This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Bryan, Donald Septimus, Lt Col USAF(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Airman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
He was credited with shooting down 13.33 enemy aircraft and damaging 4 in WWII.
His remains are in the Christ Episcopal Church Urn Garden, Valdosta, GA.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) Donald S. Bryan (ASN: 0-727398), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, during a bomber escort mission over Germany, on 2 November 1944. On this date, Captain Bryan was leading his flight in escort to our heavy bombers when he observed a formation of approximately fifty enemy aircraft coming in to attack the bombers. Captain Bryan led his flight into the center of the attacking formation of enemy aircraft where he closed on one and hit it several times. He was now alone and in the midst of many enemy aircraft who were unusually aggressive and attacking vigorously. Captain Bryan made a pass from astern at eight ME-109s and shot two down in flames and damaged another. He continued to fight with the enemy, being simultaneously attacked himself. He finally destroyed five enemy aircraft and damaged two others, having engaged the last enemy with but a single gun operating. His courage and outstanding aggressiveness in the presence of great danger were exemplary of the highest traditions of the Army Air Forces.
General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 87 (November 2, 1944)
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Air Offensive, Europe Campaign (1942-44)
From Month/Year
July / 1942
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description Air Offensive, Europe Campaign 4 July 1942 to 5 June 1944) Pre-war doctrine had held that waves of bombers hitting enemy cities would cause mass panic and the rapid collapse of the enemy. As a result, the Royal Air Force had built up a large strategic bomber force. By way of contrast, Nazi German air force doctrine was almost totally dedicated to supporting the army. Therefore, German bombers were smaller than their British equivalents, and Germany never developed a fully successful four engined heavy bomber equivalent to the Lancaster or B-17, with only the similarly sized Heinkel He 177 placed into production and made operational for such duties with the Luftwaffe in the later war years.
The main concentration of German raids on British cities was from September 7, 1940 until May 10, 1941 in the most famous air battle of all time, known as the Battle of Britain. Facing odds of four against one the RAF held off the mighty Luftwaffe forcing Hermann Wilhelm Göring to withdraw his forces and more importantly indefinitely postpone invasion plans. This proved the first major turning point of the War. After that most of the strength of the Luftwaffe was diverted to the war against the Soviet Union leaving German cities vulnerable to British and later American air bombings. As a result of the victory, Great Britain was used by U.S and other Allied forces as a base from which to begin the D-Day landings in June 1944 and the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe.
From 1942 onwards, the efforts of Bomber Command were supplemented by the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Air Forces units being deployed to England to join the assault on mainland Europe on July 4, 1942. Bomber Command raided by night and the US forces by day.