Return from the Danger Zone
Lt. Col. Donald “Bush” Bryan, World War II ace fighter pilot.
By Charles Shiver
Donald S. “Bush” Bryan, who passed away on May 15, 2012, at the age of 90, was among the greatest of The Greatest Generation, and we will never see his like again.
Cook County Airport Manager Jerry Connell, the Airport Authority, and Cook County should be commended for preserving Mr. Bryan’s awesome story for future generations in the airport terminal building’s historical display.
Bryan, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, flew for the 352nd Fighter Group – “The Blue-Nosed Bastards of Bodney” – during World War II. During his lifetime, he was considered to be the 352nd’s “leading living ace pilot.” He earned the Distinguished Service Cross and was officially credited with 13.3 downed enemy aircraft in combat against Nazi Germany. (The fraction indicates that Bryan was assisted by another pilot in shooting down an enemy aircraft.) He was actually a “double ace.” Only about 30 of the estimated 1,500 World War II aces had more kills than Bryan.
The 352nd Fighter Group has been embodied in art, photographs, books, and film. Bryan was featured in the 2002 documentary film, “The Last Reunion – A Gathering of Heroes.” Bryan has his own entry in the New Georgia Encyclopedia on the Internet.
Born on Aug. 15, 1921, in Hollister, Calif., Bryan joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 and served in the Air Force for 23 years. One of Bryan’s primary missions was to escort bombers on their dangerous missions over German territory during World War II. Such well-trained pilots as Bryan with his P-51 Mustang cut heavy bomber losses by as much as 70 percent, saving thousands of young American lives.
Bryan had nicknamed his plane “Little One III” for his wife Frances.
Bryan is credited with downing three enemy aircraft in one day on Sept. 27, 1944, and five enemy aircraft in one day on Nov. 2, 1944. His last kill was one of Hitler’s new jet fighters in a dogfight over Germany on March 14, 1945. (It must have taken a lot of flying skill to take out a jet plane, albeit a primitive, slower-moving one, with a prop aircraft!)
Bryan and his fellow 352nd pilots were so destructive to the Nazis that the Germans called them “those blue-nosed bastards of Bodney.” Initially flying out of Bodney, England, Bryan and the other pilots of the 352nd officially were credited with the destruction of 806.5 enemy aircraft.
However, Bryan would certainly want to be remembered more for the lives of American soldiers he helped save during the war. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, “Bryan also led the ultimately successful mission to find a fellow fighter pilot, Fremont Miller, who was forced to ditch in the very cold waters of the North Sea on April 15, 1944. Miller survived on a dinghy for three days, during which time Bryan attempted two rescue missions in foggy, dangerous conditions. Finally, leading a group of 16 Mustang fighters after another mission on April 18, Bryan decided to search one more time for the lost pilot – a successful search that led to Miller’s rescue and saved his life.”
On June 7, 1944, D-Day Plus One, Bryan and other aces saved hundreds of American paratroopers by destroying a hidden German artillery piece that was targeting C-47 planes pulling gliders filled with soldiers.
Donald Bryan, pilot, (left) and K.W. Noyes, crew chief, paint crosses on their Republic P-47 Thunderbolt on Feb. 24, 1944. The crosses represent victories in battle by the pilots, who served as escorts for bombers over Germany during World War II. (Courtesy of 352nd Fighter Group Association, and Sam Sox Jr., Archivist.)
Bryan retired from the Air Force in 1964. He and his wife Frances moved to Adel in 1981 and resided here for the rest of their lives. They were both very active in the community. He joined Mrs. Bryan in volunteering for American Red Cross blood drives. She was well-known in the community for dressing up as “Mrs. Blood Drop” to promote blood donations. Bryan also served as a Red Coat volunteer with the Memorial Hospital of Adel Auxiliary. The Lowndes High School Junior ROTC named the Donald S. “Bush” Bryan Kitty Hawk Society (academic honor society) in his honor.
Bryan was often seen riding a motor scooter around town in his later years as he worked on community projects. He was preceded in death by Mrs. Bryan.
Frances Bryan, “Little One.”
A memorial service for Bryan on Saturday, May 26, 2012, at Christ Episcopal Church in Valdosta featured an A-10 flyover. Community leaders had the Cook County Airport terminal building named in Bryan’s memory.
The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum near Savannah highlights the adventures of Bryan and his fellow P-51 pilots. A replica of his third P-51 (Little One III) is on display. Visitors can also watch combat film from the Eighth Army Air Force’s archives.
Up Next – Remembering Jennifer
In 2007, Bush Bryan, a World War II ace fighter pilot, raised an American flag in memory of deceased veterans on the grounds of the Cook County Historical Society’s museum (the old post office) in Adel. I was privileged to be in the presence of this great man as I took his picture.