Second Lieutenant Paul Lincoln Bade (O-818323) was born August 28, 1922 in Alaska to Henry and Paula Ruth Gitterman Bade. His father was a grocery salesman. Paul had one brother and one sister.

He graduated from Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. He was an expert in handling horses and skilled in mountain climbing, skiing, and boating. He was single and working as an office clerk in Manhattan when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces on August 29, 1942. He trained as a pilot and received his wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron (“Bold Tigers”), 366th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force and was sent overseas to Europe in April 1944. The 366th Fighter Group flew missions out of the airfield at Thruxton, England (AAF 407) prior to and after D-Day before moving to Saint-Pierre-du-Mont Airfield (ALG A-1) in France.

Saint-Pierre-du-Mont Airfield (ALG A-1) was a World War II military airfield located just north of Saint-Pierre-du-Mont, France, along the English Channel coast in Normandy. It was a USAAF temporary airfield established only two days after the D-Day landings in France. The P-47 fighter aircraft of the 366th Fighter Group flew support missions during the Allied invasion of Normandy, patrolling roads in front of the beachhead; strafing German military vehicles and dropping bombs on gun emplacements, anti-aircraft artillery and concentrations of German troops when spotted. The 366th FG occupied ALG A-1 from June 13, 1944 to August 24, 1944.

On July 27, 1944, 2 Lt. Bade departed ALG A-1, in P-47D-20RA A8- #42-25301 on a flight of the 391st FS on a dive-bombing mission to the Saint-Lô, France, area. During the mission, he was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. He was too low to bail out, crashed, and was killed. MACR 7928

2 Lt. Bade was killed on July 27, 1944 at 1500 hours 1.9 miles southeast of Saint-Lô, France, and 21 miles south-southeast of A-1. He was 21 years old.

2 Lt. Bade is buried in Long Island National Cemetery, Section J, Site 15158 located in Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York. The cemetery was established in 1936 and encompasses 364 acres with over 356,000 interments.

A Memorial Plaque honors the 366th Fighter Group "Hun Hunters" at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, as well as a Memorial Marker to the 366th located in the cemetery of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

2 Lt. Bade was awarded the Purple Heart.

Thank you for your sacrifice and service, 2 Lt. Bade … Rest in Peace.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

SBTSProject/New York

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at roktscientist@hotmail.com … I would be honored to make changes/additions where requested.

Sources:

1. 1930, 1940 Federal Census

2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82564449/paul-lincoln-bade

3. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/paul-lincoln-bade

4. https://www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org/missing-aircrew-reports/macr-07928-42-25301.cfm

5. https://www.ancestry.com

6. https://newspapers.com

7. Familysearch.org

8. https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/495739/

9. https://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=6377

10. http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=42-25301&content=

11. http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/366th_Fighter_Group.html

12. https://www.366thgunfighters.org/the-366th-in-ww-ii.html

13. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/unit/366th-fighter-group

14. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/unit/391st-fighter-squadron

15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/391st_Fighter_Squadron#:~:text=The%20391st%20Fighter%20Squadron%20is,the%20United%20States%20Air%20Force.

16. https://www.natotigers.org/tiger-unit/391st-fighter-squadron

17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_P-47_Thunderbolt

18. Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-406-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

Photo Credits:

ancestry.com, americanairmuseum.org, findagrave.com, laststand.com, militarygraphics.com, pinterest.com, wikipedia.com

Paul L Bade