Flight Officer Dana Thomas Mudd T121084

Flight Officer Dana Thomas Mudd T121084 was the son of Mr. & Mrs. O.C. Mudd on Chapman St.,Edwardsville Illinois. Dana grew up in Edwardsville and attended the local public schools and last attended Edwardsville High School in 1936. He enlisted in the Army Air Force at Randolph Field, Texas in 1939 and subsequently attended aviation mechanics school at Chanute Field near Rantool Illinois. Staff Sergeant Mudd, was an instructor at Sheppard Field, Texas, transferred to Glider Command and was trained at Okmulgee, Oklahoma and Lamesa, Texas before earning his wings at Dalhart, Texas. Flight Officer Mudd married Ms. Mary U. Snyder of McKinney, Texas and took advanced training at various flight lines before being sent overseas in early 1944.

On September 17, 1944, Flight Officer Mudd was a glider pilot in the 91st Squadron, 439th Troop Carrier Group and was in the first flight of 50 gliders, his Glider landed safely at the X=DZ near Groesbeek, Holland during “Operation Market Garden”. F.O. Mudd piloted a CG-4A WACO glider transporting members and equipment of the 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion and landed successfully, but soon came under enemy fire.

His grave stone states that he was Killed in Action on September 21, 1944, (which it is not uncommon for World War Two gravestones to have the wrong date of death or unit.) One of the last report of seeing F/O Mudd was by 2nd Lt. John D. Hill who had seen him at Uden, Holland on September 22, 1944. It is believed that his date of death was September 24, 1944. One acount of his death is that “When F.O. Mudd commandeered a truck and began evacuating the wounded back to friendly lines. Flight Officer Mudd transported the wounded Six times, but on his sixth return trip, he was ambushed and killed by German soldiers.” Another account on September 24, 1944, a group of 295 pilots were ambushed by Germans South of Veghel. The pilots killed over 100 Germans and sustained 13 casulaties including 3 killed,3 captured, including Mudd. As of October 7, 1944 he was still listed Missing in Action. Flight Officer Dana T. Mudd was buried at Neuville-en-Condroz U.S. Military Cemetery in Belgium. Besides his wife and parents, he is survived by two brothers, Howard R. Mudd and Robert C. Mudd. He was 24 years and one month at the time of his death.

 

 

1- Records and items from Flight Officer Dana Thomas Mudd T121084 & Mary U Mudd.

2- http://www.508pir.org/odessey/holland/holland_05.htm

3- http://ryangarbsgoldstarmemorial.net/?nav=stories&num=44

4- US Headstone applications for military veterans

5- Operation Market Garden Then and Now; Into the Valley by John Warren.

6- http://www.ww2gp.org/bio-file/bioFile.php?getveteran=5287

7- World War Two photos taken by Mr. Jaap Beijnes