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Irwin H. Dregne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irwin Hendrick Dregne
Born(1917-01-02)January 2, 1917
Viroqua, Wisconsin, US
DiedSeptember 8, 1967(1967-09-08) (aged 50)
Buried
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army Air Forces
 United States Air Force
Years of service1941-1967
RankColonel
Service number0-431399
Commands357th Fighter Group
56th Fighter Group
51st Fighter Interceptor Group
479th Day Wing
Battles / warsWorld War II
Korean War

Irwin Hendrick Dregne (2 January 1917–18 September 1967) was a colonel in the United States Air Force and commanded the 357th Fighter Group during World War II from 2 December 1944 – 21 July 1945.[2][3]

World War II

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Dregne's P-51 Mustang "Bobby Jeane" (C5-Q) is 5th from the end

Dregne succeeded Lt. Col. John D. Landers as commander of the 357th Fighter Group in December 1944 and served in that capacity through July 1945. Landers took command of the 78th Fighter Group at RAF Duxford in February 1945.

Korean War

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Dregne commanded the 51st Fighter Interceptor Group during the Korean War.

Awards and decorations

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Dregne was an ace and was credited with shooting down 5 enemy aircraft. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism during a bomber escort mission to Derben, Germany on 14 January 1945.

References

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  1. ^ "Dregne, Irwin H". ANC Explorer. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Chris Bucholtz (20 December 2012). Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-1-84603-986-7.
  3. ^ Martin W. Bowman (1 January 2009). US 8th Army Air Force Fighter Command USAAF, 1943-45: P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang Squadrons in East Anglia, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Casemate Publishers. pp. 118–. ISBN 978-1-84415-905-5.