William Overstreet Jr.

Early life

Military career

"We had completed several aileron rolls, a loop, and some turns in order to hold our position. Then the Flight Leader, Lt. Bochkay, started an aileron roll to the left. I am confident it was started with plenty of airspeed. However, when the ship was approximately in an inverted position, it tumbled. I did not make any sharp movements with the stick that could have caused it, but possibly did use excessive rudder. Truthfully, I cannot state the real cause as I can think of nothing wrong with the plane, maneuver, or execution of the maneuver that could have caused a tumble. When it tumbled, I attempted to recover by trying to hold the nose straight down and once, while in an inverted flat spin, I thought I had it under control but instead, it tumbled again. While I was beaten around in the cockpit a lot, and everything happened so fast that I am not positive of all the plane's actions, apparently it tumbled, went into a flat inverted spin, tumbled again, went into another flat inverted spin and then tumbled on down. At somewhere near three thousand or four thousand feet I decided to jump but had a little trouble getting the door off. Finally, after both pulling the emergency release and the safety catch, I kicked the right door off and then jumped out. I was then between two hundred and three hundred feet, so I pulled the ripcord immediately and landed between five and ten feet from the plane within two seconds after the parachute opened. I was uninjured, so I got up and signaled the Flight Leader who was circling near me that I was alright."

World War II

April 11, 1944 – The first claims

The flight was making practically a gunnery pattern on the ship. I sat right behind it, firing, from about 150 yards, closing in to about 100 yards, and observed hits in the fuselage and engine. As soon as I pulled up, the E/A hit the ground and exploded. I claim one HE-11K.

The Me 109 did a tight turn on the ground, evidently hoping we'd leave him. Several P-51s made quick passes at him and then I got right behind him. He then leveled out and tried to pull away from us. I only had one gun firing by then and observed hits at the cockpit. He was smoking slightly, but I followed him for some time on the deck, pulling away only when out of ammunition. I began firing from yards closing to about 100 yards. I experienced no trouble keeping on his tail then on the deck. I claim a Me 109 damaged.

May 12, 1944 – Destroyed Ju 52 claim

I was leading Cement Blue Flight and while down on the deck; after having shot down a Me 109, we came upon a small grass airfield with no runways and a few hangars on the north and south ends of the field. I saw a Me 109 land and taxi towards the hangar line so I called the flight and we all went down. I caught the 109 that had landed just as he pulled up to the line and stopped. I opened fire at long range and closed getting a good concentrated pattern all the while – I did not see the pilot get out. I then hit the deck pulled over the trees and down the other side of a ridge that was on the south end of the field – there I saw tracers for the first time but not close to me.
My #2, Lt. Overstreet, moved down on my right and strafed a Ju. 52 parked by a hangar on the south side of the field – he saw good strikes from nose to tail and it was smoking when he left. Lt. Overstreet claimed one Destroyed Ju. 52.
My #3, Lt. Pierce, saw a Me 109 bellied in on the west edge – in good shape – and gave it a good strafe job getting hits all over. It caught on fire. Lt. Pierce looked back and saw the Me 109 I strafed smoking badly.
My #4, Lt. Michaely did not fire.
Two aircraft from the Greenhouse Squadron were above and watched us joining in later.

June 29, 1944 – Destroyed FW 190 claim

I was flying Cement Red #4 when we bounced eight FW-190s. We dived down on their tail. Captain ANDERSON Red Flight #1 was firing at the leader of the formation who soon bailed out. I was closing on the FW-190 on our right when he started to roll over to the left. I was still out of range but closing fast so I opened fire as the ship flipped over the pilot bailed out. Then I broke off to rejoin Red #3.

July 29, 1944 – Destroyed FW 190 in the air

Entry #1. On July 29, I chased a 109 to the deck and had a wing in the grass when he blew up. He must have been trying to get to his base because we were close to a German airfield. My wingman, Harold Hand, and I made a pass and destroyed another 109 and damaged a Do 217. I went back and got another 109 but I found that I was alone. I asked Hand where he was and he replied, "I am giving you top cover."

I was flying Cement Red #3 and my wingman and I were making a pass on a large field. As we did a Me 109 dove on us slightly to our right. I turned into him as soon as I was across the field and he was fairly close. He turned right leaving me right behind him. Using the gyro gunsight I fired about 30° deflection and got hits. I think the range was about 350 yards. I closed in still firing and hit his coolant. He dropped down right on the ground and as my wing was in the grass I had to pull up. Pieces of the 109 made holes in my canopy. They gyro gunsight worked extremely well and I think was responsible for getting the hits at first. I claim one Me 109 destroyed in the air.

Stateside service (October 1944 – October 24, 1945)

Awards and campaigns

• Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters
• American Campaign Medal Croix de Guerre ''with palm'' (France)
• Distinguished Flying Cross with one bronze oak leaf cluster
• Distinguished Unit Citation
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
• Russian Medal – The 50th Anniversary of the Victory of the Great Patriotic War. Issued 21 June 1995.
• Yugoslavian Medal – Commemorative War Cross 1941–45 of the Royal Yugoslav Army. Issued 8 May 1965.

Personal life and death

Books

Oral histories and websites