Hodge Charles H Lt

Assigned Aircraft

Not Known

Mission History

Not Known

Mission List

Not Known

Air Scores

Destroyed
Probable
Damaged

Ground Scores

Destroyed
Damaged

Notes

Lt. Hodge was killed in a flying accident at Reed End, near Therfield (Hertfordshire, England). Lt. Hodge lost his life on his third day with the 343rd, having just been assigned to the squadron on the 13th February 1944.
Lt. Hodge took off from Nuthampstead on a training flight at 11:45 on 15th February and crashed in P-38J 42-67852 at 12:45.
Lt Hodge was good friends with Lt. Underwood (38th FS)

Awards

Memories

The following report was made by 2/Lt. Seely on the 16th February 1944: 'I, 2nd Lieut. Ralph S. Seely, was a member of the flight in which 2nd Lieut. Charles H. Hodge met with his fatal accident. Hodge's airplane was in a tight, steep level bank to the right at about 170mph at 3000 or 4000 feet. I believe that he had some flaps down. The airplane did a series of violent turns and skids, gradually losing altitude and speed. His rate of roll into and out of these turns was faster, by far, than I could do in my airplane. His nose dropped down but it came up level, or nearly level. His nose dropped again, this time at an angle of 75 or 80 degrees. again he pulled it out, faster than one would think possible. By this time his altitude was less than 1000 feet. The nose of his airplane dropped again to an angle of about 30 degrees at which angle he hit and exploded at 1245 hours. Throughout all these manuevers (sic) his wings were waving violently and he was skidding from side to side. There was no smoke or loose parts until he hit the ground. I observed no attempt by him to leave the airplane, for he seemed to be fighting the airplane all the way in.'

'Charles was putting the P-38 into secondary stalls and never allowed the airflow over the wings to recover.' (Frank Birtciel - August 2005)