Description

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, 353rd FS 354th FG, Maj Glenn Eagleston, 18in Mahogany Model

Aircraft Collectors and history buffs!  Enjoy this Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, 353rd FS 354th FG, Maj Glenn Eagleston, 18in Mahogany Model. You’ll love the craftsmanship done by hand and the authenticity.

• 18 inches
• Made from Mahogany
• US Naval Aviator Owned Business

Glenn T. Eagleston was the leading ace of the 354th Fighter Group and a commander of the 353rd Fighter Squadron.[2] Eagleston was credited with 18.5 aerial victories, two probable, seven damaged, and five aircraft destroyed on the ground.[5]

Eagleston was known as a “fighter pilot’s fighter pilot.” He flew almost 100 combat missions in the P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts in Europe, some as a 22-year-old Squadron Commander. He also flew in Korea; he was assigned there as Squadron and Group Commander, flying F-86s for 84 combat missions and being credited with two MiG-15s destroyed, one probable, and seven damaged.[1]

The Group moved to RAF Boxted in England between October and November 1943 and was attached to the Ninth Air Force. The group was assigned P-51 Mustang aircraft and was the first to use them in combat. These aircraft were used by the group throughout the war except for the period between November 1944 and February 1945 when they used the P-47 Thunderbolt.

The 354th was used as an escort for long-range heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force. The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its activities up to May 1944.

The Group moved to RAF Lashenden in April 1944.

Major James H. Howard commander of the 356th Fighter Squadron received the Medal of Honor for single-handedly defending a formation of B-17 bombers of the 401st Bomb Group against 30 German fighters on January 11, 1944. Howard was the only fighter pilot in the European Theater of Operations in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor.

The Group supported the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944 by escorting gliders on D-Day and attacking ground targets such as bridges, railways, and German gun positions in northern France

The Group moved to Cricqueville Airfield in France in June 1944, to Gael Airfield in August 1944, Orconte Airfield, in September 1944, and Rosieres En Haye Airfield, in December 1944.

The 354th received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for destroying a large number of enemy aircraft on the ground and in the air in support of the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.

The Group participated in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 supporting ground forces and supported the crossing of the Rhine between February and May 1945. The Group moved into Germany in April 1945 to Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64) then to Ansbach Airfield and to AAF Station Herzogenaurach in May 1945.