Fred D. Hodges was born on January 16, 1920 in Oneonta, New York. His father was Lewis W Hodges (1895-1948) and his mother was Margaret Sprague (1896-1955). They were married on November 15, 1915 in Luzerne, Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Oneonta where Lewis worked as a chain man on steam trains. Fred had four brothers and three sisters. He was a middle child. He graduated from Oneonta High School in 1939. While in high school he was referred to as “Henie.” He was a member of the Dramatic Club for three years and participated in a school play during his sophomore year. He was also a member of the six-man football team. 

At the age of 19 Fred enlisted on Nov. 1, 1939 in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and initially served at Mitchell Field, Long Island, and Langley Field, Virginia. Later he was assigned as a mechanic in a ground crew in Puerto Rico, where he was stationed for about 18 months. He received flight training at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and Camden Field, South Carolina. He received his Second Lieutenant commission and pilot’s wings at Moody Field, Valdosta, Georgia on Nov. 11, 1942 and was sent to Europe. His service number was 0-521124.

Fred was assigned to the 412nd Bomber Squadron, 95th Bomber Group, Heavy and was a pilot of a B-17F, a bomber called the "Exterminator." The 95th Bomber Group arrived in England in the spring of 1943.  After short stays at Alconbury and Framlingham, the Group moved to Horham Airfield, Station 119, on June 15, 1943, remaining there for the duration of the War. As a bomber base Station 119 was large and spread out with several runways, requiring personnel to use bicycles to move around and have food delivered. Also, as a quickly developed base, it was rather primitive in facilities.

One of Fred’s last missions was an unprecedented 1800-mile raid with a bomber squadron over the German U-boat base at Trondheim, Norway. This base was the home of the German’s13th U-boat Flotilla and it had 55 U-boats assigned to it. The bunker, which could be hermetically sealed when attacked, had room for 16 U-boats at any one time. The bomber squadron significantly damaged the base and helped to reduce the German U-boat threat.

On July 28, 1943 he piloted the B-17F #42-30150 "Exterminator" from Horham Airfield on a mission to bomb Oschersleben, Germany. The plane was attacked by German Fighters near Lathen, Germany causing an onboard explosion and it crashed into the North Sea. All on board were declared Missing in Action and were officially declared dead one year later on July 29, 1944. (See the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) documents included under the Sources section.) Fred Hodges is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Limburg, Netherlands. He was 23 years old.

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. 

Sources:

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 03; Assembly District: 01; City: Oneonta Ward 01; County: Otsego; Page: 7https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20330257:2704, accessed June 24, 2022.

United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44448059:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=073fcb07bc8556f7226d2db730bfdb39&_phsrc=XFg16036&_phstart=successSource  accessed June 24, 2022.

"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Oneonta Senior High School; Year: 1939

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/358438479:1265, accessed June 25, 2022.

Ancestry.com. Global, Find a Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56299822/fred-d-hodges?_gl=1*zbxvw4*_ga*MTY5NTM5NjQ1MS4xNTA3NzQzNDgw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY1NzIzMjYzMS4xOS4xLjE2NTcyMzMyNjMuMA. accessed June 25, 2022.

U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/230941325/fred-d-hodges accessed June 25, 2022.

Defense Pow/Mia Accounting Agency; Washington DC; Unaccounted-For Remains, Group A, 1941-1975

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9383:62206?tid=&pid=&queryId=073fcb07bc8556f7226d2db730bfdb39&_phsrc=XFg16038&_phstart=successSource accessed June 25, 2022.

Supporting Files