John H. Cedergren
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Air Force
John H. Cedergren
Mr. Cedergren entered the Army Air Corps on October 14, 1942.
He served as a First Lieutenant and fighter pilot with the 78th Fighter Group, 82nd Fighter Squadron, 8th Air Force in England and Germany. Attended basic training at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri, Army Air Corps College Training Detachment at Marshall College, Huntington, West Virginia, as a preflight training at San Antonio, Texas, basic flight training at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas, advanced training at Foster Field, Victoria, Texas, and P40's and aerial gunnery at Matagorda Island, Texas.
Assigned to a replacement training unit at Dale Mabry Field, Tallahassee, Florida. Received 156 hours of combat training in P40's. Went overseas with the 8th Air Force 78th Fighter Group 82nd Squadron at Duxford, England. Received four hours training in P51 Mustangs which qualified him for combat duty.
Flew escort missions and combat ground attacks on strategic targets in Germany and its allies. As hostilities ceased after VE Day, ferried surplus aircraft from Burtenwood, England, to Nuremberg, Germany for storage. After V-J Day, volunteered for occupation duty in Germany and assigned to the 55th Fighter Group in Kaufbauren, Germany.
He was awarded the following: American Theater Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze battle star, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), and two overseas service bars.
Mr. Cedergren was relieved from active duty on August 26, 1946, at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, page 353.
