Walter C. Beckham

In mid-1943, the 353rd FG was initially stationed at RAF Goxhill in Lincolnshire, England, before moving to RAF Metfield in Suffolk, England in August 1943.

After switching its base to Metfield, the 353rd FG flew its first combat mission. In late September, Beckham scored his first kill, an Fw 190 over Nantes, France. Credited with a second kill, a Bf 109 on October 6, and then on October 10 he became a flying ace by destroying three twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110s.

During the winter of 1943-44, his score mounted, with victories frequently coming in pairs. By mid-February, Beckham had 18 victories, which at that time, made him the top scoring ace of the Eighth Air Force. On February 22, while on his 57th combat mission, he was hit by flak over Ostheim, Germany and bailed out of his P-47D successfully near Bergen-Neukirchen, but was captured and remained a Prisoner of War until he was released during April 1945.[1]

After his release in April 1945, Beckham was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and stayed with the United States Air Force. He earned a PhD in Physics in 1962 and joined the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base as chief scientist, working on nuclear weapons. Beckham remained active in this field until his retirement on 1969 as Colonel in the USAF.