Pierce McKennon

The "Ridge Runner"

Photo courtesy of Dave Ethell


AIRCRAFT	SERIAL NUMBER	CALL LETTERS	DATES ASSIGNED	DESCRIPTION	DISPOSITION
P-47C	41-6582	WD-A	4/6/43-2/28/44	No Emblem	Transferred

P-51B	43-6896	WD-A	2/28/44-6/19/44	Unk	MIA while flown by D. Hill
P-51B	42-106911	WD-A	4/26/44-5/9/44	"Yippee Joe" (Cowboy on a Bent P-51, bucking)	MIA while flown by L. Waterman




P-51D	44-13883	WD-A	7/22/44-8/28/44	Unk	MIA while flown by P. McKennon (see below)
	44-14570	WD-A	9/23/44-End of War	"Ridge Runner" (wild hog on dark panel, red canopy frame, black ETO bands on horizontal planes)	scrapped in junkyard late 1945

	44-63166	WD-A	1/3/45-3/18/45	"Ridge Runner"	MIA while flown by P. McKennon (see below)
	44-14221	WD-A	9/19/44-?	"Ridge Runner III" (wild boar under name, 20 kill crosses in red/black on white square, 2 mirrors, red canopy frame, glide bomb marks on leading edge of wing)	4/17/45 - bellylanded or gear failure on French airdrome

560 combat hours
February 22 1943, joins the 4th Fighter Group.
March 22, 1944, "A" Flight CO
April 18, 1944, Squadron Operations Officer
May 26,1944 - August 18, 1944, on U.S. leave
August 18, 1944, 335th Squadron CO
August 28, 1944, near Niederbonn, France, is hit by flak and bails safely. Is hid by the French Maquis for a month and returns to unit September 24, 1944.
March 8, 1945, shot down while attacking ground target. G. Green lands picks up McKennon who rides on his lap. They land safely back at Debden.
April 16, 1945, is wounded on the right side of the face by 20mm shell fragments when his canopy is hit.
June 18, 1947, is killed in a flying accident.

Date	Enemy A/C	Air/Ground	Place	Number
7/30/43	FW-190	Air	Zalt Boomel, Neth.	1
2/20/44	FW-190	Air	Marienbourg, Belg.	1
2/22/44	Me-109	Air	Koblenz, Ger.	1
2/25/44	FW-190	Air	south of Luxembourg, Lux.	1
3/6/44	Me-109	Air	south of Berlin, Ger.	1
3/21/44	FW-190	Air	2 mi west of Landes De Bassac A/D, Fr.	1
3/29/44	FW-190	Air	Brunswick area, Ger.	1
4/8/44	FW-190	Air	Celle area, Fr.	1
4/9/44	Ju-88	Ground	Lingen Plartlune A/D, Ger.	2.2
4/13/44	FW-190	Air	20 mi s/w of Schweinfurt, Ger.	1
4/18/44	FW-190	Air	Rhin Canal-Rathenow area, Ger.	1
4/19/44	Me-109	Air	Eschwege area, Ger.	1
12/25/44	FW-190	Air	10-15 mi south of Bonn, Ger.	0.5
4/9/45	Ju-52	Ground	Munich-Brunnthal A/D, Ger.	2
4/9/45	Me-410	Ground	Munich-Brunnthal A/D, Ger.	1
4/16/45	Do-217	Ground	3 A/Ds (Kbely, Cakovice, Letnany) Prague, Czech.	2
4/16/45	Unk	Ground	3 A/Ds (Kbely, Cakovice, Letnany) Prague, Czech.	1