[HW3]

My dad was in the USAAF in WWII. He was a fighter plane crew chief in the 352FG 487th FS in both Bodney England, and later Asch, Belgium. His squadron was the only 8th Air Force Squadron to be awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. This award came after a mission flown from the Asch Belgian airfield during Operation Bodenplatte January 1, 1945 when 12 pilots of the 487th, led by Colonel Meyer, shot down 24 attacking German fighters without a loss while under a strafing attack on takeoff. He said the ground crew all watched the action from their trenches.