940
1941–1942
1943–1944
RankSecond lieutenant
Flight leader
Lieutenant colonel
Commands held3rd Fighter Group, Fourteenth Air Force
AwardsSilver Star
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross with two or three Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with nine gold stars

William Norman Reed (January 8, 1917 December 19, 1944) was a World War II fighter pilot, first with the Flying Tigers, then with the Chinese-American Composite Wing, Fourteenth Air Force, United States Army Air Forces. He is credited with nine aerial victories (three with the Tigers, six with the Army), making him an ace.

Early life

Born in Stone City, Iowa, William Reed, commonly called "Bill", grew up in Marion. He graduated from Marion High School in 1935 and cum laude from Loras College in Dubuque in 1939.[1]

Military service

In February 1940, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and was commissioned a second lieutenant.[1][2] He served as a flight instructor at Barksdale Field in Louisiana.[1]

He joined the Flying Tigers (with the unofficial permission of the American government, which guaranteed he would retain his rank on his return), serving under Claire Chennault. He and other Flying Tigers recruits sailed for Burma from San Francisco aboard the Dutch merchant ship Bloemfontein on July 21, 1941.

He flew 75 missions with the 3rd Squadron (the "Hell's Angels"), and was credited with three confirmed victories in the air between December 23 and 25, 1941.[1] He and Kenneth Jernstedt shared credit for a further 15 airplanes destroyed on the ground on a single mission in March 1942. The Flying Tigers were paid a $500 bonus for every enemy aircraft destroyed, so he received 10.5 bonuses.[3]

After the Tigers were disbanded on July 4, 1942, Reed returned home to Marion, where he embarked on war bond drives. However, he re-enlisted and was commissioned a major in the Army Air Forces in February 1943.[1][4] He returned to China, joining the Fourteenth Air Force, which was led by Claire Chennault, his old Flying Tigers commander. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel at some point and was placed in command of the 3rd Fighter Group.[1]

Reed flew his last mission on December 19, 1944. His airplane was either badly shot up[5] or ran out of fuel.[6] He bailed out, but apparently struck his head on the tail section and did not open his parachute. His body was recovered, and he was interred in Anamosa, Iowa.[1]

Awards and honors

He was awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with two or three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with nine gold stars, and other medals.[1][7]

He was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "William Norman Reed". Iowa Aviation Museum.
  2. Ryder, T.J. (July 4, 1992). "Ace fought WWII enemies". The Des Moines Register. p. 4M via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. Ford, Daniel (2007). Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942. HarperCollins. p. 361. ISBN 978-0061246555.
  4. Ryder, T.J. (July 4, 1992). "Ace shot down Japanese over China during WWII". The Des Moines Register. p. 3M via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. Krekeler, Roland (September 16, 1990). "Marion ace tried to save plane". The Gazette via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. Molesworth, Carl (February 20, 2020). "Flying Tiger Ace: October 27, 1944".
  7. "William Norman Reed". valor.militarytimes.com.
  8. "Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame". Iowa Aviation Museum.
  • Molesworth, Carl (2020). Flying Tiger Ace: The Story of Bill Reed, China's Shining Mark. Osprey. ISBN 9781472840035.
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