Captain James W. Harrison II
World War II P-47 Fighter Pilot
9th AF 48th Fighter/Bomber Grp 492nd Sq
James W. Harrison II was born in
Scioto, Ohio, in 1921 and spent his childhood on the family farm with his
parents and his brother, Frank. Like millions of young Americans, he grew up
during the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties before witnessing the hardships
of the Great Depression. He listened to President Franklin Roosevelt's Fireside
Chats on the family radio and, as war engulfed Europe, watched many of his
friends leave home to join the military. Married to Grace Hayes in 1941, James
eagerly wanted to enlist but was initially prevented from doing so because he
was only twenty years old and required parental permission.
On his twenty-first birthday,
James was working as an aircraft inspector in an aeronautical manufacturing
plant, a position considered essential to the war effort. Offered a draft
deferment because of his civilian work, he declined it without hesitation.
Determined to serve in combat, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and entered
pilot training as an Aviation Cadet in January 1943. After completing preflight,
primary flight, and gunnery training, he earned his wings and was assigned to
fly the powerful Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter. Even while ferrying
brand-new aircraft from the factory to operational bases, James longed for
combat duty, eager to contribute more directly to the war effort.