Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Hawkermkii6 on March 14, 2009, 01:32:14 PM
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A very good friend of mine lost his dad this last weekend to a heart attack. His name was Lt. Noble Peterson of the 358th fighter squardon. Here is one of his stories, hope it's not to long for you all........
Noble Peterson was born in 1915. During the thirties Noble and a friend went out to Oregon to look for work. Noble’s friend got the idea of joining the army and talked Noble into it. After they took their physical however, Noble passed and now was in the army, his friend failed! Noble joined the army on Nov. 6, 1936 and was put on a ship out of San Francisco and sent to Hawaii for basic training and served in the 19th infantry. Noble served in Hawaii for two and a half years until a shoulder injury caused him to be discharged on June 20, 1939.
When the US entered the war after the Pearl Harbor attack, Noble knew he would be called up for duty so he reenlisted back in the army on March 20, 1942 at the same rank he was in prior service, a corporal. He ended up in a tank unit (11th Armor Battalion) at Ft. Knox KT training new recruits. After a time, Noble's commander put him in for Officers Training School. Not long after, however, Noble was on a weekend pass and due to no fault of his own the bus he came back on was late. The Battalion Commander really came down hard on Noble and really bawled him out. Noble didn’t figure he deserved the dressing down he got so when he saw the notice about taking a test in Louisville to be a Air Corp Cadet he decided to try for it. Noble asked his Company Commander for a three day pass and when asked why, he was honest and told him, “to take the Air Corp test.” The Captain said “No way.” Noble decided to go anyway and used an old pass he had and this got him through the gate. Noble took the bus to Louisville and took the test with about 50 others. After they finished, the papers were taken to be corrected. After about an hour an a half an officer came in and started calling names, Nobles wasn’t among them so he thought he hadn’t passed but then the officer excused the ones he just called and Noble knew he had made it. Another officer came in and said you are now under the command of the Army Air Corp. Go back to your units and wait to be called. This was on a Friday.
Noble returned to the 11th Armor Battalion and by Monday morning the paperwork had reached the Commanders desk. The Major was so angry he bellered, “SEND PETERSON UP HERE”. Noble went to see the Major and the Major said “What the hell are you doing?! Here I have given you a commission on a silver platter and you do this?!” The Major asked Noble why? Noble said, “To better myself sir.” With this the Major really blew his top and sent Noble out. Before the day was over Noble was busted down to private and sent to the 12th Battalion.
After a couple weeks Nobles orders came through and he was sent to Nashville Tenn. for Cadet training. This was the start of Nobles service in the Army Air Corp.
Noble Peterson flew two tours of duty – the first in the “Dakota Kid”, a P-51C. While at home on leave after his first tour, this plane was shot down in Poland while flown by another pilot during a “shuttle bombing” escort mission.
For his second tour Noble flew a brand new P-51D, this plane was named “Dakota Kid II”. The “Long Island Kid” below the exhaust refers to Noble’s crew chief, Sergeant Robert Coleman, who hailed from New York. Noble belonged to the 355th Fighter Group, 358th Squadron based at Steeple Morden in Cambridgeshire, England.
On 20 July 1944 Captain Noble Peterson, flying Dakota kid II, was escorting B-17’s returning from a mission over Leipzig, Germany when around 20 ME-109’s (Messerschmitts) attacked the bomber formation from the rear. Noble was leading the squadron in that quarter and turned the 358th into the enemy planes. Captain Perterson hit a 109 and it started going down with its engine on fire. The German formation had been broken up and were scattered. Noble climbed, going after another 109 that was darting in and out of cloud cover, when his wing man informed him that the first 109 had straightened out. Noble then dove again and as he came up on the smoking Messerschmitt, the pilot bailed out. Noble came around again and flew by the German that was now safely in his chute. Noble gave him a friendly wave and the German pilot waved back!
Noble flew 106 missions with 500 hours combat flying time.
GOING TO MISS YOU AND YOUR STORIES NOBLE <S>...............
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RIP Capt. Noble. :salute
I love stories like this - feel free to share anymore you have. THey are defintely not too long for me.
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THanks for posting that.
I've seen a photo of Dakota Kid II somewhere. I'll see if I can find it when I get home and post it.
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<S> Capt. Peterson.
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(http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/images/news/burtnerolsen.jpg)
(http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/images/news/peterson.jpg)
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/news-home.php
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:salute
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Thanks for posting his story.These are always welcome.
<S> Lt.Peterson
Pipz
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I wish I could have lived his life. Sounds like a fine gentleman indeed :salute
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High Flight (Poem)
The poem High Flight was written by a young fighter pilot during World War II. Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee Jr., was an American citizen who was born of missionary parents in Shanghai and educated in Britain's famed Rugby School. He went to the United Stated in 1939, and at the age of 18, won a scholarship to Yale. Like other Americans of the time who wished to aid in the cause of freedom, he decided to enlist in the services of a nation actively engaged in war. Magee enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1940. He served overseas with an RCAF Spitfire Squadron until his death on active service in December, 1941.
His poem, composed in September 1941, was scribbled on the back of a letter which he mailed to his mother in Washington. Pilot Officer Magee was killed a few months later when his Spitfire plane collided with a bomber-pilot trainer on approach to the airport over Lincolnshire, England. He was 19 years old.
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Source: "The Last High Flight", Flying, January, 1993, p.36.
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P-51D painted as Dakota Kid, Oshkosh 1998.
(http://www.51hangar.net/fencer/scan0003.jpg)
(http://www.51hangar.net/fencer/scan0004.jpg)
(http://www.51hangar.net/fencer/scan0005.jpg)
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Glad I read that, and nice pics. Very nice. :salute
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:salute
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RIP :salute
Would be nice if someone could skin the Dakota Kid as a tribute...
Tex
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RIP :salute
Would be nice if someone could skin the Dakota Kid as a tribute...
Tex
I agree.
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<S> Lt.Peterson :salute
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Nice story, would like to read more like it. My condolences to the family :salute