The 65th Fighter Squadron



65th FS Aircraft 3
Photos by P-47 Pilot Dwight V. Orman

Quotes from Dwight Orman appear in blue lettering











"#96 was a 66th Fighter Squadron aircraft. Charles McCreary was taking off on a routine local flight from our Grosetto strip. Someone had failed to remove a ground (dust) plug from the carburator intake screen - aircraft was airborne and the the engine fuel starved with predictable results. McCreary bellied it in and as I recall was not seriously injured. Jim Long and I happened to be in Operations so we arrived shortly after to take pictures."



"Lt. Harold P."Skitch" Bonnici was a new pilot in the 65th. On this particular morning he was part of a mission departing Grosseto. His aircraft had a layer of frost on the wings which had not been removed. On take-off with full combat load, his aircraft barely made it off the end of our 5'000 foot runway. Although airborne he was unable to gain sufficient altitude and struck an earthen embankment approximately 10 feet high off the departure end - aircraft exploded - fatal. The copy of the orders awarding him the Air Medal for another mission posthumously is attached."





"I took this picture of Capodicina airport in Napoli right after arrival in Italy. Low stratus decks partially obscure Vesuvius. Variety of U.S. aircraft on the ramp."


"Me with "Comet," Frank J. "Jim" O'Rourke's P47."


""Comet" landing at Grosseto. We lost O'Rourke and "Comet" on a later mission."


"Wilbur C. "Buzzard" Crowe standing next to replacement #48. Original #48 was a razorback flown by Myron B. "Smitty" Smith, this aircraft was lost on a mission, and Myron had finished his tour and returned to the States - so Wilbur Crowe now inherited #48, a new bubble top - as you can see the number 48 had been applied in light blue but the black shade and outline had not yet been added. Trivia on top of trivia!!"

More 65th Fighter Squadron aircraft courtesy of Dwight Orman.

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