Donald T. Hayes World War II Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2011-09-06

Contents of the Collection

The Donald T. Hayes World War II Collection includes items accumulated by Sgt. Donald T. Hayes of the 452nd Bomb Group, ball turret gunner of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Tangerine." The collection includes Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster citations, a 452nd Bomb Group "Lucky Bastard Club" certificate, and a "magnetic" style photo album (now disassembled) with 113 black-and-white photos. The photographs are snapshots that feature Hayes, his fellow crewmembers, B-17 bombers in flight, life on base, several images of the "Tangerine" following its crash landing in April 1944, vacations, and friends and family. Photographs and citations are estimated to be dated between January 1944 and April 1945 for activities in England, as well as during combat air missions over France and Germany. The "Lucky Bastard Club" certificate is not dated but presumably issued to the crew of the "Tangerine" following their survival of its crash landing.

Dates

Creation: Circa 1940s

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research but has not been fully processed. Access to the collection may be limited or may require additional processing time. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: Donald T. Hayes

Donald Thomas Hayes was born on November 26, 1921 in Tangent, Oregon. He later attended Washington High School in Portland, Oregon. Between high school and his service in the army, he may have worked at North American Aviation in Inglewood, California. He enlisted in 1942 at the age of 20 and served as a ball turret gunner of a B-17 crew as part of the 452nd Bomb Group. He served on B-17 42-31319 "Tangerine," which arrived in England in January 1944. On April 26, 1944, "Tangerine" took off from Deopham Green. Pilot Lt. Hugh Wilson was unable to gain altitude and crash landed a mile away from the runway. According to collection materials, Hayes served under General Curtis LeMay at some time during his World War II service. After the war, he returned to Oregon and worked in the sheet metal industry. Donald passed away in Lebanon, Oregon in 1979 at the age of 56. No further information is known.

Biography is derived from collection materials and Ancestry.com.

Historical Note: 452nd Bomb Group

The 452nd Bombardment Group was established in the summer of 1943 at Geiger Field, Washington. Based at Deopham Green, Norfolk, England, the Group was part of the Eighth Air Force and began operations in the European Theatre of World War II in February 1944. The Group's tail code was a "Square-L." Between February 1944 and May 1945, the Group flew an estimated 250 combat missions, with targets including manufacturing plants throughout northern Germany and coastal defenses prior to and after the D-Day Normandy invasion. Some of the individual aircraft of the Group can be identified from Donald Hayes's photographs, such as the B-17 42-31332 "Frivolous Sal." Hayes served as the ball turret gunner on B-17 42-31319 "Tangerine," which arrived in England in January 1944. On April 26, 1944, "Tangerine" took off from Deopham Green. Pilot Lt. Hugh Wilson was unable to gain altitude and crash landed a mile away from the runway. After World War II, the Group was reactivated for missions in the Korean War, then put in reserve until 1992. The 452nd Bombardment Group exists today as the 452nd Operations Group and primarily serves the United States Air Force as air refueling support. Historical note derived from collection materials and the following sources:

American Air Museum in Britain. “452nd Bomb Group.” https://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/422. Accessed January 9, 2020.
American Air Museum in Britain. “Accident Report for 42-31319.” https://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/24998. Accessed January 9, 2020.
B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – Queen of the Skies. “History of the B-17 #42-31319 / Tangerine.” https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-31319-tangerine/. Accessed January 9, 2020.
B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – Queen of the Skies. “History of the B-17 #42-31332 / Frivolous Sal.” https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-31332-frivolous-sal/. Accessed January 9, 2020.
Wikipedia. “452nd Operations Group.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/452nd_Operations_Group. Accessed January 9, 2020.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (Two letter-size file folders)

Additional Description

Existence and Location of Copies

Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.

Related Materials at Other Institutions

Accident report for the B-17 42-31319 "Tangerine" on April 26, 1944, issued to Flying Control, AAF Station 142, APO 559, with crash site images attached, is available to view on the American Air Museum in Britain website: American Air Museum in Britain. “42-31319 B-17 Flying Fortresss” https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/5402.

Separated Materials

The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in Objects storage:

Air Medal and ribbon with button and Oak Leaf Cluster
Bombardier Wings
Distinguished Flying Cross medal and ribbon
Service Ribbons: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
European Theater two Service Stars Organization Insignia
Veterans of WWII Pin
Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster