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Major Alden P Rigby Major Al Rigby was born in Fairview, Utah, on 4th January 1923 and attended Brigham Young University. He joined the Army Air Forces in January 1943 and graduated from Cadets at Spence Field, Georgia, that December. He graduated from P-51 transition training at Bartow, Florida, in April 1944, then served as an instructor pilot for two months. Alden Rigby deployed to England in 1944 and was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group from July 1944 until March 1945. During this time, he took part in 76 combat missions in P-51s, for a total of 272 combat hours, destroying 5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Four of those kills came in just 25 minutes on one day, 1st January 1945, over his forward airstrip near Asch, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, during the German attack of Operation Bodenplatte. He is also credited with destroying many enemy trains and barges, as well as at least one aircraft on the ground during strafing missions, including several on 1st January 1945. Major Rigby received the Silver Star, the Air Medal with 7 oak leaf clusters, and the Distinguished Unit Citation. During the Peiod of the Korean War, Rigby served three years active duty in the US with the 33rd Air Division of Air Defense Command. He served 25 years in the Utah Air National Guard, retiring in 1979 with the rank of Major. He also worked for 25 years as an air traffic control supervisor at the Federal Aviation Administrations Salt Lake Center. |
| Major Alden P Rigby - Signed Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Pilot and Aircrew Signatures |
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| Aircraft for : Major Alden P Rigby | |||
| A list of all aircraft associated with Major Alden P Rigby. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
| Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. | ||
| Squadrons for : Major Alden P Rigby | ||
| A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Major Alden P Rigby. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
Country : US Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 352nd Fighter Group | 352nd Fighter Group Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : US Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 487th Fighter Squadron | 487th Fighter Squadron Full profile not yet available. | |
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