WWII 357th Fighter Group reunites at airport

A small piece of living history gathered at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in July.

The "Yoxford Boys" are some of the remaining members of the 357th Fighter Group. They came together on July 8 for their annual reunion and a tour of Carson Valley's airport.

These men were just a handful of pilots and crew who flew the P51 Mustangs that eventually brought the German Luftwaffa to its knees during World War II.

"We owe these men a debt of gratitude," said TV personality John Tyson, who talked to the reunion group, which included seven members of the west coast contingent of the 357th Fighter Group. "If it weren't for these men and so many others like them, we would all probably be speaking German today. They were instrumental in destroying the Nazi regime."

For area resident Michael Wyatt, the reunion was particularly meaningful. His father, Harold Andrew Wyatt, had been a member of this elite group of fighter pilots during World War II. The senior Wyatt died in 1982, but now his son attends the reunions in his place.

That morning in early July, Wyatt met with Ted Contri, the owner of a World War II survivor, a P51-D Mustang called "Sizzlin' Liz" at the Carson City Airport. Together, they climbed aboard the Mustang, painted in Nevada Air National Guard colors, for the short hop to the Minden-Tahoe Airport to join the other reunion members. As they made their approach to the runway they did a fly-by to honor the group of onlookers before landing.

Seven members of the 357th were in attendance that day which included retired Air Force Col. Henry Pfeiffer, pilot of "Tangerine and Pappy's Answer"; Harvey Mace, pilot of "Sweet Helen"; Merle Olmsted, part of the maintenance crew and 357th group historian; John Warner, maintenance; Ted Conlin, pilot of "Olivia DeH"; James Sehl, pilot of "Naughty Auty"; and retired Air Force Col. Robie Roberson, pilot of "Passion Wagon."

Among the many famous survivors of the 357th are retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, who went on to write his name in history books as being the first test pilot to break the sound barrier and that of Clarence E."Bud" Anderson, who, flying "Old Crow," distinguished himself as a triple ace. Anderson, who never missed a reunion, was unable to attend because his wife, Ellie, was ill.

Michael Wyatt became involved with the group when he read about the 357th and realized that his father was among the names not mentioned. He contacted historian Merle Olmsted who was excited to find out what had happened to Wyatt's father after the war. Harold Andrew Wyatt, part of the 362nd Squadron, had been credited with one kill, a Me109 destroyed over Germany on Jan. 14, 1945. Wyatt was the pilot of "Man O' War" named for the famous race horse so popular at the time. After the war, Wyatt had gone on to civilian life and it wasn't until after his death that the reunion group heard about his life through his son Michael who gave historian Olmsted another piece of the historical puzzle he was constructing for his book, "To War With The Yoxford Boys." Now a son could see his father get the recognition he deserved with the only regret -it happened after he died.

The 357th Fighter Group once trained at a base in Tonopah before going to Santa Rosa, Calif., and then split into smaller groups going to Oroville, Hayward and Marysville, all in California. In the fall of 1943 they were again moved to Casper, Wyo., Ainsworth, Neb., and Pocatello, Idaho, before reaching their final destination of Leiston on the eastern coast of England. On their arrival at Leiston, German propaganda radio's Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) welcomed the 357th Fighter Group to their new location and nicknamed them "Yoxford Boys," derived from the fact that due to German intelligence mistakenly thinking the base was in the neighboring town of Yoxford, the Germans concentrated their bombing on the town, sparing Leiston and damage to the 357th.

For more information on the history of these remaining World War II heros, log on to www.357thfightergroup.com or obtain a copy of "To War With The Yoxford Boys" by Merle Olmsted.