I am an alumni of Virginia Tech, which with its Corps of cadets stands as one of the six senior military colleges in the United States. Therefore this subject was of great interest for me doing a repaint using the excellent A2A Simulations P-47D package for FSX. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to Rock Roszak, alumni director for the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech for his assistance in providing historical information and the profile of 1st Lt. Ellis's P-47D. Caz 1st Lt. William Ellis Frankfort, who had been enrolled at Virginia Tech in the class of 1944 left school early as so many of his countrymen did and joined the service during World War II. He flew this P-47D-16-RE in the southwest Pacific as a member of the 342th FS, 348 FG in New Guinea. He was credited with two kills and was last seen chasing a Japanese aircraft into the clouds on May 27th, 1944. He did not return to his home base and search and rescue did not find any sign of Lt. Frankfort or his aircraft. 50 years later, his wreckage was found on Biak Island and in late September 1994 a recovery team excavated the crash site and recovered Lt. Frankfort's remains, which were returned to the United States and buried with full military honors. Two years later, his Virginia Tech class ring was recovered in the jungle and also sent back to family members. His ring is now proudly displayed in the VPI Corps of Cadets Museum in Blacksburg, VA.
by Cazzie (2009-03-03 16:33:21)
Submitted by Cazzie
by Cazzie (2009-03-03 16:33:21)
Submitted by Cazzie
