World War II Honoree

Quentin C. Aanenson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Luverne, Minnesota

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN 1942. SERVED IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER AS A FIGHTER PILOT WITH THE 391ST FIGHTER ‘FOXHUNT’ SQUADRON, 366TH FIGHTER GROUP, NINTH AIR FORCE. HIS SQUADRON WAS OPERATIONAL IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS FROM MARCH 14, 1944 TO MAY 3, 1945. FLEW REPUBLIC P-47 ‘THUNDERBOLT’ FIGHTER AIRCRAFT. OPERATED OUT OF AIRFIELDS IN ENGLAND, FRANCE, BELGIUM AND GERMANY, INCLUDING AIRFIELD A-70 NEAR LAON, FRANCE WHERE HE SHARED A TENT NAMED ‘DUFFY’S TAVERN’ WITH FELLOW PILOTS. PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), CENTRAL EUROPE, AND AIR COMBAT-EAME THEATER CAMPAIGNS. ON NOVEMBER 17, 1944, PARTICIPATED IN A GROUND-SUPPORT MISSION FOR THE 4TH INFANTRY ‘IVY’ DIVISION AGAINST THE ENEMY LOCATED IN THE HUERTGEN FOREST, SOUTHEAST OF THE GERMAN CITY OF AACHEN. TOOK OFF THAT MORNING IN MARGINAL FLYING WEATHER IN RAIN AND FOG AND WITH RAGGED CEILINGS AND LOW VISIBILITY. DUE TO THE BAD WEATHER, HE WAS FORCED TO FLY LOW AND WAS CONTINUALLY EXPOSED TO ENEMY ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE. WHILE OPERATING AGAINST TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY IN THE VICINITY OF MERODE CASTLE, NEAR DUREN, GERMANY, FOUGHT AGAINST ELEMENTS OF THE 16TH PANZER REGIMENT. HEAVY FLAK DISRUPTED THE SQUADRON FORMATION AND HIS PLANE TOOK A HIT IN THE CANOPY BEHIND HIS HEAD AS HE BEGAN A STRAFING RUN AND ANOTHER AS HE WAS PULLING OUT OF HIS ATTACK. HE FOUGHT TO KEEP HIS SEVERELY DAMAGED AIRCRAFT IN THE AIR AND TURNED TOWARD FRIENDLY LINES. HE WAS ABLE TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING AT A FORWARD AIRFIELD THAT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION NEAR THE FRONT LINES. ON THIS SINGLE MISSION, HIS SQUADRON LAUNCHED 16 AIRCRAFT AND LOST 4 AIRCRAFT AND HAD 3 PILOTS KILLED IN ACTION. IN FEBRUARY 1945 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 8TH INFANTRY ‘PATHFINDER’ DIVISION AS AN AIR-GROUND CONTROLLER. HE FLEW 75 MISSIONS DURING THE COURSE OF THE WAR. AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, PURPLE HEART, AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENTIAL (DISTINGUISHED) UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS SQUADRON IN NORMANDY ON JULY 11, 1944. ALSO AUTHORIZED THE BELGIAN FOURRAGERE FOR HIS SQUADRON BEING CITED THREE TIMES IN THE ORDER OF THE DAY OF THE BELGIAN ARMY. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.