2 20 345 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/6/188/Dibble_Image0062.jpg 37ebb3d22b6a1d1ae5c0b474d34504c7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: His Early Life Description An account of the resource Born in Hastings, MI, James grew up in the area. He attended one room schoolhouses around Hastings, spent some time in Grand Rapids and ultimately graduated from High School in 1939. This collection is entirely photographs of James' early life with his parents and brother Bill. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview 1809 Palace Ave. SW, Grand Rapids, MI Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 2.5" x 3" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young James Dibble in Grand Rapids, MI, age 2 or so Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Grand Rapids. Description An account of the resource Young James Dibble in Grand Rapids, MI, age 2 or so. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1923 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/8/175/Dibble_Image0050.jpg 10d036204201b63be137d90cda580c94 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Flight Training Description An account of the resource James trained on a number of different planes in preparation to be a P-38 pilot. His training took place in California and Arizona in late 1942. He flew a P-38 similar to this one: [admin_image id=1,size=fullsize] See photos, documents and letters home during James' time in flight training. Be sure to look at the Chico and Luke Field yearbooks that were produced when his class graduated from those training facilities. Table Of Contents A list of subunits of the resource. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Luke Field, AZ Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 5" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Air Cadet James Dibble at Luke Field, AZ Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Flight Training. Description An account of the resource Air Cadet James Dibble at Luke Field, CA. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Photographic Section, Luke Field, AZ Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/17/128/Dibble_Text0049.pdf 8d5adc8837556d621378075a20bd660f PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: We Got Married! Description An account of the resource James and Maxine dated in High School and after. They decided to get married while he was in flight training and tied the knot on October 29, 1942. See photos of the day, a couple of letters James sent home before the big day and the local newspaper announcements. Note the letter where he had to get his parents' permission for the military as he was still not of age. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Hand-written letter Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from James at Luke Field, AZ during advanced training to his parents asking them to authorize his marriage to get a license, 1942-10-22 Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Correspondence. Description An account of the resource Letter from James at Luke Field, AZ during advanced training to his parents asking them to authorize his marriage to get a license. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Personal correspondence Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Dibble Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-10-22 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/15/75/Dibble_Image0035.jpg 1cd88fe1648ea29190557fc6f53e00ec Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Monument in Padula, Italy Description An account of the resource The citizens of Padula, Italy, were extremely friendly and helpful during Jim & Ted Dibble's search for answers to their uncle's death. As everyone learned more about James and what happened, they viewed James as a hero and wanted to honor him. In May 2005 they erected a monument to his memory and sacrifice in helping them win freedom during WWII. See photos from the dedication ceremony, including the monument itself, along with transcriptions of the speeches given. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Padula Valley, Italy Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The plaque is installed on James Dibble's Monument Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Crash Site. Padula, Italy. Description An account of the resource The plaque is installed on James Dibble's Monument just prior to the dedication ceremony. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Color photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-05 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/14/72/Dibble_Image0031.jpg 00792fd64e2d215d77975d997e66d018 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Search for Answers Description An account of the resource Learn about the 30+ years James' nephews Jim and Ted spent investigating his death to unearth what actually happened. Using private investigators, government contacts and tenacious research, see how they learned what really happened the day James died, how they found his crash site, including witnesses, and made new friends in Italy along the way. Included are photos and documents about James' posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross, photos of the crash site and finding plane wreckage, plus documents and letters amassed during their search for answers. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview U.S. Airforce Museum at the Wright Patterson Airforce base, Dayton, OH Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 3" x 5" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James Dibble's posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross Ceremony Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Medals and Citations. Description An account of the resource James Dibble's posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross Ceremony. His brother Bill (left) accepted on his behalf. Presenter and man on right are unknown. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Color photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/5/43/Dibble_Image0002.jpg 80a8110555614cfcebf0cf3d8cac7444 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot Subject The topic of the resource James P. Dibble. World War II Pilot. KIA Description An account of the resource This collection recounts the early life, military training and combat career of WWII P-38 pilot James P. Dibble of Hastings, MI. It includes information on: <ul><li>His early life through time spent in Chicago just before the war,</li> <li>The efforts of his nephews to unearth more information about him,</li> <li>The story of finding his crash site in Italy,</li> <li>His posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross medal,</li> <li>Personal correspondence,</li> <li>Military records and eye-witness information surrounding not only James' final flight but other WWII air battles,</li> <li>Information on the memorial erected to him in Italy where he died.</li> </ul> Artifacts are on display at the Hastings Public Library, including parts of his crashed airplane. All of the original documents contained in this digital collection are also housed here, along with a few items that could not be included digitally. We hope you enjoy learning more about James and help us honor his contribution and ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe. The collection is divided into the below sections: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hastings Public Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource early 1920's to the 2020's Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Maxine Dibble in her Navy uniform Subject The topic of the resource Maxine Dibble. Navy Service. Description An account of the resource Maxine Dibble in her Navy Uniform. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/16/370/Dibble_Text0103.pdf fc8aa14b71803e0b8473aa375e89775c PDF Text Text NE by (ZZZ. a-612 August 2, I924.3. DECLASSIFIED DOD DIR. 5200.9, Sept. 27, 1958 Dats 5?—3 0 ~ ^7 Algiers, Monday, August 2, 1943* — Following th^fehelving of Mussolini and the quick denunciation of Fascism within Italy, the Prime Minister and the President on succeeding days called for "unconditional surrender". After they had spoken to their publics, the proposed message to the Italians which Ike caused to be sent on Monday, July 26 — intended to give the Italians their "white alley* — was approved by the Combined Chiefs. The Prime Minister had insisted on in sertion of a saving clause demanding the Italians not turn over British or American prisoners to the Nazis to be taken away to Germany. is pasted nearby. Text of this message It was broadcast to Italy, starting Friday noon, July 30. Immediately there was a murmur in the press corps because the message indicated permission to retain the House of Savoy but this was necessary because we will need in. Italy a stable government' and the House of Savoy is the only peg to which such a government conceivably may tie during the transition, until a popu lar vote by the people may be held to select their own government. We left Maison Blanche by Fortress at 6:30 Saturday morning, ing to fly direct to Palermo but Air Marshal Tedder had telephoned Ike Friday evening that he urgently desired to talk to him. Aouina airfield at Tunis. Consequently, we stopped at kl The Air Marshal had word that Badoglic was actively trending to the Germans and wanted permission to resume the heavy aerial bombard ment of Italy, particularly of Naples and of the marshaling yards at Rome. Ike gave his assent. The Fortress burned out a brake when we landed at El Aouina but the Air Force had a C-53 (on the nose of which.was painted a Walt Disney insignia with an inscription "Time's a wastin'") standing by-with an escort of six Lightnings. I had asked for two Lightnings toescort the Fortress, figuring these would be useful to help our^round troops in Sicily identify the Fortress .as friendly �a-615 August 2, 1943» because the Lightnings are so easily distinguishable with their twin tails. The Air Force, always careful to protect the Boss, had raised the ante to 6. General Patton met us at the Bocco-di-Falco airfield which is nestled amongst the mountains bordering Palermo. It was fortunate the brake of the Fortress had given way at Tunis because the runway at Palermo is not only short, but not J D Our 0-53 landed uphill and bounced. level. General Patton was in fine form. provisional 7th Army. He was proud rcfvthe a/coinplishment of the He said it is the best group of fighting men in the world It is true their accanplishments are remarkable although their opposition has been less than that of the British 5th Army on the east. Howrever, the Americans claimed that if Montgomery's army had moved as rapidly as our 7th, the Germans could not have concentrated at Catania to stop them. Now the 45th Division moving eastward along the northern coast road of Sicily and the First Division moving on its right, were making steady but slow progress. Mere marching over the terrain is difficult. Gun implacements have to be spotted during the daytime, mortars and artillery — such as can be transported and implaced in the precipitous mountains — are care fully aimed at th'ese strong points and then break loose with their concentrated fire after darkness, while our infantry surrounds and mops up the blown-up enemy positions. This makes for slow- going but the progress has been steady. Patton said they would continue this type of attack persistently so the enemy would never have a chance to re-group. In order to keep the pressure persistently applied to the enemy he was relieving the First Division with the Ninth, and the 45th with the Third. One of the difficulties encountered, particularly along the coast road was effective enemy demolition of the road bed. On one side was the sea, on the other sheer cliffs, sometimes reaching mountain high. A dsnolition would tumble the base of the road into the sea and make the work of the Arny Engineers most difficult. Incidentally, General Patton paid a high tribute to their excellence. General Patton is living in the Palace of the King of Sicily who had been DECLASSIFIED . DOD DIR. 5200.9, Sept. 27, 1958 NE by Dale_ �August 2, 1943. A-616 overthrown in 1861 when Garibaldi took Sicily with 1000 men and the island was joined into the union which became Italy. Major General Terry Allen, commander of the First Division and Brig. General Theodore Roosevelt, his assistant, had been relieved by Patton and confirmed by Ike. .The former for "war weariness," and to be returned to America uhder our rotation policy without discredit. eral Huebner is taking his place. leader of inexperienced troops. Gen General Roosevelt had proved to be a gallant He is battle-wise and extremely courageous but this was the only quality which commended him as a general. Ike thought eventually his good quality could be retained by later assigning him to an inexperienced division about to go into battle. He will be given an assignment in the North African theater where his qualities may be useful. The First Division has been in more fighting than any other outfit in this operation and no doubt General Allen simply became fatigued to such a low level that he was unable to afford the inspiration and the leadership, as well as the imagination and discipline that are necessary for a divisional commander. We saw the effect of bombing in Palermo.. It was fl^vastaging but satisfactory. When I saw the effect of bombing at Bizerte I felt sacT, but at Palermo my feeling was "The Ities asked for it and they got it." Two ships of about 125 i r length had been lifted by the force of an.explosion entirely out of the water and onto the quay — a scene that would *0 make a cartoon for Ripley's "Believe it or not." gS 1 3s s § % 5 g 2 Apparently an ammunition ship which had been bombed blew up, created a tidal wave and washed the ships onto the quay 10 ft. above the normal level of the water. The first thing the Americans had to do at Palermo was to organize Italian workers with G.I. bulldozers to clear the streets, particularly those in the vicinity of the docks. Now most of them are clear. The port had reached a level of 2,200 tons discharge with .rapid increase in prospect. American destroyers and PT boats were lying in the harbor.' General Patton had called on the Cardinal of the Palermo arch-diocese, Lavitrone, and the Cardinal ha<^promptly returned his call.. They had become fine �August 2, 1943 . friends. The Cardinal had shown Patton some of the ancient cathedrals. A-617 He had also given the General a message to be transmitted to the Pope, a copy of which I carried back with me and dispatched from Malta at Ike's direction to the Combined Chiefs so it could be sent by proper channels representative of both governments. In it the Cardinal said he and his people were being treated with the "utmost cour tesy" and that the occupation had occurred without any "unpleasant incidents". The message had come through the former Lieutenant Governor of New York State, Poletti, who is now a colonel in the Allied Military Government. I asked General Patton how Poletti was doing and he said "Beautifully, but I think he is electioneering for Roosevelt among the Sicilians" After a Spam luncheon in the Palace we took off for Syracuse to meet General Alexander. The headquarters for his 15th Army Group were just being established and he and his immediate stafi sre quartered in a farm The two General3 craferred under an olive i i 21 v tree, backgrounded by a mule unwillingly affording the yosyer^mich drew water from house about ten minutes from the airfield. a deep and cool well. When the mule stopped he was beaten with a long lash by an Italian farmer — an ex-soldier of the last war who expressed his friendship for the Allies in this one by freely giving of his Chianti and Marsala. Ike was anxious that there be no misunderstanding between Alexander and Patton as to plans for the attack scheduled to start the next day —August 2 — today. Patton was to continue his methodical and steady advance; Montgomery was to lay on all he had and try to break through! Incidentally, Monty has 400 big guns and his attack at Catania will be reminiscent of El Alamein. It should be re ported, too, that members of the Secretary of War's party who had just came from London said the failure of Monty to take Catania had given the public a let down on their hero. The Prime Minister had expressd to Secretary Stimson his profound gratitude at Ike's statement at having undertaken publicly to balance the progress between the stalled British 8th Army and the rapidly advancing American 7th Army. Ike had told the press, the 7th Army had relatiyely easy going and the 8th very DECLASSIFIED DOD DIR. 5200.9, Sept. 27, 1958 N.E by U6-L Date_£r3^7 �August 2, I943. difficult. A-618 Actually the 8th Army has been getting a great deal of public ity for any kind of movement and the ?th Amy, which has been going great guns, is still somewhat under the cloud of the great reputation of the Sth. Returning to Malta we stayed overnight at Verdala Palace, again the guests of Field Marshal the Lord Gort and his friendly assistants. g •s 4 CO Ike had a meeting of the senior commanders Sunday forenoon during which the entire Italian situation -was discussed, plans refined for attacking the toe of Italy and consideration 5 igiven to helping General Wayne Clark and his 5th Army plan its attack on Naples, probably September 9, with the BUTTRESS to come September 2. i 2 John Gunther, the newspaperman, happened to be a house guest at Verdala Jo Palace. He asked me to read a story about Ike which he had written for Readers Digest. It was most complimentary but I asked him to remove some quotations which I felt General Marshall might feel lacking in dignity. The fact that Malta served as headquarters during the on Sicily will be released for publication on August 4* ^of the attack Ike prepared a statement paying his tribute to the heroism of Malta as a symbol of the united nations which will be released at the same time. Returning to Algiers late, yesterday afternoon after a 3-hour and 40 minute direct flight from Malta in our Fortress, the crew of which had quickly repaired its brake — utilizing a part from a wrecked Fortress at El Aouina — I found that the French papers here were filled with a story that the Italians had sent a delegation to Algiers to confer with Ike.. While it is true we had a report that there was a man in Algiers willing to serve as "contact,* Ike has declined to see him. Naturally any emissaries from the enemy must come under appropriate flag of truce — if they should come here at all, as I suspect negotiations will come through the Vatican which will deal either with the Prime Minister or the Presi dent; more likely the latter. Ike was itching this morning to know the result of the long planned boobing of the Ploesti oil fields in Rumania. More than 150 B-24s of the 9th Air Force � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Flying with Eisenhower Description An account of the resource See records of the flight where James and other P-38 pilots flew escort for Eisenhower in 1943. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed document Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Declassified report of General Eisenhower's visit to Italy in August 1943 Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Eisenhower. Description An account of the resource Declassified report of General Eisenhower's visit to Italy in August 1943. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mission report Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-08 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/13/318/Dibble_Text0095.pdf 67ed3aea368a8979ae1ce42d0b921348 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Killed in Action Description An account of the resource Typically pilots rotated home after their 50th mission. James took off for his 49th mission on Septemebr 9, 1943, and never returned. He was shot down on a straffing run near the town of Padula, Italy. Initially there was much confusion amongst the other P-38 pilots, and it was thought James survivied and may have been taken prisoner. Ultimately it was discovered that James had been shot down and then killed by German soldiers. James was ultiamtely brought home and buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Middleville, Michigan. See information on his gravesite at <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40312090/james-p-dibble" target="_blank" title="James P. Dibble's Gravesite" rel="noreferrer noopener">FindAGrave.com</a>. See reports, documents and letters around James' missing in action status and then the determination that he was killed in action. Included are letters from the Army to his wife Maxine and parents, newspaper clippings and local memorials. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed mission report Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Copy of a statement from 2nd Lt. Raymond Schultz on what he saw when James Dibble 's group was attacked at Padula Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Crash. Description An account of the resource Copy of a statement from 2nd Lt. Raymond Schultz on what he saw when James Dibble 's group was attacked at Padula. He mistakenly thought another plane had gone down and did not know it was James. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mission report Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource 2nd Lt. Raymond Schultz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 9/9/1943 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/12/315/Dibble_Text0230.pdf 4583e447e47cd2c9b7d5516163bfe075 PDF Text Text 32 My daughter, Pam, and some of the grandchildren have copies of that frontpage picture and I was later able to duplicate it for a campaign card I used when I ran for Prosecutor, reason I was able to do this was quite a coincidence, The After my fifty missions, Ray and I had received orders to go home. We had gone into Bizerte and I was looking for the building where this magazine had been published and we did find it. I asked some questions, identified myself and was able to locate the photographer who had taken the picture. proofs or anything I could take home. I asked for any He had a brass type of imprint from which the original picture was made and he gave it to me. why? I still have it - it's in my desk drawer. So that's I was able to use it later in my campaigning.for Prosecutor. 50th Mission This is an account of my 50th and final mission. It was flown on August 30, 1943. It's been a rather difficult experience to relate. Part of which you'll understand after you read the following and partly because a lot of it is pretty much a blur at this time. The day started like all others. I was awakened by the roar of planes being pre-flighted and as in most of the mornings I kept thinking that odd expression "listening to the lions roar". By habit I checked my mosquito netting & shook my boots to make sure no scorpions had taken refuge during the night. Everything seemed o.k. I crawled out of bed, dressed quickly and headed to the mess tent. The food was pretty much as always - it was never good but boring and on this particular morning, it hit me - this was the big one. The big "50". had pretty well disappeared at that point. for strength so I did. The appetite I knew I had to’ eat I walked into the briefing tent. Newberry was already there. (Capt. The briefing was very short. "Remember what you did yesterday". "You're going to do it again today - B-26's again - same target area - same time." This would make 8 days. Again I silently prayed that this one would be like yesterday and I would be home free. was set for 1100 hours. Take-off We were to rendezvous with the bombers over Cape Bonn at 9000 feet at 1120 hours. saw a jeeprclimbed in and drove to where my plane was bivouaced. �33 In addition to the anxieties I felt, I had one other worry. For 45 missions, I had flown one plane which was "my plane". It was painted with a design resembling the mouth of a shark and had the name "Betty" om.it. Rather contradictory when I reflect back. For some strange reason when I completed my 45th mission, the Air Force sent me for R. & R. at a hotel the Red Cross maintained in the Atlas Mtns. While I was gone another pilot flew my plane on several missions and he did not return from the last, flying a substitute plane - a strange plane. this was a bad omen. I was now I certainly felt After four missions without a great amount of difficulty and the usual amount of aerial combat, I hoped I had no reason for paranoia, home. Joe had been my crew chief from the very He saw pilots come and go. He had never had one go A close bond formed between us. He was a very quiettman beginning. and a damn good crew chief. When I arrived at my plane, he had just cut the motors from the morning's warm up. any reason for a great deal of conversation, There was never I cut the motor on 1.1 my jeep, walked over, sat down in the shade under the wing. "How does she sound?", I said. "Couldn't be better", he answered. I realized he was quite aware that this was #50 for me.and how I was feeling. He said nothing. understood.and I thanked him. We looked at each other only and I got in the jeep and returned to the tent. Fat Boy was writing letters, to do. There wasn't a hell of a lot When not flying, we wrote letters, occasionally ate, would lie in the bunks or play poker, but we never started a poker game before a mission. I was too nervous to lie in. the bunk. I felt an urge to write one more letter. There was no escaping the feeling before each mission, but now I knew it would soon be all-over. you leave. So there is a desire to put things in order before I opened my brief case, took out a V mail form and started "my darling Betty". Her letters to me had always been so cheerful and so expressive of her love, and there was not indication in her mind that she had the slightest doubt but that I would return. optimism. I'm sure my letters did not express the same �- 34. I tried to conceal the fatalistic attitude which I had formed. Fat Boy rolled out of his bunk. "Let's go you P-38 drivers" he remarked, without really looking at anybody. "We can still make the world safe for apple pie and motherhood." Right now, I would settle for making the world safe for me, I mumbled as I picked up my helmet, goggles, oxygen mask, Mae West, parachute and headed f for the jeep. The squadron consisted of 3 flights. consisted of four planes. Each flight I was leading one flight. McIntosh led the lead flight and the group, Fat Boy Hurst led the third.. I felt good to have them with me. My wing man was Eickman. Weinburg and Randall were my second element. They were experienced pilots The jeep dropped Fat Boy and Weinberg at their planes first and then to mine. Joe was waiting there. I climbed on the wing, eased into the cockpit, fastened the shoulder harness and motioned that I was ready. Joe closed the canopy and I locked it from the inside. I plugged in my oxygen mask and my radio, set my radio for the proper channel.and went through the other flight phecks. It had become so much of my life it was second nature to me. I energized the starter, yelled "clear". I engaged Joe responded, "clear". the starterand the first engine roared quickly into life with one belch of black fumes, I repeated the same process with the second engine, I signalled Joe to remove the chucks and I taxied to the runway. My wing man joined me as we waited in line for take-off. As usual the hot African sun quickly caused overheating of my engines. The temperatures were in the red line. The first time this happened, it was with deep concern with tanks and bombs fastened under each wing, however this had happened so many times, with no difficulty, that the red line experience had become routine. We took off in formation and circled the field so that those taking off behind could join up on our position. 2500 ft. We rendezvoused at On seeing all were in position, we set course for Cape Bonn and I put the plane in a gentle climb, so we would reach 9000 ft. formation. mission. My wing man was tucked in tight. I wouldn-'t say I was scared - it was more closely described as stark terror. feelings. He could fly good I remembered briefly the feelings I had on my first I wondered if he felt the same �35 I checked my other element and found they were in good position, also flying good tight formation. I looked to my right at McIntosh's flight and then at Fat Boy's on my left, We were a damn good squadron and I couldn't help but smile. Under normal circumstances, I would have been feeling great exhilaration at this time, This was not a normal circumstance. the big "50". The stark blue Mediterranean came into view. This was I picked up my landmarks on Cape Bonn, arrived at the rendezvous point at 11:14 and the bombers were not there; scan of the horizon revealed their approach. however, a guibk I turned toward them and as we joined up, I swung my flight into position with out further ceremony. target area, navigation. The bombers picked up the heading for the From here on there would be no problems with There was only one rule - stay with the bombers. There was only one excuse for leaving the bombers - you had to be shot down. me. The coast of Africa quickly disappeared behind As I watched it faded into the distance - I couldn't help but wondering, as I had so many times before, whether I would see This time the feelings were even deeper. it again. could pick up the western coast of Sicily. to form - 180 M.P.H. Later, I The B-26's were true In order to maintain a higher speed for the fighters, we flew a pattern much like a letter "S" back and forth I was able to maintain about 220 M.-P.H. and stay with overhead. the bombers while doing this. A second squadron of planes had been put up by the 94th and they also had rendezvoused with us over Cape Bonn.and they were flying the same pattern. We had a system of flying our "S" pattern in opposite directions, so that we continually criss-crossed over the bombers, for tactical reasons. This was done If the Germans came in on from any direction, we always had planes turning into them for a headon pass. A head-on pass was the most effective combat tactic for the 38. This was true because the 20 mm. cannon and 50 cal. machine guns were all mounted in the nose of the 38. in such a position, they threw a pattern of bullets which had the same concentration at any range. advantage. The Germans did not have this �3.6 Their guns were "sited in" to form a pattern at a certain range but if they were beyond this range, the guns were not accurate. Quite briefly, it meant we would be effective at much greater or shorter ranges than they could. would come in on a head-on pass. away. It was very seldom a German They would almost always break- The 26's lumbered over the coast of Sicily, which was now in allied hands. distance. Shortly I could see the coast of Italy in the The bombers stayed over open water in order to avoid any possible flack until it became absolutely necessary to turn in. As we approached the target area, we swung to the east. this time all hell broke loose. About The radio suddenly began to scream from fighter pilots reporting bogies at different locations, coming in from different highs, Suddenly the air seemed filled with 109's, 190's and I went on adrelin. Quite honestly from this point on, I really don't remember much detail. What I sensed in the beginning was soon verified - that this was going to be one hell of a fight. At some point in time, I remember somebody calling over the radio, probably McIntosh, to form a .".Luffberry " . A "Luffberry" is a circle where all the planes follow each other and it has the advantage of somebody's always covering your tail. It has several disadvantages, one of whichiis, it doesn't go anywhere. A few minutes before, I had seen the bombers pass, heading for home with no difficulty and learned later that they had no losses. So I'm sure my instincts said at this point it's time to get the hell out of there. There was no point in fighting against these odds. It was not something I reasoned - it was something done entirely instinctively. I rolled my plane over, pulled the controls in to my belly and I dove for the deck. I relaxed the controls when I could see the water ahead. I stayed in the dive with my controls fire- walled wide open until I could level off at about 50 ft. At that time I looked behind me to see if I had been followed - I had - there was one 109 but he was not in range at this point, probably had not been able to keep up and so I turned into him for a head- on pass, but before he came into range, he broke away and headed �37, back to Naples. At that time, I checked to see if my flight was in-tack, it was not. My wing man was still there, but the second element with Wineberg and Randall was nowhere to be seen. At that point, I heaved a sigh of relief and headed for Sicily. We were low on fuel so we must have fought longer then I realized. I managed to find a British newly constructed base which only consisted of a runway and some trucks. my wing man and I. N. Africa. I landed - We refueled and took off and flew onto The First Fighter Group Assoc, puts out a newletter and there were 2 accounts of this mission printed in these letters, one by the name of Bob Vrilakas and one by the name of Ervin J. Styr. They obviously remembered more, had checked records about this mission, which obviously stood out in everybody1s mind and presented accounts much more in detail than I can do and so, for that reason, I am going to include excerpts from one letter in this report: "The date was:August 30, 19^3. The target was the Aversa marshaling yards, less than 10/north of Naples. The 1st Fighter Group would be furnishing top cover for the 319th and 320th Bombardment Group flying B-26 Martin Marauders. We pick up the narration with the 1st weaving back and forth about 12-1/2 to 13 thousand feet with the bombers directly below approaching their IP where they would turn and approach the target. "McIntosh swung the 1st wide in its following turn to be between the bombers and the direction from which the enemy fighters were expected to launch their attack. His calculation was correct. Since gust before the American formation crossed the Italian coast, the enemy had been taking off from Pomigliano and * Capodichino, and some snaked their way through the bomb holes on Grazzanise. Others with belly tanks on, were by this.time.Clawing into the air from Foggia. They burst out of the hazy horizon in two waves and each wave split to each side when they saw the twin-tailed Lightnings. They were higher by two to three thousand feet and they were coming full bore. All three squadrons called them in, with the 71st and 94th dropping tanks: together. momentarily. McIntosh held his He had seen only two or three at first, then to �38 his amazement there seemed to be scores of them, The 27th dropped their tanks in a hurry. In a flash the three squadrons were breaking right and left. The enemy was coming from all sides, and from above. In a moment the sky was filled with every variety of enemy fighter, mixing in a wild melee . The intercom was filled with shouts, warnings and instructions. There were 44 P-38's in the fray. at from 75 to 100. The enemy was estimated The number was set at 75 in the Distinguished Unit Citation awarded to the Group later (Originally these were called Presidential Unit Citations). John T. Hanton was considered to have drawn first blood when he sent a ME-109 spinning earthward in the first minutes of the conflict, then had all he could do to keep from being shot down himself. The enemy was everywhere. and then from head-on. They came frpiji above and beneath The 94th Jost John C. Cram and Ralph Peck, then Ralph F. Turrentine, of the 71st. collided head-on with a Messerschmitt in a grinding crash that was noiseless to the pilots of both sides, but the explosion of gasoline was flash enough for all to see. Clifford W. Randol was shot down, then Larry Reynolds nailed an ME-109 as did John D. Hurst, all 27th members. Vrilakas of the 94th .shot down an enemy he later thought was a Macchi-202, then a few minutes later had his right engine damaged and part of his plexiglas canopy shot away. John I. Husby of the 27th, was wounded in the back by fragments of a cannon shell. He wobbled in the air as he felt the sting and saw his own blood.. He was wide open for a moment. Three enemy fell upon him, but they split-essed away when Charles J. McCann of the 71st led his three man flight to the rescue. The battle descended in altitude, It seemed to grow in int intensity, but this was due to the arrival of more enemey from Foggia. Jerome N. Weinberg of the 27th went into the water, then Charles E. Woodard of the 94th was lost. Holding the inside of the turn as McIntosh began to inch the formation out to sea, the 71st leader, John S. Willey, was shot down and was missing in action and left alone, Walter G. Morrison, �- 39 - his wingman, lost both engines to enemy fire and bellied into the water. He was picked up by the Italians and taken prisoner. Two more enemy were destroyed iroyed by a tight t: turning flight of the 27th pilots, one of them by "Pappy Hurst' Hurst", his second of the day. But, Harry Warmker lost his bearings as he I turned into three others, and he hit the water with all guns firing. McIntosh thought later '’ > because of the haze and concentration concei he had an attack of vertigo on his gunsight. Deisenrotl;h followed him into the water from battle damage‘ and was almost knocked out when the Lightning hit, and was ne<>arl.y ‘ carried under before he could loosen his seat belt. Vrilakas was nursing ’his cri ’ rippled P-38 on one engine when two more enemy attacked on the deck, Rigney of the 94th turned to protect him, shot one of the enemj iemy down, but exposed himself to the other who hit Rigney' with a hail of machine gun and cannon fire, He lost control and hit the i water with a crash, but he survived, also to be taken prisoner, to escape, and return to the Group. The battle in all had lasted 40 minutes. Not a single bomber was lost either to enemy ffighters or flak. But smoke was rising from the Tyrrhenian Sea oi>ff Naples where fighters from both sides had crashed. Vrilakas made it to Sicily.. Husby all the way home to Mateur. For McIntosh it was his fiftieth >th and final f: mission. He had destroys '■ed a Focke-Wulf 190 in the opening minutes of the battle, then hac id devoted his efforts to keeping the squadron and group together as much as jpossible." What a way to enc id a combat tour! The score that day, the 30th of August,1943 - 44 planes to the target area, 23 returned to Mateur. (Eight made it to friendly fields elsewhere." The 1st Fighter Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation later called Distinguished Unit Citation, for outstanding performance of duty against the enemy. After landing at home base, and being de-briefed I headed for my tent and was stopped by Capt. Newberry who said there was somebody waiting to see me in the tent. It turned out to be Red Haines from Spring Valley who had been a school chum of mine for several years. I was not much in a visiting mood but it ‘was a welcome sight to see someone from home. He and I had played basketball for several years in our high school years. After he left Hurst came into the tent and told me that Wineburg and Randall had both been lost - shot down, of course, and that we had suffered other casualties - the exact extent of which was not known to me for several days after. Somebody in the outfit had heard about some Roman ruins not too far away so several pilots and myself decided to go. Being war time, the ruins didn't seem to be in charge of anybody - no fee charged, We just was well worth the trip. walked in and seemed to go back in time to the days of the Romans. It � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943 Description An account of the resource From Jim Dibble's account titled "The Day of Armegeddon" included in this collection: "Following the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, the missions flown out of North Africa by the 1st Fighter Group pilots in their P-38 Lightnings had a common objective of preparing for the invasion at Salerno, Italy by the United States Fifth Army." A mission on August 25th was highly successful, with a loss of only 8 P-38's. The 1st Fighter Group earned a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation for their efforts, but the August 30 mission, for which they would earn a second citation, was not so easy. See mission reports, photos, first hand accounts and more information about this infamous air battle known as The Day of Armageddon. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed document Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Notes from George Smith clarifying events of August 30, 1943 Subject The topic of the resource World War II. August 30, 1943. Description An account of the resource Notes from George Smith clarifying events of August 30, 1943. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Historical account Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource George Smith Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource unknown Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/11/252/Dibble_Text0106.pdf e8e58af2e1c79fc100be314131ccc290 PDF Text Text �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Letters Home Description An account of the resource Getting letters from home was always a highlight of the week for everyone overseas. They wrote home frequently as well as evidenced by the volume of James' letters. Here is a collection of letters and postcards he sent home to his wife Maxine, brother Bill and parents while serving in Africa and Italy. Be sure to look at the letter dated 1943-04-10. Notice how James indicated he censored his own letter and look at the special form he had to use to send it home. Notice on other letters where they are stamped whether they were censored or not. Like most others, James had to be careful not to divulge too much information about where he was. James was killed on September 9, 1943. Be sure to read his last letter home, sent the day before. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Hand-written letter Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from James in North Africa to his wife Maxine (Micky), 1943-03-22 Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Correspondence. Description An account of the resource Letter from James in North Africa to his wife Maxine (Micky). Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Personal correspondence Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Dibble Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-03-22 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/10/208/Dibble_Text0150.pdf da8def1bd068899dd2bf0063e20268df PDF Text Text ■ 94TH FI-.LTE:. L 1ST FLUTE?. GLuUP .4.P.O. 520 June'3, 1943. DlVa j -HPLIr - 15 P-38s, >8s, Capt. Wellensiek, Wellensiek, Lts.. Opdahl, i\halen, Anderson, Quinn, Gilliam, Ltrown, Hammond, >nd, .Stephan, Stephan^ Priciiard, Brci >phy, Helms, Holcombe, Cogswell., 1335 hours/ and i’ihblo, took off lj:35 hours, to-ethcr >.it?i formations j from. the L'.’LL uni 71st Jy;.drons, e.cli curry. •; 11 * A^ IL^c It. L;..L -----br. ... -route to dive bomb grin emplacement No. 1 immediate: f TZLLSRIA. The fornati-'n cl :>-bed 5000j feet 1 iet:e. before beginning their dive and released their bombs at 2500Cf~et. XX' fret. It iis impossible to estimate exactly the number of hits scored because the tai arget was covered with dust, but it is oelieved that two-thirds of the bombs hit j; ■ in the targetL area’. One cament building was hit; -- 4fo j--- .. enemy aircraft were observed,♦ Flak: Light, intense, intense and accujAte. Time over targe CAVU. FoHtetion landed at target 1515 hours. Leathei to target and over target 171C- hours. k [ 5177 I-C n~.:Fr "LSJr.n: - 15 P-j't, Capt. .iover, Its. Pace, Kewsone, j..:ol, Lo.-.c, i Cronin, Hageni-acx, Eec-er, Freehl'.’ ng, Jager, Least, Gillian, Petersen, Liles, yic. L; i a-s.-. eacii carryiyl x 10X 1b. bomb (inst. and .025 fuses), took off at 1545 hours, F’’ .“ together with the 2?th Fighter Squadron,” to dive bomb Kild a/b near TIiAPANI, 6IQL Is.deck direct to the -iq”i--ds ,w. - - -y.nrc-o + - -y - ■ y-< — ■ gtF the field and the runway. Two hangers were left burning. ^Time. over target 1755 .. Two hangers hours. ; No -E/A were encountered. Flak: light, neitherintense nor accurate but a/ L- r rnr7~—; ’1^4TOk? FLIGHT - 2 P-3«s, Its, Petersen and fironhy, took off 0500 hours and lanaed f? 0930 ho. rs on weather £li:ht to Hyeres Islandr. nearF^V’CE t''. a ‘ ■ � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Mission Reports Description An account of the resource A collection of Mission reports from James' combat flights. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed mission report Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mission Report for the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, June 3 , June 4 and June 5, 1943 Subject The topic of the resource United States. Air Force. 12th Air Force. 94th Fighter Squadron. Description An account of the resource Mission Report for the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, June 3 , June 4 and June 5, 1943. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Flight Mission report Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Randolph A. Brown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-06 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/7/195/Dibble_Image0069.jpg 9c6e252cf4058f2643d8bee403598a3c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: High School into the Army Air Corps Description An account of the resource An athlete, James played on the Hastings High School football team for several years and later was active in sports at the YMCA in Chicago. In High School, James met Maxine Erway who would ultimately become his wife. After graduating from Hastings High School in 1939, he went to Chicago and began working in the bakery business. He worked for a time at the Schultz Bakery in Chicago and was even sent to New York to learn at the Fleischman Lab. This colllection contains high school graduation information, photos and letters. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Barry County Fairgrounds Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James playing high school football, 1938 Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. High School. Description An account of the resource James (center, running the ball) playing high school football. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/6/186/Dibble_Image0060.jpg 51310bc78af1cb960a5f0734324f4cb1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: His Early Life Description An account of the resource Born in Hastings, MI, James grew up in the area. He attended one room schoolhouses around Hastings, spent some time in Grand Rapids and ultimately graduated from High School in 1939. This collection is entirely photographs of James' early life with his parents and brother Bill. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Barlow Lake, MI Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 2.5" x 3" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young James Dibble at Barlow Lake, age 3, with his father James and Great Aunt Elmira Stein. Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Barlow Lake. Description An account of the resource Young James Dibble at Barlow Lake, age 3, with his father James and Great Aunt Elmira Stein. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1924 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/8/174/Dibble_Image0049.jpg 6cd3dd5b743d3a16a4cee17be53ca884 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Flight Training Description An account of the resource James trained on a number of different planes in preparation to be a P-38 pilot. His training took place in California and Arizona in late 1942. He flew a P-38 similar to this one: [admin_image id=1,size=fullsize] See photos, documents and letters home during James' time in flight training. Be sure to look at the Chico and Luke Field yearbooks that were produced when his class graduated from those training facilities. Table Of Contents A list of subunits of the resource. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview California Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 3" x 5" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James and Maxine Dibble after he got his wings Subject The topic of the resource James and Maxine Dibble Description An account of the resource James and Maxine Dibble after he got his wings. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/9/161/Dibble_Text0081.pdf d5cb7b5867d898bc802778f5a947dc7f PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Combat! Description An account of the resource James spent his combat time based out of North Africa and helped clear the way for the eventual invasion of Italy in 1943. He was a member of the 94th Air Squadron, <a href="https://www.1stfg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1st Fighter Group</a>, and flew the famous twin-engined P-38. Learn more about the P-38 at: <ul><li><a href="http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p38.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aviation History online Museum</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_1pKiyOT5AhXUkIkEHWqSCb8QFnoECAMQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftechnology%2FP-38&usg=AOvVaw25-9_sOlkuv_UPtZBhV1Ma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Britannica.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_1pKiyOT5AhXUkIkEHWqSCb8QFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FLockheed_P-38_Lightning&usg=AOvVaw0_UoxVGVbZOtad9vsjWvhW" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wikipedia</a><a href="http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p38.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a></li> </ul> Don't miss the section titled Day of Armageddon recapping the events of August 30, 1943. This air battle over Italy ultimately earned James the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was lucky to survive - many pilots made the ultimate sacrifice. See photos, letters, mission reports and more about James' time spent in combat over Africa and Italy in 1942 and 1943. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Assorted newspaper clippings about James Dibble shooting down a German Messerschmitt Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Combat. Description An account of the resource Assorted newspaper clippings mounted on a scrapbook page about James Dibble shooting down a German Messerschmitt. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Newspaper Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. unknown Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/15/83/Dibble_Image0043.jpg 39e1b5e825cc8d25fa55b32254f6ca68 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Monument in Padula, Italy Description An account of the resource The citizens of Padula, Italy, were extremely friendly and helpful during Jim & Ted Dibble's search for answers to their uncle's death. As everyone learned more about James and what happened, they viewed James as a hero and wanted to honor him. In May 2005 they erected a monument to his memory and sacrifice in helping them win freedom during WWII. See photos from the dedication ceremony, including the monument itself, along with transcriptions of the speeches given. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Padula Valley, Italy Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James Dibble's Monument in Padula, Italy Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Crash Site. Padula, Italy. Description An account of the resource James Dibble's Monument in Padula, Italy. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Color photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-05 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/14/73/Dibble_Image0032.jpg 3a4ad12cce3c70a69c6b062338258967 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Search for Answers Description An account of the resource Learn about the 30+ years James' nephews Jim and Ted spent investigating his death to unearth what actually happened. Using private investigators, government contacts and tenacious research, see how they learned what really happened the day James died, how they found his crash site, including witnesses, and made new friends in Italy along the way. Included are photos and documents about James' posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross, photos of the crash site and finding plane wreckage, plus documents and letters amassed during their search for answers. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview U.S. Airforce Museum at the Wright Patterson Airforce base, Dayton, OH Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 3" x 5" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jim Dibble holding uncle James' posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Medals and Citations. Description An account of the resource Jim Dibble holding uncle James' posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross at the Dayton Airforce Museum. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Color photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/17/48/Dibble_Image0007.jpg 5a25a87cd654f2aae01991f9b7dcec1a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: We Got Married! Description An account of the resource James and Maxine dated in High School and after. They decided to get married while he was in flight training and tied the knot on October 29, 1942. See photos of the day, a couple of letters James sent home before the big day and the local newspaper announcements. Note the letter where he had to get his parents' permission for the military as he was still not of age. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a> <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Location The location of the interview Phoenix, AZ Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James on his Wedding Day in Phoenix Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Wedding. Description An account of the resource James on his Wedding Day in Phoenix, AZ. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Black and white photograph Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-10-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 2022-01-18 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/9/377/Dibble_Text0213.pdf f3a4ba0b839b7bc2556e5b71caadc000 PDF Text Text STRAFING OF FOGGIA AIRDROME <t 2 �•[ HEADQUARTEBS 3O6TH WING (US) APQ.52O . US ARMY 3 June 1944. SUBJECT: Proposed Citation for 1st Fighter Group, AAF. TO Commanding General, Fifteenth Air Force. ; 1. Under the provisions of War Department Circular No. 333, 1943 and Circular No. 26, NATOUSA dated 6 March 1944, it is requested that a citation for the 1st Fighter Group, Twin Engine, Arny Air Force, for outstanding performance of duty in action and for extraordinary heroism over the Foggia network of airdromes on 25 August 1943 in the first and greatest mass, long range, low level strafing attack ever carried out, be approved and that the citation be confirmed in War Department General Orders. I 2. In August 1943, a large force of enemy fighters and bombers were concentrated on the main Foggia Airdrome and its ten (10) satellites. An re ale d at at least one incomplete photographic coverage on 22 August 1943 revealed hundred and eighteen (118) bombers, seventy-two (72) fighters^ 3, and fortyfive (45) transports on these fields. Because of their easyr striking live that these distance, of the projected landing at Salerno, it was imperati enemy aircraft be destroyed. The wide dispersal of these aircraft made it impossible to accomplish this task by normal action of heavy bombers. Thus, the Air Force determined to wipe out this enemy concentration by the first mass, longrange, lav level strafing raid ever carried out. Three (3) groups of P-38’s, totaling one hundred and forty (140) aircraft, were to be used in this important operation. In the vicinity of Kairouan, Tunisia, throughout the three (3) day period preceding the day set for the attack, long and secret practice missions were held. Unless complete surprise could be achieved it was anticipated that losses on this raid might be exceptionally severe. Close formation was an absolute necessity. The most accurate navigation and split second timing would be necessary in order to reach the initial point and then spread out on the correct routes of attack for each of the nine (9) separate targets which extended over an area of nine hundred (900) square miles. In order to avoid detection by enemy radar, it was imperative that the entire formation remain under an altitude of one hundred (100) feet along the entire route. At minimum altitude the F-38’s would be subjected to aerial attack and heavy ground fire for 300 miles over Italy. 3. Taking off from Mateur, Tunisia, at 0?06 hours on 25 August 1943> sixty-five (65) P-38‘s of the 1st Filter Group proceeded to the rendezvous point at Zembra Island vhere they met the 82nd and 14th Fighter Groups. Flying in perfect low level formation, the three (3) groups flew on the deck past Sicily, hit the western coast of Italy at Praia a Mare, on the Gulf of Policastro, 400 miles from the take-off point. They then swept across Italy at tree top level for 300 miles, reached Molfetta, on the east coast of Italy, exactly as planned, and th en flew over water up the coast - 1 - �I < •where the 82nd and 14th Fighter Groups turned off at their respective turn ing points. At a point near Manfredonia, under the superb leadership and navigation of the Operations Officer of the 1st Fighter Group, the three (3) squadrons divided, and at a speed of 300 mph .at tree top level, headed for their three (3) targets, Foggia satellites 1, 2, and 4. Light and heavy anti-aircraft and small .arms fire was encountered from various points along the way, including destroyers in the Gulf of Manfredonia and from the target area. Fifty-seven (5?) ?-38’s of the 1st Fighter Group swept over their assigned targets, strafing everything in sight. Using the most conservative estimates, the 1st Filter Group destroyed thirty-six (36) aircraft, one (1) of which was destroyed in the air, and severely damaged fifty-two (52) others. The aircraft claimed as destroyed were seen to explode and burn. Strafing on the return routes, the 1st Fighter Group suc miscellacessfully attacked locomotives, freight cars, powerlines, trucks, ' ’ neous installations, and a troop train of twenty (20) railway cars, killing and wounding many enemy troops. On this raid the 1st Fighter Group lost four (4) F-38’s. Far heavier losses were avoided because, as a result of superb flying and navigation, the enemy did not receive warning in time. 4. In all, a total of sixty-four (64) enemy aircraft was claimed >yed by the entire mission, and ei^ity-six (86) were damaged on the destroyec ‘ <of which the 1st Filter Group destroyed and damaged more than half ground, aircraft. Over 70^ of the destroyed and damaged aircraft were of these ail bombers. Subsequent interpretation of aerial photographs confirmed that the ■ - - ~ successft „;:i3ful, and placed the number of planes lost by the mission was highly Axis as considerably greater than the conservative totals listed above. The effect of the attack at this crucial time greatly decreased the enemy’s air :gion and directly paved the way for the approaching landing power in this ref Is was an important factor in the cessation of Italian hostilat Salerno. This import efforts and devotion to duty of all ities one week later. The untiring unti ground personnel of this Group contributed greatly to the success of this mission. The pilots displayed great courage in their fearless execution of inprecedented operation. Despite all dangers,. this difficult, hazardous, and unprecedentec the flying personnel of the 1st Fighter Group Groi_ pressed their attacks with on the enemy, and r - — - -rendered extraordinary heroism, inflicted a crippling blow t a valuable contribution to the armed conflicti against our enemies in1 Europe, rces of the ition of the Armed Fore v/hich is in keeping with the spirit and tradit United States. 8 Incls: Incl 1 Incl 2 Incl 3 Incl 4 Incl 5 Incl 6 Incl 7 Incl 8 D. G. STROTHER, » Brigadier General, USA, Conroandi ng. - Proposed Citation (in quir Lnt) - Field Orders (in quint) - Mission Report (in quint) - Map of Course (in quint) - Opl and Intel Summary, HAAF (in quint) - Daily Intel Summary, 42nd Hg (in quint) - Coxmendation (in quint) - Eoster (in quint) - 2 - �•r- PROPOSED CITATION ( (. 1ST FIGHTER GROUP. For outstanding performance of duty in armed con flict’with the eneny. Upon receiving orders for the first mass long range low level strafing raid ever carried out, the pilots of the Group spent three (3) days intensely training and preparing for this vital operation, while ground personnel displayed the greatest zeal, devotion, and efficiency in preparing the P-38 type aircraft for this important mission. On 25 August 1943) sixty-five (65),P-38’s of the Group took off to rendezvous with two (2) other fighter groups for the attack on the Foggia airdromes, on which were concentrated more than two-hundred and thirty (230) eneny aircraft, which severely threatened the projected invasion at Salerno, Italy, and which, because of wide dispersal, were immune from normal bombing methods. In order to prevent detection ty eneny radar, it was imperative to fly the entire five-hundred and thirty (530) miles to the target at an extremely low altitude. Serious losses were inevitable should the eneny be alerted. Completely disregarding anti-aircraft fire, intense small arms fire, and possible eneny aerial opposition, the pilots, by superb navigation, swept across and then up Italy, where they split off for their respective attacks on the different Foggia airdromes. The heroic pilots of the 1st Fighter Group swept across the eneny fields, strafing the widely dispersed aircraft, gun positions, eneny troops, and other militaiy targets. In this attack the 1st Fighter Group destroyed and severely damaged a total of eighty eight (88) hostile aircraft, with the loss of only two (2) P-38’s, while the entire mission accounted for a total of one-hundred and fifty (150) air craft destroyed or damaged on the ground. Thus, at this critical time before the landings at Salerno, a crippling blow was dealt to the eneny. The pilots of this Group, despite all dangers, pressed their attacks with extraordinary heroism, covered both themselves and their Group with glory, and rendered a • valuable contribution to the armed conflict against our enemies in Europe, which is in keeping with the spirit and tradition of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: Combat! Description An account of the resource James spent his combat time based out of North Africa and helped clear the way for the eventual invasion of Italy in 1943. He was a member of the 94th Air Squadron, <a href="https://www.1stfg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1st Fighter Group</a>, and flew the famous twin-engined P-38. Learn more about the P-38 at: <ul><li><a href="http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p38.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aviation History online Museum</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_1pKiyOT5AhXUkIkEHWqSCb8QFnoECAMQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftechnology%2FP-38&usg=AOvVaw25-9_sOlkuv_UPtZBhV1Ma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Britannica.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_1pKiyOT5AhXUkIkEHWqSCb8QFnoECAQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FLockheed_P-38_Lightning&usg=AOvVaw0_UoxVGVbZOtad9vsjWvhW" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wikipedia</a><a href="http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p38.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a></li> </ul> Don't miss the section titled Day of Armageddon recapping the events of August 30, 1943. This air battle over Italy ultimately earned James the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was lucky to survive - many pilots made the ultimate sacrifice. See photos, letters, mission reports and more about James' time spent in combat over Africa and Italy in 1942 and 1943. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed document Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Proposed Citation for the 1st Fighter Group including the 94th Air Squadron Subject The topic of the resource World War II. 1st Fighter Group. Medals and Citations. Description An account of the resource Proposed Citation for the 1st Fighter Group including the 94th Air Squadron. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Citation report Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource D. C. Strother Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 6/3/1944 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022 https://barrycountyhistoryportal.org/files/original/14/360/Dibble_Text0218.pdf 7cc50db8237688ddc446e285cc2aeaa1 PDF Text Text .¥ O Os®l W >¥ \ ' - . Ml I re > Bl| i Ji 1 >a Iff’ 1.I ..«* 3 ’T 1 lie fundamental of leadership in war is simply that the senior officer has to show the others that it can be done and how to do it. Forty-seven years ago, my Uncle led the first fighter group into combat, and we honor him for that today. Deeds of valor were done because the enemy barred a return to home and family. It didn’t matter whether the enemy was fascist, or Nazi. Few understood such matters. The enemy was there, and until he was killed the Americans could not go home. Soon after World War II began, and openly proclaiming that he had no desire to be a private in Anyone’s Army, Jim joined the Cadet program to learn to fly. xpuld not let anything stand in his way. He was not only going to be '■'P - the P-38 Lightning. Jim was driven by an in inner desire to be a pilot a a pilot, but a fighter :r pilot, Hying the hottest pit] By Augustt of 1943, Jim had fulfilled his his goals. <■ seasoned veteran veteran of of 42 42 combat missions. mission AuguT Presidential Distinguished stinguishe Unit Citations that d\ and Italian Airfields ields in preparation pr of the allieds ers to Italy. Again on the 28th, Jim shot another fighter group to their SecondPresidential Disting just 24th he i I mention these missions because of all the excitins merited mentioning in letters home was leading tlw enemy planes. In fact, he never mentioned the^nW On August 31st, Jim wrote to his wife,, “ 1 Yeste^^| I was a little nervous when confrontedI 'with the res[ 9th, 1943, while staling a large German convoy, Jim m! into combat. 'lu irned to the kot in 11)1 Ididmy ; sacrifii :e ea experience ini Jim’s mindwas not nc shooting down late combat that was important to him. pts into i to combat iter group intc ; combat, I led the first fight September enough.” Oni Si st and I guess it was good en< ing fighter pilots loing what he enjoyed most, i leadir fatever the reward. Soldiers are unlikely to calculate Jim didn’t try to be a hero. He didn’t have to. Good officers are good .hir.k’ng, and happens will win a medal. Jim said it best, “When a guy gets in a bad spot and does some fast ‘thinking that this or any action ac joy it and doesn’t want of Me-109’s to his credit, he may get the DFC for it; but you can be sure he didn’t enji to get out with a: couple c ieserved.” it to happen again. 99% of the boys don’t want to be heroes, it happens, and any medals they get are well dt ©ooZdO d J A . ■ ) r< >.. I This medal today is well deserved and its award greatly appreciated. Thank you. of xfjiSSolfi7 ~ OT quadron from Rest Camp ip. He was a 21 year old ie first fighter group earnt ned the first of its three Jorth Africa to Foggia, roggia, It Italy -1, to strafe the German .shot down a Me-109 while escorting be Zomb s. And oXcourse, on August 30th, Jim led the ie first < event which Fh<p<4 led to Jim during thisis one week, the only ).//lie u\ ^yiow #< do.« U.S.A � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource James P. Dibble: The Search for Answers Description An account of the resource Learn about the 30+ years James' nephews Jim and Ted spent investigating his death to unearth what actually happened. Using private investigators, government contacts and tenacious research, see how they learned what really happened the day James died, how they found his crash site, including witnesses, and made new friends in Italy along the way. Included are photos and documents about James' posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross, photos of the crash site and finding plane wreckage, plus documents and letters amassed during their search for answers. Jump to other sections of the collection: <ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/5">James P. Dibble: World War II P-38 Fighter Pilot</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/6">His Early Life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/7">High School into the Army Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/8">Flight Training</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/17">We Got Married!</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/9">Combat!</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/10">Mission Reports</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/11">Letters Home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/16">Flying with Eisenhower</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/12">The Day of Armageddon - August 30, 1943</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/13">Killed in Action</a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/14">The Search for Answers</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.barrycountyhistoryportal.org/collections/show/15">The Monument in Padula, Italy</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><a href="http://omeka/collections/show/15"></a></li> </ul></li> </ul> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed document Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Certificate describing James Dibble's character and receipt of the Distinguished Flying Cross Subject The topic of the resource James Dibble. Medals and Citations. Description An account of the resource Certificate describing James Dibble's character and receipt of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Achievement certificates Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jim Dibble Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-NC/1.0/ Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Hastings Public Library Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jim Dibble Date Accepted Date of acceptance of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Accepted may be relevant are a thesis (accepted by a university department) or an article (accepted by a journal). 1/18/2022