[Hubert Zemke oral history interview (Part 4 of 9)]

In this nine-part oral history, Hubert “Hub” Zemke is interviewed about his military service with the U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force. In part four, he continues to discuss his wartime experiences in Europe during World War II, focusing in particular on his time as group commander of the 56th Fighter Group in England. He relates a number of stories about squadron commander Dave Schilling and other servicemen under his command and describes different missions carried out by the group, such as experimental bombing and strafing missions using a modified Lockheed P-38 Lightning known as the Droop Snoot. Other topics discussed include testing and modifications of the Lockheed P-47 Thunderbolt, interactions with servicewomen of the British Y Service and Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens), and leisure activities in England during the war.

The interview is conducted by fellow fighter ace Eugene A. Valencia and by John Florea, a former war correspondent for Life Magazine, and was recorded at Stead Air Force Base in Nevada. Audio may be difficult to hear in some spots due to uneven volume levels and overlapping voices.

The original order of the Zemke interviews is unclear, due to conflicting date and order information on the reel containers. The order presented here has been determined by an archivist using contextual clues within the dialogue.

Hubert “Hub” Zemke was born on March 14, 1919 in Missoula, Montana. He studied forestry at Montana State University but left school in 1936 to enlist as an Aviation Cadet with the U.S. Army Air Corps. After completing flight training in 1937, he served with the 8th Pursuit Group at Langley Field (Virginia). In 1940, Zemke deployed to England to serve as an air observer with the Royal Air Force. At the conclusion of that assignment, he then traveled to the Soviet Union as an assistant military attaché and served as a flight instructor to Soviet pilots, teaching them how to fly their lend-lease Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks.

Zemke returned to the United States in 1942 and was appointed group commander of the 56th Fighter Group, the first fighter group to be equipped with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. During its service in Europe, the 56th distinguished itself as a highly successful group, consistently receiving top scores in air-in-air kills during missions. The group came to be known as “Zemke’s Wolfpack,” in reference to Zemke’s firm but fair leadership style and his emphasis on aerial discipline and tactics.

In August 1944, Zemke took command of the 479th Fighter Group, helping the unit convert from the Lockheed P-38 Lightning to the North American P-51 Mustang. A few months later, in October, he was forced to bail out over enemy territory after his P-51 sustained severe damage in a storm front. Zemke was captured by German forces and imprisoned at Stalag Luft I (Germany), a prisoner-of-war camp housing Allied airmen. As the war neared its end, German officials turned control of the camp over to Zemke and the other prisoners and fled to avoid the advancing Soviet forces.

Following the end of World War II, Zemke continued his military career with the U.S. Air Force. His assignments included commanding the 36th Fighter Group during the Berlin Airlift, serving in administrative posts at the Pentagon, commanding the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing during the U-2 Program, and serving with the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Madrid, Spain. Zemke retired as a colonel in 1966 and established a second career in agriculture, managing an almond ranch. He passed away in 1994.