Richard W. Fellows

Click here to read his account of the July 20, 1944 mission.

Richard William Fellows was born in Algoma, Wis., in 1914. He graduated from Algoma High School in 1931 and attended the University of Wisconsin for a year and a half. In 1933, he received a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated In 1937, ranking 88th in a class of 298 and assigned to the Cavalry.

Second Lieutenant Fellows' first duty station was Randolph Field, Texas, where he attended pilot training school. He completed his advanced training in Pursuit at Kelly Field, Texas, and received his pilot wings in 1938. He is now rated as a command pilot.

Lieutenant Fellows' first assignment after Kelly Field was Nichols Field in the Philippines. He earned a combat observer rating as a member of the 2d Observation Squadron there and transferred to the Philippine Air Depot, which he commanded as a captain upon outbreak of World War II. When Nichols Field became untenable, he transferred his depot to the outskirts of Manila. Depot assembly and repair operations were conducted along boulevards used as runways and in various buildings converted to shops. Although Manila was declared an "Open City" Dec. 25, 1941, the depot continued its operations and evacuation activities to the Bataan Peninsula up until Jan. 1, 1942, when the last P-40 under repair was flown to Bataan as the victorious Japanese were entering the city.

On Bataan, Captain Fellows, after reorganizing the remnant of the Philippine Air Depot, was assigned as deputy of the 24th Pursuit Group organized as Infantry and charged with a beach defense mission. At the time of the fall of Bataan, Captain Fellows was serving as a pilot in the "Bamboo Fleet", composed of a handful of small civilian and military aircraft carrying supplies into Bataan from Southern Philippine bases and evacuating selected persons from the peninsula. His last flight from Bataan was made the morning of April 8, 1942, the day the fighting lines collapsed. Bataan surrendered the following day.

After several months of hospitalization Captain Fellows was returned to duty in August 1942 as squadron commander in the 30th Bomb Group, which he later commanded, at March Field, Calif. He attended the First Air Staff Officers' course sponsored by General Arnold for combat experienced officers in the fall of 1943 and was assigned, following the courses, to the Mediterranean Theatre. As deputy and commander of the 376th Bomb Group, he was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Gross with oak leak cluster, and Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters for his services. Other awards or honors for this period included a combat promotion to the grade of colonel, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, the Greek Military Cross, and Pilot Wings of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force.

He was appointed Deputy A-3 of the 15th Air Force in Italy, returning to the United States and duty in the War Department General Staff after the war in Europe was concluded.

He attended Stanford University, receiving a master's degree in the School of Education in 1948. He served a two-month internship in the Personnel Departments of Douglas Aircraft Corporation and the Standard Oil Company of California, after which he was assigned in personnel and programming activities in Headquarters Continental Air Command at Mitchel Air Force Base, N.Y., until 1952.

He graduated from the Air War College in 1953 and spent the next three years in Newfoundland as commander, first of Pepperrell Air Force Base and later Harmon Air Force Base.

He was assigned to the Directorate of Programs in Headquarters U.S. Air Force in 1956, serving as deputy director until 1961 when he was reassigned to Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, as deputy director of maintenance engineering. He was promoted to brigadier general in May 1960.

From July 1962 until November of the same year, General Fellows was deputy director of plans and programs at Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command Headquarters. In November 1962 he became director.

In July 1964 he became the deputy director for logistics, Joint Staff, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the position he now holds.

His hometown is Algoma, Wis.

He retired Sep. 1, 1966.  

DECORATIONS:

Silver Star

Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Commendation Ribbon
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal with campaign star
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with campaign star
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with nine campaign stars
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with four oak leaf clusters
Greek Military Cross
French Croix de Guerre with palm
Philippine Defense Ribbon
Philippine Independence Ribbon
Distinguished Unit Badge with four oak leaf clusters

Missions Flown

Missions as Pilot

Mission
#         Date    Group  AC serial #  AC_name               Target name
                         RCL

  1   9/24/1944 52       ?        Little Jot                   Kalamaki A/D Greece

Missions as Co-Pilot

Mission
#         Date    Group  AC serial #  AC_name               Target name            Pilot
                         RCL

  1   2/12/1944 24 42-72843 Strawberry Bitch (The)   Anzio Italy           Fritz Sandberg
  2   2/14/1944 42 42-72767 Flame McGoon              Verona Italy         Byfield Gordon
  3   2/23/1944 38 41-24252 Edna Marie (or Maria)    Steyr Austria        Fritz Sandberg
  4   3/15/1944 81 42-40317 Barrel House Bessie      Cassino Italy         Allen Edwards
  5   3/18/1944 42 42-72767 Flame McGoon       Gorizia Italy                Byfield Gordon
  6   3/28/1944 43 42-41031 Daisy Mae              Fano Italy                    Byfield Gordon
  7   3/30/1944   ?  41-28762 Tailwind                Sofia Bulgaria              Melvin McClain
  8   4/  3/1944   ?  41-28762 Tailwind                Budapest Hungary       Harry Gillett
  9   4/  4/1944   ?  41-28777 ----                      Bucharest Romania     Byfield Gordon
10   4/12/1944   ?  41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Weiner Austria            Harry Gillett
11   4/28/1944 42 42-72767 Flame McGoon       Porto Santo Italy         Ben Konsynski
12   4/29/1944 73 42-72849 Miss Oklahoma      Toulon France             Howard Beir
13   5/14/1944 42 42-72767 Flame McGoo         Vicenza Italy               Edwin Schmid
14   5/18/1944 96 41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Polesti Romania          Charles French
15   5/24/1944 96 41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Weiner Austria            Edward Whaley
16   5/30/1944 21 41-28859 ----                      Pottendorf Austria       Richard Zuber
17   6/  5/1944 36 42-72855 ----                      Castel Maggiore Italy   Richard Zuber
18   6/11/1944 60 41-28862 ----                      Constanta Rumania     David Burton
19   7/  2/1944 80 41-28624 Round Trip Harry   Budapest Hungary       Hinton Wright
20   7/  9/1944 60 41-28862 ----                      Polesti Romania           Lester Carlson
21   7/14/1944 96 41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Budapest Hungary        Raymond Morel
22   7/20/1944 96 41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Friedrichshafen Germany  E Wood
23   7/26/1944 98 42-78321 Sad Sack                Markersdorf Austria     Delward Kohlstedt
24   8/  3/1944 96 41-28786 Diddlin' Dolly II      Avisio Italy                   Delward Kohlstedt
25   8/  9/1944 40 41-28762 Tailwind                Budapest Hungary        Raymond Morel
26   8/15/1944 78 42-51142 ----                      St. Tropez France         Donald Robinson
27   8/17/1944 25 41-28911 ----                      Polesti Romania           Edgar Smith
28   8/22/1944 40 41-28762 Tailwind                 Lobau Austria              Elman Beth
29   8/29/1944 85 42-50960 Mary Ellen             Borovnica Yugoslavia Franklin Christianson
30   9/15/1944 48 42-51560 ----                      Athens Greece             Paul George
31   9/18/1944 65 44-40483 Swede John Deere  Budapest Hungary       Charles Wimberly

Missions as Observer

  1   2/  8/1944 86       ?              ?                       Viterbo Italy                 Royal Brock
  2   3/  2/1944 86       ?              ?                       Anzio Italy                   Royal Brock