demort71
Would anyone like to get some more first-hand information about the missions of the 353rd Fighter Group and in particular the 352nd Fighter Squadron? If so, then do a search for Horace Q. WAggoner. You should come up with one result being for the Illinois Digital Library and Horace Q. Waggoner.
What the Illinois Digital Library is, is a collection of digital recordings made from earlier recordings that have some historical significance to the state of Illinois and/or its residents.
In regards to Mr. Waggoner, he was interviewed in 1986, about his experiences in the 353rd FG. These interviews were conducted less than a year before his death of a massive heart attack while he was helping to paint his church! There were a total of 12 interviews done, with Mr. Waggoner eagerly telling everything he could remember to the interviewer (a graduate student at Sangamon). Mr. Waggoner was about 62 at the time and in good mental health, with his memory working just fine!
At the time of the interviews Waggoner was serving on the staff of Sangamon State University in Springfield, IL . The interviews were conducted at his university office. Horace's job at Sangamon was to manage the collection of historical recordings being assembled at that time for Illinois' future digital library! One of the life goals that Horace achieved was to earn his MS degree in history while still in the service. He used this education after his retirement from the Air Force to help us document the past!
Note: Sangamon State is now a part of the Univ. of Illinois and is no longer known as Sangamon State, but as the U of I at Springfield.
A little background on Mr. Waggoner. I believe he was one of the original members of the 353rd and the 352nd, flying both P47s and P51s. He flew two tours of duty during WWII. He was one of the many aces of the group and squadron, credited with five air victories and numerous ground victories.
Waggoner contributed to an Air Corps booklet put together for fighter pilots on ground attack techniques used to attack the enemy's infrastructure that supported their European war efforts. The booklet was titled "Down to Earth". He was also part of a special attack unit, known as "Bill's Buzz Boys" about which this booklet was written about. This unit was formed in early 1944 from pilots of the 66th and 353rd fighter groups, who developed these tactics and techniques flying P47 fighters. From the 353rd were Major Walter Beckham and Col. Glenn Duncan who lead the special unit and worked to refine the tactics. After 8 missions the special group was disbanded after achieving significant results. Allied fighter-bomber units would go on to expand upon the techniques and concentrate such attacks against the German's airfields and transportation system that would soon cripple the Reich's ability to defend itself against the Allies. These same air tactics have been used in other wars since 1944 to cripple an enemy early in a conflict.
Horace was born in Waggoner, IL in 1918 (obviously named after his family). He returned to live in Waggoner after his Air Force career.
Horace attended the U of I for a few months during the summer of 1942 (having just graduated from High School). He next enrolled in Blackburn College (in Illinois) for the fall semester of 1942. Horace withdrew from Blackburn early in the fall semester, after he decided to enlist in the Army. After finishing his basic training, the opportunity to enlist in the Air Corps presented itself and he soon made an application for flight school.
The information he divulges in these interviews paints a great picture of his service and of others. He explains his training period in great detail and goes on to divulge numerous details about his unit and many of its members. With what is on the web, you can piece together a whole lot of interesting info about the 353rd.
The length of each recording varies, but be prepared to spend about five hours (any way) listening to all the recordings. If you love WWII air war history, then you are going to love Mr. Waggoner's interviews. There isn't a dull moment here.
After WWII Mr. Waggoner, like many vets of the 353rd, was recalled to service during the Korean War to fly P51s at the start of the conflict. He decided to stay in the USAF after the Korean War and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Horace continued to serve his country through the Vietname War and did at least one tour there. An event in Vietnam that affected his decision to retire, actually tells a lot about what kind of human being Horace Waggoner really was. However, without having his family's permission to divulge the details of the event, I refrain from doing so.
Horace Waggoner was a real down-to-earth Midwesterner, coming from a small town, rural background. You are going to like this guy. Unfortnately you can only meet him through his recordings now, as he has been dead for almost 25 years.
You can see pictures of Capt. Horace Waggoner and Lt. Arthur Cundy posed togther in front of Cundy's P51 Alabama Rammerjammer on some of the websites. Unfortunately Cundy went down in this plane and was killed a few days after that picture was taken, crashing into the North Sea or Channel. These pictures of Waggoner and Cundy were taken due to the two of them becoming aces on the same day and were taken for propagandic purposes. You can find out a lot more about other members of this seldom heralded group and its squadrons from his interviews.
Mr. Waggoner caught my eye since I am an Illinois resident and he named his plane "Miss Illini". Illini refers to the Fighting Illini, the U of I's sports teams' name. That got me interested in finding out more about Horace Waggoner and why he named his fighters this. The 353rd had a lot of heroes and aces, who have received too little notoriety through the years.
Waggoner's story of the group is the culmination of the stories of its pilots, mechanics, ground support crew, etc. It was a concerted effort to win the war. There is a reason why this generation was known as the "greatest generation". Listen to these recordings by Waggoner. They are a great gift for all of those who came after him!
What the Illinois Digital Library is, is a collection of digital recordings made from earlier recordings that have some historical significance to the state of Illinois and/or its residents.
In regards to Mr. Waggoner, he was interviewed in 1986, about his experiences in the 353rd FG. These interviews were conducted less than a year before his death of a massive heart attack while he was helping to paint his church! There were a total of 12 interviews done, with Mr. Waggoner eagerly telling everything he could remember to the interviewer (a graduate student at Sangamon). Mr. Waggoner was about 62 at the time and in good mental health, with his memory working just fine!
At the time of the interviews Waggoner was serving on the staff of Sangamon State University in Springfield, IL . The interviews were conducted at his university office. Horace's job at Sangamon was to manage the collection of historical recordings being assembled at that time for Illinois' future digital library! One of the life goals that Horace achieved was to earn his MS degree in history while still in the service. He used this education after his retirement from the Air Force to help us document the past!
Note: Sangamon State is now a part of the Univ. of Illinois and is no longer known as Sangamon State, but as the U of I at Springfield.
A little background on Mr. Waggoner. I believe he was one of the original members of the 353rd and the 352nd, flying both P47s and P51s. He flew two tours of duty during WWII. He was one of the many aces of the group and squadron, credited with five air victories and numerous ground victories.
Waggoner contributed to an Air Corps booklet put together for fighter pilots on ground attack techniques used to attack the enemy's infrastructure that supported their European war efforts. The booklet was titled "Down to Earth". He was also part of a special attack unit, known as "Bill's Buzz Boys" about which this booklet was written about. This unit was formed in early 1944 from pilots of the 66th and 353rd fighter groups, who developed these tactics and techniques flying P47 fighters. From the 353rd were Major Walter Beckham and Col. Glenn Duncan who lead the special unit and worked to refine the tactics. After 8 missions the special group was disbanded after achieving significant results. Allied fighter-bomber units would go on to expand upon the techniques and concentrate such attacks against the German's airfields and transportation system that would soon cripple the Reich's ability to defend itself against the Allies. These same air tactics have been used in other wars since 1944 to cripple an enemy early in a conflict.
Horace was born in Waggoner, IL in 1918 (obviously named after his family). He returned to live in Waggoner after his Air Force career.
Horace attended the U of I for a few months during the summer of 1942 (having just graduated from High School). He next enrolled in Blackburn College (in Illinois) for the fall semester of 1942. Horace withdrew from Blackburn early in the fall semester, after he decided to enlist in the Army. After finishing his basic training, the opportunity to enlist in the Air Corps presented itself and he soon made an application for flight school.
The information he divulges in these interviews paints a great picture of his service and of others. He explains his training period in great detail and goes on to divulge numerous details about his unit and many of its members. With what is on the web, you can piece together a whole lot of interesting info about the 353rd.
The length of each recording varies, but be prepared to spend about five hours (any way) listening to all the recordings. If you love WWII air war history, then you are going to love Mr. Waggoner's interviews. There isn't a dull moment here.
After WWII Mr. Waggoner, like many vets of the 353rd, was recalled to service during the Korean War to fly P51s at the start of the conflict. He decided to stay in the USAF after the Korean War and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Horace continued to serve his country through the Vietname War and did at least one tour there. An event in Vietnam that affected his decision to retire, actually tells a lot about what kind of human being Horace Waggoner really was. However, without having his family's permission to divulge the details of the event, I refrain from doing so.
Horace Waggoner was a real down-to-earth Midwesterner, coming from a small town, rural background. You are going to like this guy. Unfortnately you can only meet him through his recordings now, as he has been dead for almost 25 years.
You can see pictures of Capt. Horace Waggoner and Lt. Arthur Cundy posed togther in front of Cundy's P51 Alabama Rammerjammer on some of the websites. Unfortunately Cundy went down in this plane and was killed a few days after that picture was taken, crashing into the North Sea or Channel. These pictures of Waggoner and Cundy were taken due to the two of them becoming aces on the same day and were taken for propagandic purposes. You can find out a lot more about other members of this seldom heralded group and its squadrons from his interviews.
Mr. Waggoner caught my eye since I am an Illinois resident and he named his plane "Miss Illini". Illini refers to the Fighting Illini, the U of I's sports teams' name. That got me interested in finding out more about Horace Waggoner and why he named his fighters this. The 353rd had a lot of heroes and aces, who have received too little notoriety through the years.
Waggoner's story of the group is the culmination of the stories of its pilots, mechanics, ground support crew, etc. It was a concerted effort to win the war. There is a reason why this generation was known as the "greatest generation". Listen to these recordings by Waggoner. They are a great gift for all of those who came after him!
