[Frank A. Hill oral history interview]
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Fighter ace Frank A. Hill discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in England and North Africa with the 31st Fighter Group. Topics discussed include his participation in the Dieppe Raid in August 1942, incidents at Tafaraoui Airfield during Operation Torch, and several combat missions during the Tunisian Campaign.
Some of the audio may be difficult to hear due to spots of audio distortion present in the original recording.
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Frank A. Hill was born on March 20, 1919 in Nyack, New York. He joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1939 and graduated from flight training the following year. Assigned to the 31st Fighter Group, Hill served with the 308th Fighter Squadron in England, where the group was trained by Royal Air Force pilots on British equipment. Following the Dieppe Raid, he took part in Operation Torch and later became group commander of the 31st during the Tunisian Campaign. Hill remained in the military after World War II and went on to command a number of Air Force units, including the 48th Fighter Group, the 52nd Fighter Group, and the 33rd Air Division. He also served at Headquarters USAF and at the Air Defense Command. Hill retired as a colonel in 1969, after which he operated a real estate firm in New Jersey. He passed away in 2012.