Lt.Col. (Ret.) Donald J. Pierini
Written by Donald F. Pierini
Written by Donald F. Pierini
Date of Birth: Born on April 8, 1924 in Trenton, New Jersey.
Training: In September 1942 he took and passed a test at the age of 18 ½ to enter the Aviation Cadets program instituted by the Army Air Corps and was sent to the Nashville Air Center, Nashville, Tennessee for further evaluation.
Preflight Training: Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama. There he received 3 months of ground school.
Primary Flight Training: Camden, South Carolina. There he flew the required 60 hours in the Steerman (PT-17).
Basic Flight Training: Shaw Field, Sumter, South Carolina. There he flew the required 60 hours in the BT-13.
Advanced Flight Training: Spence Field, Moutrie, Georgia. There he flew the AT-6. He graduated (Class 43K) in December of 1943, received his wings and was commissioned as a Flight Officer in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to the replacement depot at Dale Mabry Field, Tallahassee, Florida. There he was assigned to fly the P-51.
Advanced Fighter Training: Bartow Field, Winterhaven, Florida. He accumulated 40 hours of flight time (in the P-51A) in two months.
04/16/1944 - Shipped to England aboard USS Mount Vernon from Camp Kilmer, Long Island, New York to the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Arrived in Gox Hill, Scotland for water survival training. Assigned to the 4th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force.
05/28/1944 - Arrived in Debden, England and was assigned to fly with the 336 Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group.
06/07/1944 - He was involved in a midair collision with another P-51. The accident occurred after takeoff in a form up when going through the clouds.
09/11/1944 - Langensalza airdrome was strafed and he destroyed two FW-190s on the ground.
11/18/1944 - On a strafing show at Leipheim airdrome, Germany he was credited with destroying a Me-262 jet on the ground.
01/01/1945 - On a show to Derben-Stendal-Genthin, Germany he was credited with his first aerial victory. He shot down a ME 109.
03/12/1945 - Last misson.
04/03/1945 - Left Debden because his tour was over and was reassigned to the 70th RCD, stateside.
04/19/1945 - Arrived in the United States aboard the USS George Washington.
Medals / Rank: - Received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 8 Oak Leaf Clusters and 5 Battle Stars for the ETO. He was credited with destroying 4 enemy aircraft (3 on the ground and 1 in the air). He flew 72 combat missions with 318 combat hours. He began his tour as a Flight Officer and was promoted to Captain (20 years old) before he left Debden.
Planes: - He flew three different P-51s while at Debden. He named his planes Jersey Bounce after a popular Benny Goodman song and the namesake of his home state.
First plane was a P-51B, # 43-6714, VF-K, Jersey Bounce I. Was destroyed in a midair collision in the clouds on a post take off form up (6/7/1944).
Second plane was a P-51C, # 43-6507, VF-?, Jersey Bounce II. Replaced because it was war weary and the new D models had arrived (6/20/1944 to 9/1/1944).
Third plane was a P-51D, # 44-14277, VF-H, Jersey Bounce III. He had this airplane from the beginning of September (9/1/1944) to the end of his tour (3/12/45). Ben Griffin was shot down in this plane while strafing an airdrome near Prague on 4/16/1945.
Quotes: - "I'm no hero, I just survived." He firmly believed that the soldier on the ground with a rifle was the real hero of WWII.
Other Combat Tours:
1953 - 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Suwon, Korea
1967-1968 - 34th Air Division, Nah Trang, Vietnam
Retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel (after 33 years in the Air Force) in 1975 and settled in Austin, Texas.