page_title: Oscar Randolph Fladmark
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Oscar Randolph Fladmark / Military career / World War II
caption_attribution_description: "The Bottisham Four", a famous photo showing four U.S. Army Air Force North American P-51 Mustang fighters from the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, from RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire (UK), in flight on 26 July 1944. The nearest aircraft is P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13410 ("Lou IV" on the left side, the 4th aircraft named after his daughter, "Athelene" on the right side, probably the crew chief's lady friend or wife), flown by the 361st CO, Col. Thomas J.J. Christian Jr., who was killed in this plane while dive-bombing the Arras marshalling yards on 12 August 1944. The 2nd aircraft is P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13926, already equipped with the fin-fillet, was flown by Lt. Urban L. "Ben" Drew. This aircraft crashed during a training flight near Stalham, Norfolk, on 9 August 1944, the pilot, 2Lt. Donald D. Dellinger, was killed. The 3rd aircraft is P-51D-5-NA s/n 44-13568 ("Sky Bouncer" later "Alice Marie") flown by Capt. Bruce W. "Red" Rowlett, 375th FS operations officer. This aircraft suffered an engine failure on take-off and crashed on 3 April 1945. The furthest P-51 is P-51B-15-NA s/n 42-106811 flown by Capt. Francis T. Glankler (named "Suzy-G", after his wife), 375th FS "D" Flight commander. This plane was written off after a crash landing at Bottisham following a combat mission on 11 September 1944.
context_page_description: Oscar Randolph Fladmark, Jr. was an American fighter pilot who flew 164 "no-injury" combat missions in World War II and the Korean War. Fladmark received the Distinguished Flying Cross during his military career. Just a few years after the Korean War, Major Fladmark, at 33 years of age, was in an automobile accident near Yuma, Arizona, on July 27, 1955, and died while being flown to the San Diego Naval Hospital.
context_section_description: During World War II, Fladmark was selected as an aviation cadet and to undergo training with the United States Army Air Corp. He trained at various military bases in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Virginia. He was inducted in June 1942 and was commissioned a second lieutenant and received his wings in the United States Army Air Corps in April 1943. 
   He was transferred to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in England on August 20, 1943 for active duty with the 8th Air Force. Fladmark flew combat missions with the 359th Fighter Group, commanded by Colonel Avelin P. Tacon Jr. and based at the RAF station in East Wretham, England. Initially, the group flew the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, which was later replaced by the P-51 Mustang fighter. Fladmark flew combat mission strikes over Munich, Saarbrücken, Regensburg, Schweinfurt, Ebelsbach, Neuaubing, Hanover, Normandy, Mery, Oise River, Sens. St. Ouen and Genevilliers near Paris. On November 2, 1944, the Associated Press wired a report on the Battle of Merseburg near Leipzig, Germany. Fladmark was flying with an armada of 1100 bombers and 900 fighters when they encountered over 400 Luftwaffe fighters on the way to a combat mission near Berlin, Germany. During the Battle of Merseburg, over half of the Luftwaffe fighters were destroyed by the 8th Air Force, setting a new record.
  Fladmark completed a total of 64 combat missions over Nazi Germany and received the Air Medal with ten Oak Leaf Clusters. After his tour of duty, he was transferred to the United States on January 24, 1945. He was stationed in Santa Ana, California until war's end. Fladmark was discharged from the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1945 and returned to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fladmark continued his education at Augustana College and also flew with Professor Robert Branson's aerobatic team of Flandreau, South Dakota.
caption: North American P-51 Mustangs of the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st FG, Summer 1944
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