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in North Africa for service with the
14th AF in China. Its 25 pilots were
volunteers from the Twelfth AF’s
Lightnings units, including these
three men. It was called “Squadron
X” at first and received its official
designation, the 449th FS, after it
arrived in China. In July, its pilots
actually flew their P-38Gs all the way
from Casablanca to Kunming.
Lieutenant Enslen was one of the
first 449th FS pilots to fly over “The
Hump” (the Himalayas) from India
to China and was immediately sent to
the airfield at Kweilin to help protect
it from Japanese air raids. He was
quite successful there, shooting down
two enemy fighters and probably
destroying two more on 24, 26 and 27
July. Unfortunately, during another
air battle with Japanese fighters on 30
October, Enslen, now a captain, was
shot down and severely wounded. He
succumbed to his wounds some twelve
days later.
“Rocky” Rockwell was also killed,and squadron. It seems likely that
some strings were pulled to make this
happen.
Liebers’ first victory was an Italian
MC.202 he shot down over Sardinia
on 14 May 1943. He became an ace
on 18 June when he was credited with
destroying three more Macchi fighters
and damaging two others during a
B-25 escort to Sardinia, for which he
was awarded a Distinguished Flying
Cross. His seventh and last kill was
an Fw 190 he claimed over Italy on 20
August. He completed his combat tour
the following month.
Three of the former 78th FG pilots
had further adventures not only in
North Africa, but, of all places, China!
They were 1st Lt. Lewden M. Enslen
and 2nd Lts. Ivan A. Rockwell and
Arthur N. Arpin. Enslen served in
Africa with the 14th FG and Rockwell
with the 1st FG; it isn’t known to what
unit Arpin was assigned there.
This all came about when, in June
1943, a P-38 squadron was raisedneeded a high school diploma, to
be between 18 and 27 years of age,
and to pass some rigid physical and
general knowledge tests. (This soon
became the case for all aviation cadet
applicants during the war.)
Liebers applied for pilot training
and was accepted, and in March
1942 he was awarded his wings as a
member of the first class of around
100 USAAF staff sergeant pilots, Class
42-C. They were all assigned initially
to the new 82nd Pursuit Group (PG),
which was sent to southern California
to train on P-38s. Staff Sergeant
Liebers went to its 96th Pursuit (soon
to be Fighter) Squadron. However, he
was one of many 82nd FG pilots who
were subsequently transferred out to
other units before it left for Ireland in
September 1942. Liebers then joined
the 82nd FS, 78th FG, with which
he was commissioned and went to
England. Coincidentally (?), when
Lt. Liebers arrived in North Africa
he was reassigned to his old group
18 June 1943: These 96th FS pilots have just scored 16 enemy aircraft destroyed, two probably destroyed, and six damaged during a B-25
escort to Gulf Aranci, Sardinia. Lt. Liebers, wearing his trademark mustache, is in the center, kneeling. The P-38G in the background, named
SPUD, was assigned to 1st Lt. Joseph W. Jorda, who scored one of the probables on that mission.