Post by beana51 on Oct 5, 2011 10:40:00 GMT -5
As a combat pilot, he is best remembered for his exploits of 12 October 1944, when he was in the midst of a furious series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. In a matter of minutes, flying a North American P-51 Mustang fighter with the distinctive red tail of the 332nd Fighter Group, known collectively as the Tuskegee Airmen, Lieutenant Archer shot down three German fighters. Archer is the first ace of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Colonel Archer flew 169 combat missions during his time with the 302nd flying cover and escorting long-range bombers as well as strafing missions against enemy ground targets. He is credited with the destruction of 4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat (all Me 109's) plus 6 more on the ground while strafing enemy airfields before completing his tour and returning to the USA in January 1945. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and received special citations from Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, along with the Director of the CIA. Archer retired as a lieutenant colonel after 29 years of service and resided in New Rochelle, N.Y. Lee Archer died on 27 January 2010 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Colonel Archer flew 169 combat missions during his time with the 302nd flying cover and escorting long-range bombers as well as strafing missions against enemy ground targets. He is credited with the destruction of 4 enemy aircraft in aerial combat (all Me 109's) plus 6 more on the ground while strafing enemy airfields before completing his tour and returning to the USA in January 1945. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and received special citations from Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, along with the Director of the CIA. Archer retired as a lieutenant colonel after 29 years of service and resided in New Rochelle, N.Y. Lee Archer died on 27 January 2010 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.