Wings Remembered Museum

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Lebanon, TN
Wings Remembered Museum

Our museum displays airmen's belongings, revealing personal stories along with recovered artifacts

03/25/2026

Adrian Vernon Knox P-38 Pilot 474th Fighter Group

Vernon was born on 10 November 1921. He was one of seven brothers and sisters. At the age of 16 he was accepted into Davidson College located in Davidson, NC. He joined the Army Air Force in 1942 and after earning his pilot's wings he became an instructor at Spence Field in Georgia. Later he decided to enter into the war as a pilot. Vernon was engaged to his childhood sweetheart Hilda Mayes when he left for Europe.

Vernon became a member of the 474th Fighter Group, 428th Fighter Squadron flying the P-38. On 23 December 1944 he was flying P-38 42-68081, a plane borrowed from the 429th squadron. On this mission, the squadron was strafing a German convoy. During the attack a truck mounted Flak 88 began firing, hitting Vernon's P-38. He turned his damaged P-38 toward home with fellow pilot Richard Johnston flying beside him. His P-38 crashed soon after and Vernon was KIA.

On display are some of the many artifacts we have that were recovered from the crash site of Vernon’s P-38. Accompanying the artifacts are many original photos, his college year books, pilots log book, and more from his family.

03/10/2026

Ben Ernst was born on 2 June 1918 in Ohio. In 1930 his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where they established the Ernst Cereal Company. He attended Hume-Fogg High School and later enrolled at Vanderbilt University and Andrew Jackson University, earning his degree in 1940.

In January 1942 Ernst joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. After completing flight training he was assigned as a B-25 pilot with the 12th Bomb Group, 81st Bomb Squadron.

On the night of 14 July 1943, Ernst flew his sixth combat mission as a co-pilot. The target was the harbor at Palermo, Sicily. During the attack their B-25 was caught in searchlights and struck by anti-aircraft fire. A flak burst hit the left wing, forcing the pilot to order the crew to bail out. Ernst initially intended to remain with his friend, the pilot, but was ordered to jump. He parachuted into Palermo Bay and was forced to swim to shore, where he was captured.

Ernst was first held in an Italian prisoner-of-war camp. On 17 October 1943 he was transferred to Stalag Luft III in Germany, the camp later made famous by the “Great Escape.” Ernst was held in a different compound when that escape took place. In February 1945 the prisoners were forced to march west as the German army retreated, eventually arriving at Stalag VII-A. He remained there until the camp was liberated by American forces. Ernst later recalled personally meeting General George S. Patton during the general’s visit to the camp.

After the war Ernst returned to Nashville, where he became a prominent figure in the community through his career in banking and service in Tennessee state government. Remembered both for his public service and his wartime sacrifice as a prisoner of war, Ben Ernst passed away on 10 September 2015.

One of the artifacts on display is Ben’s F-2 heated flying jacket, which he was wearing when he bailed out over Palermo. While a prisoner of war, one of the RAF prisoners who had sewing skills found a white sock and used it to fashion a set of pilot’s wings. The same prisoner also created the collar and rank insignia that were sewn onto Ernst’s jacket.

02/08/2026

16 April 1944

The mission of April 16, 1944—aka (black * sunday) was a truly harrowing chapter in the air war over the Southwest Pacific. Hundreds of aircraft were forced to fly through a severe and unexpected weather front that blocked their path home. Many crews, unfamiliar with purely instrument flying, crashed in the storm. Others ran low on fuel and were forced down into dense jungle, mountainous terrain, or the waters of Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province. Most of the losses were A-20 aircraft, which were already operating at the limits of their fuel capacity on missions to Hollandia.

Caught behind enemy lines, returning squadrons of U.S. Fifth Air Force aircraft had little choice but to attempt to pe*****te the weather front. Many aircraft remain missing to this day, while others were deliberately forced down short of home rather than risk the storm. Some crew members survived and escaped; others did not.

A-20 serial number 43-9629 was assigned to the 417th Bombardment Group, 675th Bombardment Squadron.

On April 16, 1944, the aircraft departed Saidor Airfield, piloted by 2nd Lt. Edward Davidson, on a low-level strike mission against Hollandia. On the return flight, the aircraft encountered the severe weather front. While attempting to land at Yami Airfield near Saidor, the left main landing gear collapsed after touchdown in mud. The crew survived, but the aircraft was written off.

The instrument panel on display was recovered from A-20 43-9629 by my friend Charles Darby in 1974. The two photographs of the aircraft were also taken by Charles.

We are actively searching for photographs and additional information on the crew members of this aircraft.

09/19/2025

P-70 Serial Number 39-759

On 25 May 1943 two P-70 ‘s from the 349th Night Fighter Squadron from Kissimmee Army Air Base in Florida were flying a routine ground controlled interception mission. Two P-40 fighters from the 81st Fighter Squadron appeared and began mock attacks on the P-70's.

One of the P-70’s was serial number 39-759 and it was piloted by 2nd LT Arthur Tilton O-740308. He had two crew members on the plane who were both radio observers, they were Sgt, Walter Johnson 15060794 and Pvt. Albert Thonen 39398142. When the mock attack started Tilton began flying S patterns, he was then seen to roll and come out with his nose high. The P-70 then did what appeared to be a violent slip to the left going into a flat spin. The plane crashed in a small lake at Honey-In-The-Hills-FL about 10 miles south of Leesburg Army Air Field. The crew of three were all lost.

In May of 1981 at a time when the water level of the small lake was low due to drought conditions, parts of the P-70 that had been under water could be seen. The artifacts on display were recovered at this time.

**We are looking for photos of these three crew members**

08/01/2025

August 1, 2025 — marks the 82nd anniversary of Operation Tidal Wave, one of the most daring and costly bombing missions of World War II.
Operation Tidal Wave – 82 Years Ago Today
Date of Mission: August 1, 1943
Target: N**i oil refineries in Ploiești, Romania
Objective: Severely disrupt Germany’s fuel supply
Aircraft: B-24 Liberator heavy bombers
Flight Distance: Over 2,400 miles round-trip from Libya

Bomb Groups Involved:
44th Bomb Group ("The Flying Eight Balls")
93rd Bomb Group ("Traveling Circus")
98th Bomb Group ("Pyramiders")
376th Bomb Group ("Liberandos")
389th Bomb Group ("Sky Scorpions") – attached for this mission; it was their first combat mission

Mission Numbers:
B‑24s launched: Approximately 177 aircraft

Aircraft losses:

53 bombers destroyed

American aircrew:

310 killed or missing
108 captured by Axis forces

78 interned in neutral Turkey after emergency landing

Legacy:
One of the most heroic but costly missions of the air war

Five Medals of Honor were awarded (three posthumously), including to:

Col. Addison Baker (93rd BG)
Maj. John Jerstad (93rd BG)
Col. Leon W. Johnson (44th BG)
Col. John R. Kane (98th BG)
Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes (389th BG)

B-24 serial number 42-40265 named “Honky Tonk Gal” was with the 93rd bomb group 409th bomb squadron and was shot down on this mission This plane was hit by flak forcing the plane to crash land in a field not far from the target area. One member of the crew was killed and the remaining nine crew members survived were all captured. With this story you can see two original photos of this B-24 after crashing *on display at Wings Remembered Museum

The crew members were.

Pilot Hubert Womble POW
Co-Pilot Lawrence Lancashire POW
Navigator Arthur Thompson POW
Bombardier William Little KIA
Radio Operator Howard Ford POW
Top Turret Gunner Mack Fitzgerald POW
Nose Gunner Jack Reed POW
Waist Gunner James Barker POW
Waist Gunner John English POW
Tail Gunner Leo Sharp POW

Address

Lebanon, TN

Website

http://www.wingsremembered.com/

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