World War II Chronicle: July 4, 1941
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80 years ago, British flag poles were adorned with American flags as London train stations played patriotic music to commemorate our nation’s 165th birthday. In the skies over Libya and Egypt, Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots behind the controls of new Curtis P-40 Warhawks (dubbed “Tomahawks” or “Kittyhawks” by the Brits) claimed their first victories with the American-made fighters over Luftwaffe pilots.
America’s ambassador to Great Britain, John G. Winant, is mentioned on the front page. His son, John Jr. will become a B-17 pilot during the war. On Oct. 10, 1943 John Jr. is flying a B-17F named “Tech Supply” when enemy rocket fire shoots down his Flying Fortress over Ladbergen, Germany. Four of Winant’s crew are killed and the remaining six men become prisoners of war. With the end of the war looming and the Nazi regime wanting hostages for leverage, Winant Jr. is among the high-value “Prominenten” prisoners transferred to Oflag IV-C.
The fallen American pilot referenced on the front page is William M. L. Fiske III, two-time Olympic gold medalist for the bobsled (1928 and 1932). When war broke out in Europe, Fiske joined the RAF’s Volunteer Reserve (getting around the Neutrality Act by pretending to be Canadian), joining the No. 601 Squadron RAF as a Hawker Hurricane pilot. One of only seven American pilots to fight in the Battle of Britain, Fiske died from wounds received from an August 16, 1940 sortie.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 4 July 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-07-04/ed-1/