On Monday, November 11 (Veterans Day) at 7:30 pm in the Gathering Room, Kendal will be in for a treat - a lecture from one of its true war heroes.
Bill “Tiger” Lyons will share “Some Untold Facts of the WW II Aerial War over Nazi Germany (and the Tiny Airplane that made a crucial difference)”. First Lieutenant Lyons flew 63 combat missions over Europe in his P-51 Mustang fighter plane “Tiger’s Revenge” during WW II.
He was assigned to the 357th Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and based at Station 122 in Steeple Morden, England. Bill flew his missions protecting B-17 and B-24 bombers over Germany.
In his Veterans Day presentation, Bill will briefly cover the pre-war background of the 1920-30s that motivated him to enlist and become a fighter pilot. He will give a first-hand account of the deep penetration bombing missions which – after significant failures – destroyed the Nazi German war-making infrastructure, ending the war in Europe. He tells the story of courage by ordinary Americans that, to his knowledge, has never been factually told first hand before.