(Dick Herbst via the 55th FG Newsletter)
F/O. Aldo Presari
(Dick Herbst via the 55th FG Newsletter)
F/O. Aldo Presari
338th FS - 19 December 1944 - 12 April 1945
| Assigned Aircraft |
Not Known |
| Mission History |
13 missions |
| Mission List |
Not Known |
| Air Scores |
0-0-0 |
| Ground Scores |
0-0 |
| Notes |
ASN - F-62733 |
| Memories | 'Al was a race driver in civilian life. He was
to fly his first mission on Christmas Day. We went strafing the day before
and lost seven men. Consequently it was very "drunk out" that night.
Presari proceeded to get tight with the rest of them. Christmas morning he
was still a little under the weather but made such a fuss about wanting to
fly that the CO left him on the schedule. Al was a little slow in giving his ship the power on take off and dropped behind while going down the runway. Just as he was airborne his ship hit the propwash of his leader's plane. Al's plane rolled on to its back and crashed in a field at the end of the runway. Al was trapped in the cockpit because the whole ship was laying on the plexiglass canopy. The crash truck rushed to the scene but before they arrived at the crash the ship burst into flames. As soon as the truck reached the plane they lifted one wing off the ground with the hoist and our Flight Surgeon dragged Al out of the cockpit. His flying clothes were on fire by this time but the flames hadn't reached his face. Al had one cut over his left eye and a couple of scratches on his hands but after about three weeks in the hospital he was ready to fly again. He flew 13 missions after the accident and was then sent home for a rest.' (Dick Herbst via the 55th FG Newsletter) |
| Additional Photo |
F/O. Presari
(D. Erne via P. Randall) Nb. Photo opens in new window. Close window to return to this page. |