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Duane Beeson was born in 1921. He joined the RCAF early in the War. Once he had completed flight training he was sent to England in March 1942. Due to report to no 71 Eagle Squadron he was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps. Beeson became a pilot with the 334th Fighter Squadron of the Fourth Fighter Group. Beeson would be flying the P-47, he became one of the first Aces in the Thunderbolt scoring 12 victories in it. On transferring to the P-51 his victories continued to mount, scoring most heavily in early 1944 over Germany itself. All but one of his kills were against single-engine fighters (FW-190s and Bf-109s). Beeson was downed flying a mission strafing a German airfield, he spent the rest of the War as a POW. Captain Duane Beeson finished the War with 17 Victories. |