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SILVESTER, George Frederick

Stats:

rank: W/C
status: survived
airforce: RAF    (no: 113838 )
born: 1920-11-09 Gravesend United Kingdom

added by: str4tm4n
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Bio / Text:

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245 Squadron at Aldergrove on 28th September.

229 Squadron at Northolt on 16th October. 1940

145 Squadron at Tangmere on 21st January 1941

154 Squadron at Wellingore on 29th September 1942

Squadron moved to North Africa in November 1942.

242 Squadron at Souk-el-Khemis on 13th March 1943

73 O.T.U on 19th August as an instructor.

Moved to 76 OTU Aquir on 1st December.

32 squadron 25th July 1944 for flight commander post.

CO of 32 Squadron. His personal spitfire at that time was MJ730 GZ-?

The tradition of using a question mark to denote the squadron commander’s personal aircraft was established by Wing Commander George Silvester DFC. Spitfires were transferred to 32 Squadron in Kolomaki, Greece, on October 9th 1944 and he chose MJ730 as his personal aircraft. He told his ground crew that there was a question mark over which letter they should paint on his aircraft since as the commanding officer he was neither a member of A flight nor B flight. For fun, they painted a temporary question mark (in whitewash apparently) in place of an identification letter. Silvester enjoyed the joke, and from then until well into the fifties all subsequent COs used a question mark to denote their personal aircraft. The aircraft became known as “The CO’s Query”.

The aircraft is fully restored to flying condition and is owned by The Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach

Squadrons:

Squadrons add
AirforceSqdrnDate
RAF 32 1944-07-01

Aircraft:

Aircraftadd
SerialNoteDate
EE664 From Grottaglie 4 Spit sweep of roads Pojerica to Niksik area. Assigned targets out of range. 1 truck set on fire. 1944-07-25
JL231 Fighter cover for shipping moving to assault Yugoslavia coast. 1944-07-28
JK360 Bombed Vrlika with F/Sgt Grey, 1 hit in town 1 near miss. 1550 - 1700 1944-08-02
JK360 4 Spits bombed Monastery at Humac, moderate flak from from N.W & S.E boundaries. 1944-08-07
JK360 4 Spits up again to bomb Monastery, 4 direct hits & 4 near misses. 1944-08-07
JK360 Airborne with F/O Wall bombed railway S.of Brnis from 6,000ft. Heavy cloud bank over target. 1944-08-09
MA291 4 Spits strafed 2 trains with Cannon from 2000ft between Kaouth & Vitez, 1 destroyed 1 probable. Engine shed strafed at Krusevica. 1944-08-11
JK360 4 Spits bombed barrack blocks at Bileća. 2 bombs on target 4 overshot. 1200 - 1345 1944-08-13
JK360 From Vis to Canne 1530 - 1400 1944-08-13
EF538 Bombed Kistarje with Sgt O'Reilly. All bombs dropped on center of town with large explosions observed. Buildings demolished 1944-08-15
EF538 4 Spits armed recce Larissa, Katerini & Rapsani. 10 M.T's at Sekarista left burning. 3 trains attacked one destroyed 1944-08-21
JL231 4 Spit sweep from Sarajevo to Doboj, attacking trains. Hits scored on loaded goods wagons at Novi Šeher. Railway yard attack at Doboj. 1944-09-02
MA698 Carried out A.S.R. patrol 1944-10-05
JK188 Escort R.P Hurricanes 1944-10-07
Operation Manna 1944-10-12
EF538 Escort Dakotas from Brindisi to Araxos 1944-10-12
JK226 Recce of roads near Athens 1944-10-14
JK226 Standing patrol of convoy coming into Athens area 1944-10-15
JK652 Standing patrol of convoy 1944-10-16
JK376 Recce Lamias to Larissa with Sgt Ford. Both a/c hit by flak from road convoy 0530 - 0730 1944-10-19
JK337 T/Recce with W/C Woodruff to Larissa, Bitolj & Katerini. 2 M.T's destroyed & 1 damaged bridge. 1944-10-22
JL231 Bombed river bridge north of Servia with F/Lt Riddall, 2 bombs fell N.of bridge & 2 in river. 1944-10-23
JK383 3 Spits bombed M.T concentration near Salonika 1944-10-26
MA511 T/Recce with F/Sgt Taylor Kozina, Florida, Saloniki & Kozam 1944-10-29
JK330 Recce of Ptolemais, Florina, Bilisht & Monastiri. Saw 50 burnt out M.T's plus 10 passenger coaches. 1944-11-01
JK383 6 Spits strafing 4 trains between Vlanci & Keivolak. Road convoy. In all 2 engines destr& 2 damaged with many wagons shot up. 1944-11-05
ER607 4 Spits strafing N.of Saloniki to Skoplje area. 1944-11-07
JK637 Recce of roads Skoplje to Vučitrn 1944-11-11
MA647 Weather recce N.of Skoplje with F/Lt Rake who returned early with L.R tank problems. 1944-11-14
MJ730 3 Spits bombed Vucitrn railway yards. 1944-11-15
JK383 Airborne with F/Lt Wintle, only 2 M.T's found on road to Suva Reka both destroyed. 1944-11-16
MJ730 3 Spits took off to bomb railway yard at Pristina. Six 250 pounders were dropped on trucks W.of target 0655 - 0850 1944-11-19
MJ730 3 Spits bombed railway yard at Pristina, did not observed results. 1944-11-19

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