[Robert D. Welden oral history interview (Part 3 of 3)]

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Title

[Robert D. Welden oral history interview (Part 3 of 3)]

Description

In this three-part oral history, fighter ace Robert D. Welden discusses his military service with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. In part three, he continues to describe his wartime experiences and provides clarifying details about topics discussed in the previous tapes. Topics discussed include air operations in Europe, mission logistics, and a bomber escort mission over Germany on February 25, 1944.

Date

1989 circa

Coverage

Extent

1 sound cassette (23 min., 50 sec.) : analog ; 4 x 2.5 in

Language

Rights

Bibliographic Citation

The American Fighter Aces Association Oral Interviews/The Museum of Flight

Identifier

2002-02-13_AV_196_01
2002-02-13_AV_196_01_transcription

Interviewee

Biographical Text

Robert D. Welden was born on November 20, 1919 in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942 and completed flight training the following year. Deployed to England, Welden served with the 356th Fighter Squadron of the 354th Fighter Group, flying bomber escort missions over Germany and other areas of the European Theater. He was among the first to fly the North American P-51B Mustang in combat. After the end of World War II, Welden remained in the military and went on to command the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group. He later served at Air Defense Command Headquarters in Colorado. Welden retired as lieutenant colonel in 1963 and passed away in 1990.

Note

This recording is presented in its original, unedited form. Please note that some interviews in this collection may contain adult language, racial slurs, and/or graphic descriptions of wartime violence.