70 years this week since the first US air force officer was killed in Europe

[Warden]

Interesting BBC news article

"It's 70 years this week since the first US air force officer was killed in Europe, following America's entry into World War II. By heading the list of 30,000 USAAF men to lose their lives in the European theatre, Lt Col Townsend Griffiss became a footnote in the history of the war. But who was he and how did he die?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17011105

 

[Stearmen]

I am surprised no one replied to your article! Well, thank you, I did not know this, I always thought the first American killed would have been a pilot shot down while flying during the transition to US squadron control.

 

[Warden]

To be honest this is the only article I could find about the USAAF arriving in the Britain 70 years ago, I remember a lot of was made twenty years ago about the 50th anniversary, not only this for the 70th

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

Thank you for the links. I'm tempted to try and track down a copy of the travel guide for myself. He sounds like he would've been a great guy to know.

I thought it was interesting, the part about his detailer checking out his looks and bank account before sending him to a diplomatic posting. I'm not in the mood to google it, but I recall something similar about other high-profile positions. I think it was at a major post in D.C., and during the early 30's Wainwright was the commanding officer. But he lost most of his money during the stock market crash, and couldn't afford to maintain the level of entertaining that the position required.

So Patton got the job.