Kidd Hofer

Lt Ralph Kidd Hofer from Salem, Missouri flew with the 334th Fighter Squadron 4th FG. Seen here with the squadron mascot Duke, Hofer was a flamboyant character, with white wall tyres on his P-51B, a "lucky" football jersey he always wore when flying and the ability to talk himself out of almost any situation
pencil sketch

He was killed in combat on the 2nd July 1944, last seen over Budapest seeking to engage a gaggle of over twenty Bf 109s. His body and the wreckage of his aircraft QP-X was later found at Mostar, Yugoslavia. The Salem Representative had scored 16.5 aerial kills, plus a further 14 ground kills  for a total of 30.5. Only Major John Godfrey scored higher in the entire 4th Fighter Group.
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