World War II Honoree

Loyd Theodore Fredrickson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Osceola, Nebraska

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE, APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING IN THE AVIATION CADET PROGRAM AS A NAVIGATOR. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PREFLIGHT SCHOOL, FLEXIBLE GUNNERY SCHOOL, AND BASIC AND ADVANCED NAVIGATION TRAINING, WAS AWARDED HIS SILVER NAVIGATOR WINGS AND COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT. NEXT, ASSIGNED FOR UNIT TRAINING IN THE AIRCRAFT HE WOULD FLY ON IN COMBAT. DEPLOYED TO ENGLAND AND JOINED THE 8TH AIR FORCE. SERVED AS A B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), WITH THE 392ND BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 8TH AIR FORCE. HIS UNIT WAS STATIONED AT WENDLING, IN NORFOLK COUNTY, ENGLAND DURING THE WAR. FLEW 35 MISSIONS. HIS UNIT’S AREA OF OPERATIONS INCLUDED GERMANY AND OCCUPIED EUROPE. HIS GROUP PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR COMBAT, AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. HIS UNIT SERVED PRIMARILY AS A DAYLIGHT STRATEGIC BOMBING ORGANIZATION, ATTACKING OIL REFINERIES AND STORAGE FACILITIES, SHIPYARDS, HARBORS, RAILWAY MARSHALLING YARDS, AIRFIELDS, V-WEAPON SITES IN FRANCE PRIOR TO THE NORMANDY INVASION, AND THE GERMAN INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING OPERATION 'BIG WEEK,' DURING THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 20-25, 1944. THAT OPERATION WAS THE CODE NAME FOR A MASSIVE STRATEGIC BOMBING CAMPAIGN AGAINST GERMAN FACTORIES PRODUCING FIGHTER AIRCRAFT. AS A NAVIGATOR, HE PLOTTED THE COURSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO AND FROM THE TARGET AREA, FURNISHED THE PILOT WITH FLIGHT DIRECTIONS EN ROUTE, AND KEPT THE FLIGHT LOG BOOK. ALSO SERVED AS AN AERIAL GUNNER WHEN UNDER ATTACK. THE GROUP ALSO SUPPORTED ALLIED GROUND FORCE OPERATIONS WITH INTERDICTORY AND PREPARATORY BOMBING. AWARDED THE 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 GROUP IN COMBAT DURING THE BOMBING OF AN AIRCRAFT AND COMPONENTS FACTORY AT GOTHA, IN CENTRAL GERMANY ON FEBRUARY 24, 1944. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.