New here and I have a story for you.

**LUCKYSTRIKE** · 01-10-2009, 12:37 AM

Hi Joel109
Thanks for your detailed reply I can see you've carried out plenty of research on your Great Uncle. Thanks for the details of his grave site, I will be visiting Normandy this Summer and will make a special visit to the cemetary to pay my respects and take a photo for you and this post.
Everyone on this site is so friendly and helpful that its quite possible that another forum member may visit Normandy this year even before me and may be able to take a picture for you sooner than I can.
Thank you again for your very informative post.
Best Wishes
LUCKYSTRIKE

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 01-10-2009 12:37 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Joel109** · 01-10-2009, 01:49 PM

by LUCKYSTRIKE

Hi Joel109
Thanks for your detailed reply I can see you've carried out plenty of research on your Great Uncle. Thanks for the details of his grave site, I will be visiting Normandy this Summer and will make a special visit to the cemetary to pay my respects and take a photo for you and this post.
Everyone on this site is so friendly and helpful that its quite possible that another forum member may visit Normandy this year even before me and may be able to take a picture for you sooner than I can.
Thank you again for your very informative post.
Best Wishes
LUCKYSTRIKE

Wow, that would be really nice of you if were able to get a picture of where my great uncle is buried at Normandy.

**LUCKYSTRIKE** · 01-11-2009, 12:16 AM

Hi Joel109,
That's no problem I will take a picture for you. The details you provided are enough ffor me to find his grave but to enable me to check it is the correct one whilst there could you let me know his name.
All the best from a very cold UK.
LUCKYSTRIKE

**LUCKYSTRIKE** · 01-11-2009, 01:07 AM

Hi Joel109

I've done a little research using the site below which may be useful to you.

American Battle Monuments Commission

I searched on this site under his unit to get his name. There were 16 army/air force units on the first screen which featured the number 365 in some way or other but only one was followed by the '358th fighter group' which was the 5th one listed. I then clicked on the 'GO' icon next to that listing. It took me to another screen showing the names of eleven pilots in the 365th squadron who lost their lives in WW2.
The pilot listed with the same service ID was shown as the 10th out of the 11 listed. Named as Jay V. Thomson from the state of Washington. Then I clicked GO next to his name which took me to another screen headed in red 'The World War Two Honour Roll' showing to the left an aerial photo of the Colleville Cemetery near Omaha beach and on the right his full details.
I then searched for a grave photo on Find A Grave. But 1Lt Thomson's name although listed only shows a picture of the entrance to cemetery. Hopefully one day a photo of the individual grave will be added.

I'll visit and take a picture for you but it seems ABMC have their own services for providing photos etc. of graves. The choice seems to be a black and white photo or a colour photo with flowers or, under something called 'The Andrews Project,' a lithograph of the memorial with a photo on it.
Best Wishes
LUCKYSTRIKE

**Joel109** · 01-12-2009, 11:54 AM

Yes, 1Lt Jay Thomson is my great uncle.

**brant** · 01-22-2009, 06:10 PM

Joel,
Excellent story & thanks for sharing. My grandpa was on the German side. Early in his career he was with the Navy. I have a full blown shot of him & Grandma in their wedding day. He is in his best Kriegsmarine uniform. By the insignia on his sleeve, I believe had a bit to do with Flak or artillery. Not able to confirm. A photo later in the war shows him in a Luftwaffe uniform and probably serving in the same function. I never got to meet Grandpa. Grandma last saw him in March 1945 just outside Warsaw Poland. At that time my Grandma, Aunt, & my mother were leaving war torn Europe to make a new start in America. According to my Grandmother in her later years, Grandpa was suppose to have met my grandmother in Newark after the war. Grandma had been offically told by the Red Cross that Grandpa died as a POW of the Russians being captured in Warsaw. In 1989, through an investigative firm in Germany, we later found out that Grandpa was actually killed by the Russians. Grandma was able to collect on his military life insurance. My brothers and I are still looking into his military service...the search continues.

**adlerfan53** · 01-23-2009, 04:16 AM

Wow. This is good stuff. I am thankful for your uncles service and I am honored to hear his story. Best of luck finding more info out about him.

HDTony · 01-28-2009, 12:51 AM

Joel

Thank you for sharing your uncles story with us. Hope your search works out and perhaps you can post more of what you may find.

Tony

**buellmeister** · 01-30-2009, 12:34 PM

Joel,

From Joel to another. Let me as well, welcome you to this Forum. Thank you for sharing your Great Uncle's story with us and I hope your able to find out additional information on him. Please keep us updated with any of your findings!

Kind Regards,

Joel

**Joel109** · 02-02-2009, 02:39 PM

This is pretty close to the same airplane my great uncle flew. Same fighter group, same orange tail (they were known as the orange tails) and possibly the same squadron.