Quentin Aanenson: A Fighter Pilot’s Story

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Photos from WWII

We played dangerous games in the skies over Europe. This photograph was taken in Normandy around the middle of July 1944.

This is what happened to my buddies: (L to R)

Lt. Paul Bade	Killed in Action July 27, 1944
Lt. Paul Stryker	Killed in Action December 1, 1944
Lt. Robert Jones	Missing in Action July 28, 1944
Lt. Kenneth MacDowell	Killed in Action August 12, 1944
Lt. Abner Rainbow	Survived

Jackie in 1944.

A bad war day. I was badly hit by German flak just a few minutes after taking off from our air strip in Normandy. By a miracle, I was able to get back to the base — just a few miles away — and crash land at 170 mph. This photograph was taken about an hour and a half after the landing, giving me some time to recover.

A lone Thunderbolt searching for the enemy in the skies over Germany.

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Photos from WWII

We played dangerous games in the skies over Europe. This photograph was taken in Normandy around the middle of July 1944.

This is what happened to my buddies: (L to R)

Lt. Paul Bade	Killed in Action July 27, 1944
Lt. Paul Stryker	Killed in Action December 1, 1944
Lt. Robert Jones	Missing in Action July 28, 1944
Lt. Kenneth MacDowell	Killed in Action August 12, 1944
Lt. Abner Rainbow	Survived

Jackie in 1944.

A bad war day. I was badly hit by German flak just a few minutes after taking off from our air strip in Normandy. By a miracle, I was able to get back to the base — just a few miles away — and crash land at 170 mph. This photograph was taken about an hour and a half after the landing, giving me some time to recover.

A lone Thunderbolt searching for the enemy in the skies over Germany.