George Earl Preddy, Jr.
Major, U.S. Army Air Forces

George Earl Preddy, Jr. of North Carolina was a barnstorming pilot before the war and was rejected three times for naval service before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940.

Preddy first saw combat while assigned to the 9th Pursuit Squadron, 49th Pursuit Group, which provided air defense against Japanese aircraft attacking Darwin, Australia. Preddy was credited wit damaging 2 Japanese aircraft over Darwin. In 1942, he was hospitalized after a mid-air collision with another P-40 Warhawk, in which the other pilot, 2LT John Sauber, was killed. Following his recovery, Preddy was reassigned to the 352nd Fighter Group in the European Theater of Operations, flying P-47s and P-51s.

In September 1943, Preddy was serving as a Pilot in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces in the European Theater of Operations. Preddy became an ace on 13 May 1944 and, in July, he shot down 4 German aircraft on a single mission.

On 6 August 1944, now-Major Preddy was serving as Pilot of a P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane during an air mission in which he was leading a fighter group on a bomber escort mission against targets in the vicinity of Hamburg, Germany. As the bomber formation approached its objective, a flight of 30 German fighters with top cover support of 30 more fighters, attempted to intercept the bombers. MAJ Preddy, with his wingman, individually attacked the lower enemy flight and, despite its superiority in numbers and the danger of attack from above, pressed their attack with such aggressiveness that the enemy threat was completely broken up. During the engagement, MAJ Preddy destroyed 6 German fighters. MAJ Preddy’s flying skills, aggressive actions and determination that day earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

On Christmas Morning, 25 December 1944, MAJ Preddy was Commanding Officer of the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, and was leading a formation of 10 P-51 Mustangs to provide air support during the Battle of the Bulge. The formation had been patrolling for about 3 hours when it was directed to assist in a dogfight already in progress. MAJ Preddy destroyed 2 Messerschmitt Bf 109s before being vectored to a lone Focke-Wulf Fw 190, strafing Allied ground forces southeast of Liege, Belgium. As the Fw 190, MAJ Preddy, and 2 other Mustangs passed over the Allied front line at tree-top height, a U.S. Army anti-aircraft (AA) battery fired at the Fw 190 but missed and instead hit all 3 P-51's. MAJ Preddy managed to release his canopy but was unable to bail out before the aircraft hit the ground at high speed and a low angle. Although, MAJ Preddy would have had a chance of surviving the crash, his wounds from .50 caliber fire were mortal.

Ace Status

Prior to the DSC mission in which he became an Ace-in-a-DAY for shooting down 6 aircraft in a single engagement, Preddy was almost a Quadruple Ace with 19.83 victories. Before his death in combat while flying in support of American troops during the Battle of the Bulge on 25 December 1944, MAJ Preddy scored a total of 26.83 aerial victories, to become the 3rd-leading American Ace in the air war over Europe; the highest scoring P-51 Mustang Ace of World War II, with 23.83 of his aerial victories made while flying that aircraft type; and 6th on the list of all-time highest scoring American aces.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with Silver and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Purple Heart
Air Medal with Award Numeral 6
American Defense Service Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 Bronze Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)
Presidential Unit Citation
Army Air Force Pilot Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Air Corps) George Earl Preddy (ASN: 0-430846), United States Army Air Forces, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, in action while escorting bombers withdrawing from a mission over Germany, 22 December 1943. While proceeding towards his home base, accompanied by the other fighter aircraft, Captain Preddy observed a lone crippled bomber being attacked by a large number of enemy fighters. Though out-numbered six-to-one, he unhesitatingly led his flight in an attack on the enemy and pressed it home with such viciousness that the enemy planes were scattered and forced to cease their attacks on the bomber. Captain Preddy personally destroyed one of the enemy aircraft. When the enemy fighters switched their attack to his flight, he skillfully maneuvered them away from the bomber, thus allowing it to escape and then eluded them by taking advantage of cloud cover. The gallantry, aggressiveness and skill displayed by Captain Preddy reflect highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

Headquarters, 8th Air Force, General Orders No. 59 (February 16, 1944)

Honors

● Inducted into the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame in 2004.
● Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2087 in Greensboro was named after George Preddy, soon after the end of World War II.
● In 1968, Business Interstate 85, through Greensboro, NC, was given the street name Preddy Boulevard, in memory of both Preddy brothers.
● A memorial kiosk with video, photos, and models of planes flown by the Preddy brothers is located at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, NC.

Congressional Gold Medal

The Congressional Gold Medal, created by the U.S. Mint, is the highest civilian honor Congress can give on behalf of the American people. On 20 May 2015, leaders from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate presented the Congressional Gold Medal [see photo] to the American Fighter Aces Association at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Emancipation Hall.

More than 60,000 American fighter pilots engaged in aerial combat during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Of those pilots, only 1,447 earned the title of fighter “Ace” by downing at least five enemy aircraft. Major George Earl Preddy, Jr. was one of them, having been credited with 26.83 aircraft shot down in aerial combat earning him the title “Quintuple Ace.” At the time of the presentation of the Medal, only 75 of those Aces remained alive.

Burial

Major George Earl Preddy, Jr. is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France, in Plot A, Row 21, Grave 43. He is buried next to his brother (in Grave 42), First Lieutenant William R. Preddy, who was also Killed in Action as a P-51 Fighter Pilot in the USAAF on 17 April 1945 [Honoree Record ID 113406].

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56651988/george-earl-preddy