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| USAAF 13th AF 347th FG 339th FS |
Pilot Lt. Wallace S. Dinn, Jr., O-431949 (survived) Corpus Christi, TX Crashed October 28, 1942 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Bell in Buffalo, New York. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-39 Airacobra model and serial number unknown. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the South Pacific (SOPAC) and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 347th Fighter Group (347th FG), 339th Fighter Squadron (339th FS). No known nose art or nickname. Mission History On October 28, 1942 took off from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal piloted by Lt. Wallace S. Dinn, Jr. as one of nine P-39s led by Capitan John W. Mitchell on a mission to escort SBD Dauntless on a dive bombing mission over Santa Isabel Island. Over the target, the bombers dropped their bombs without opposition. Next, the Airacobras made two passes strafing the area twice. Afterwards, Dinn spotted a fuel dump and strafed it, then circled around to attack it again from an altitude of 30'. Suddenly, the P-39 was rocked by an explosion that left Dinn temporarily numbed and anti-freeze leaking into the cockpit and streaming smoke. He considered ditching but was too near the enemy base. Slowly, he was able to gain altitude to 2,000', trailing smoke but was able to depart the target escorted by two other Airacobras before he was forced to bail out. As he descended in his parachute, Dinn witness his damaged P-39 crash into the sea. Fate of the Pilot While landing, his parachute became caught in a large tree but landed unhurt. With the help of local people, he was able to return to duty. On January 5, 1943 Dinn went Missing In Action (MIA) piloting P-38G Lighting over Vella Lavella. Memorials Dinn was officially declared dead the day January 5, 1943. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) and Purple Heart, posthumously. Dinn is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Wallace L. Dinn, Jr. The Bell Ringer Vol 3, No. 9 "Birdman of the Solomons" August 1943 page 26-29 American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Wallace L. Dinn Jr. FindAGrave - 1Lt Wallace Leonard Dinn, Jr (tablets of the missing photo) Thanks to Edward Rogers for research and analysis Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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