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Edward L Stiles No Photo Available Edward Lee Stiles was born in McCaysville, Georgia in 1919. He entered the Army Air Corps in 1938, and after a time at Langley Field, joined the AVG in 1941. One of the first thirty ground crew personnel to arrive in Toungoo, Burma, Ed became a crew chief with the Hells Angels squadron. Of these turbulent days, he recalls many moves: 'We went from Toungoo, Burma up the road to Kunming, China, down to Magwe, Burma, bombed out! Up the road to Loiwing, bombed out! To Mangshi, China to Poashan to Kunming. We left China in June to Karachi, Bombay, Ceylon and Capetown; then from to Trinidad to New York City--home September 13, 1942!' After the AVG, Ed re-entered the USAAF, and soon entered the cadet training program. By 1944, he was an instructor on B-25 bombers. After the war, he stayed in the AF Reserve, attaining captain in 1959. Flying C-119 aircraft in the 910th Air Reserve Carrier Group, Major Stiles retired in 1971.
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Items Signed by Edward L Stiles |
| Shark Sighting by John D Shaw. Price : £400.00 | Before the pilots of the legendary American Volunteer Group could take to the skies against the enemy, the all-important task of Bore Sighting the .30 caliber wing guns of their P-40s had to take place! The ingenious armourers of the AVG were often ...... | |
Summer of 42 by John D Shaw. SOLD OUT | In this superb tribute to one of the most famous fighter units of WWII the serenity of the beautiful Li River is broken as P40 Tomahawks of the AVG Flying Tigers, bearing their famous shark-mouth motif, return to base at Kweilin. ...... | NOT AVAILABLE |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Edward L Stiles |
Squadrons for : Edward L Stiles | ||
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Edward L Stiles. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
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Country : US (AVG) Financially backed by China to defend against Japanese attack, prior to American entering the war. Pilots awarded $500 bounty for each aircraft destroyed. Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of American Volunteer Group | American Volunteer Group Full profile not yet available. |
Aircraft for : Edward L Stiles | |||
A list of all aircraft associated with Edward L Stiles. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
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| Mitchell On April 18, 1942, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle led a group of 16 B-25 bombers on a carrier-launched raid on industrial and military targets in Japan. The raid was one of the most daring missions of WW II. Planning for this secret mission began several months earlier, and Jimmy Doolittle, one of the most outstanding pilots and leaders in the United States Army Air Corps was chosen to plan, organize and lead the raid. The plan was to get within 300 or 400 miles of Japan, attack military and industrial targets in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe shortly after nightfall, and then fly on to a dawn landing at secret airfields on the coast of China. The twin engine B-25 Mitchell bomber was selected by Doolittle for the mission and practice indicated that it should be possible to launch these aircraft from a carrier deck with less than 500 feet of runway. On April 2, 1942 the USS Hornet and a number of escorts set sail from Alameda, California with the 16 B-25s strapped to its deck. This task force rendezvoused with another including the USS Enterprise, and proceeded for the Japanese mainland. An element of surprise was important for this mission to succeed. When the task force was spotted by a Japanese picket boat, Admiral Halsey made the decision to launch the attack earlier than was planned. This meant that the raiders would have to fly more than 600 miles to Japan, and would arrive over their targets in daylight. It also meant that it would be unlikely that each aircraft would have sufficient fuel to reach useable airfields in China. Doolittle had 50 gallons of additional fuel stowed on each aircraft as well as a dinghy and survival supplies for the likely ditchings at sea which would now take place. At approximately 8:00 AM the Hornets loudspeaker blared, Now hear this: Army pilots, man your planes! Doolittle and his co-pilot R.E. Cole piloted the first B-25 off the Hornets deck at about 8:20 AM. With full flaps, and full throttle the Mitchell roared towards the Hornets bow, just barely missing the ships island superstructure. The B-25 lifted off, Doolittle leveled out, and made a single low altitude pass down the painted center line on the Hornets deck to align his compass. The remaining aircraft lifted off at approximately five minute intervals. The mission was planned to include five three-plane sections directed at various targets. However, Doolittle had made it clear that each aircraft was on its own. He insisted, however, that civilian targets be avoided, and under no circumstances was the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to be bombed. About 30 minutes after taking off Doolittles B-25 was joined by another piloted by Lt. Travis Hoover. These two aircraft approached Tokyo from the north. They encountered a number of Japanese fighter or trainer aircraft, but they remained generally undetected at their low altitude. At 1:30 PM the Japanese homeland came under attack for the first time in the War. From low altitudes the raiders put their cargoes of four 500 pounders into a number of key targets. Despite antiaircraft fire, all the attacking aircraft were unscathed. The mission had been a surprise, but the most hazardous portion of the mission lay ahead. The Chinese were not prepared for the raiders arrival. Many of the aircraft were ditched along the coast, and the crews of other aircraft, including Doolittles were forced to bail out in darkness. There were a number of casualties, and several of the raiders were caught by Japanese troops in China, and some were eventually executed. This painting is dedicated to the memories of those airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and the thousands of innocent Chinese citizens which were brutally slaughtered as a reprisal for their assistance in rescuing the downed crews. |
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