RAREY George Whiston


"Papy"

rarey george 1
ARMY SERIAL NUMBERO-793536
AGE27 yo
DATE OF BIRTH7 May 1917
STATENEW YORK
FAMILYMarried: Junie "Betty Lou"
Son: Damon
RANKCaptain
FONCTIONFighter pilot on P47
JOB before ENLISTEMENTCommercial advertising designerNY
DATE of ENLISTEMENT16 January 1942
SQUADRON379th Fighter Squadron
GROUP362nd Fighter Group
president unit citation
DATE OF DEATH27 june 1944rarey george tombe
STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHPlaced Le Moulin
At the exit of Villers-Bocage
To Caumont-l'Eventé
DATA PLANThunderbolt P-47
Type D-21 - B8 -B - s/n 42-25518 - MACR 6228
"Damon's Demon"
P 47
Macr: 6228
Mission: Army Reconnaissance on Granville
Takeoff: Station 412 HEADCORN
Shots by flak to 300 pieds to 17h00
Explodes after touching the ground
CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY from Colleville

Map Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
F1425
DECORATION
Purple HeartPhoto FDLM
Air MedalPhoto FDLM
usaf 9af 362fg 379fs
 

George was born in 1917 in Oklahoma

He spent his childhood there, his schooling.

He leaves Enid and leaves for Greenwich village in New York City, where he meets Junie whom he affectionately calls "Betty Lou".

At the end of 1941, he worked as a commercial cartoonist, where he drew commercial comic book characters and advertisements.

George possesses an undeniable talent for drawing.

At the beginning of 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps as soon as the United States entered the war.

A unique destiny, after completing his ground training he left for the flying school at the Aviation Cadets at the Primary Flying School in Ocala, Florida. He will fly when he has never driven a car of his life!

He married in June 1942.

It joins the 362nd FG which was created February 11, 1943 and activated early March in Massachusetts at Westover Field.

He is a Lieutenant.

His first denomination to this group is Bombardment Group (dive) which means that the main mission is the dive bombardment, George finds himself from October on the base of Mitchell Field in New York.

George left with his group the United States for England on November 23, 1943 aboard the Queen Elizabeth. After six days of crossing he reached Scotland and was transferred by train to the station of the RAF of Wormingford 159, There he will perfect in the flight on the P-47 which are delivered on 4 January 1944.

The missions begin with escorts of B-24 from the 8th Air Force.

Wormingford 159

In his free time between the missions George will draw hundreds of sketches on the life around him daily, pilots, planes, barracks, scenes of life on the aerodrome ...

Then, on Wednesday, March 22nd, at about 4:00 pm George returns from his mission, after having parked his plane, he goes to his barracks to shave before the debriefing and there he sees a courier delivering him a yellow envelope, anxious he tears it and There is wonderful news waiting for him: his wife has just given birth, George is a daddy of a little boy, his name will be Damon! He finds it hard to contain his emotion ....

Nicknamed "Papy" by his comrades because George is already advanced in age compared to them is filled.

That same evening he wrote a magnificent letter to his wife accompanied by a drawing of his magic pencil shot.

George will continue his missions, his drawings and the Nose Art he carries out himself on most of the group's planes.

Of an incomparable kindness and available he was an exceptional comrade. He will also modify his Nose Art in relation to his life as a draftsman and the happy event he experienced in March: a parrot smoking a pipe (he smoked a pipe) holding a brush and This entry: "Damon's Demon" .

 Dessin de George Rarey

In April the group is transferred to the headquarters AAF-412 headquarters, which is located in the south of London in order to be closer to the landing beaches because now George knows that the big day is approaching, this day prepared by the forces For weeks.

station HeadcornRAF Headcorn USAAF Station AAF-412

On June 2, armed with bombs, an important mission on railway lines took place, and then the days that will precede that moment will be devoted to missions of escort of bombers.

formation en volFormation de vol

On the evening of the 5th a briefing is organized, the date and the place of disembarkation is revealed to them.

On this day for George and his group, the mission that will be entrusted to them is to escort the C-47s who are going to drop the parachutists and gliders of the 82 and a hundred and fifty- Airborne Division.

Dessin de George Rarey

The mission for the chasseurs was successful, and all the apparatus returned to the base. The day of June 6 was named by the pilots of the group the "Nursery Day".

On 7 June, George and his group will conduct glider refueling missions and then bombing missions on railway lines, but the first losses are also taking place today.

On 8 June, reconnaissance missions.

June 9th and 10th were forced days of rest due to time.

From 11 June onwards, as the ground troops advanced, missions were grateful for future bombing operations, convoy attacks in order to weaken the enemy.

The success of missions alternated with the losses of hunters also, it became the daily lot of the life of these pilots.

On 18th and 20th, the group changed its mission and found itself patrolling over Utah and Omaha.

On June 21st for the Group it was a day of vacation, they were in charge of escorting B-17s on Berlin.

On June 22, missions on Cherbourg to support the advance of the troops.

On the 25th and 26th, missions of escorts of bombers and destructions of deposits.

On June 27, George is preparing for his 67th mission, a reconnaissance on Granville.

It is 17:00, while it is above the commune of Villers-Bocage it is touched by the Flak. The P-47 crashes 800m west of the town at the place called Le Moulin. George does not have time to evacuate and the hunter strikes the ground and dislocates. George died and the Germans close to the place buried the body in the ditch along the road.

Taking him for an English pilot, the Germans wrapped the pilot's body in his parachute to bury him in a ditch, a few meters from the wreckage of the plane.

They put down a sign that read "Here is an English airman."

morceau du P47 de George

P-47 piece found 51 years later

 

The French then consolidated this tomb.

A stela was also erected in his memory at the place called The Black Virgin near the places of the drama.

Stèle en l'honneur de Georges RAREYStele in honor of George RAREY in Villers-Bocage
 

This day of June 27th was a sad day in the history of the 379th by the loss of this hero of uncommon destiny.

In 1996, Damon gathered his father's works to make a compilation under the name of "Laughters and Tears, a battle pilot's sketchbook of WWII Squadron life," He honored his father's memory of his life.

This son he never knew, Rarey (as he loved the call his comrades) was proud of him. Damon and his Dad are today united for eternity.

These two following quotes reflect what George has permeated in this most decorated unit of theater of operations:
"We never heal the loss of a guy like this." S / SGT John W. BENSON - Team Leader of the Group 27 June 1944.
"Whatever pleasure there was in this war, it's all over now." Captain William FLAVIN - P-47 pilot 27 June 1944.
Today, the body of Captain Georges Rarey rests as a hero in the American cemetery of Colleville sur Mer.
 

Some examples of Nose Art drawn by George on other Group aircraft

exemples de Nose Artexemples de Nose Art
exemples de Nose Artexemples de Nose Art
exemples de Nose Artexemples de Nose Art
exemples de Nose Art

9 Air Force 362 FG

The 362nd Fighter Group was assigned to the 9th Air Forced in Nov 1943 until the end of the war.

Departure Stations:
Wormingford, England Novembre 1943 - Avril 1944
Headcorn, England Avril 1944 - Juillet 1944
Ligneroles, France Juillet 1944 - Aout 1944
Rennes, France Aout 1944 - Septembre 1944
Prosnes, France Septembre 1944 - Novembre 1944
Rouvres, France Novembre 1944 - Avril 1945
Frankfurt, Germany Avril 1945
Furth, Germany Avril 1945 - Mai 1945
Illesheim, Germany Mai 1945
Straubing, Germany Mai 1945 - End WWII
Countrisides:
American Theatre
Air Offensive, Europe
Normandy
Northern France
Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace
Central Europe
Group Decorations:
Distinguished Unit Citation: Brest, France, 25 Août 44
Distinguished Unit Citation: Moselle-Rhine River Triangle, 16 Mars 45
Numbers:
121 avions détruits
6 perdus
53 avions endommagés
groupe de chasse

Georges was an outstanding artist and draftsman.

Georges Rarey

He sketched some scenes of everyday life during his military life.
He drew on the P 47 of his brothers in arms

Georges Rarey
Dessin de George Rarey

Here is his emblem

His plane drawn

Dessin de George Rarey

Integration Day

Dessin de George RareyDessin de George Rarey
Dessin de George Rarey

Attack of a train

Dessin de George Rarey

Briefing before the attack

Dessin de George Rarey
Dessin de George RareyDessin de George Rarey
Dessin de George Rarey

Attack of the V1

Mending session

Dessin de George Rarey
Dessin de George Rarey

Fortress convoy protection

Dessin de George RareyDessin de George Rarey

Brothers in arms of Georges

Dessin de George Rarey

"Betty Lou"

Dessin de George RareyDessin de George Rarey
Télégramme de décès

The Family received the telegram from the Western Union after his death.


INFORMATION SOURCESBruno CADEVILLE - Jean BRANCA - Rarey.com - Francecrashes39-45.net - Aerosteles.net
PICTURE SOURCEBruno CADEVILLE - Jean BRANCA - Rarey.com
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
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