310th fighter squadron

WWII Photo Snapshot Collection Discovered

This blogpost is dedicated to Lt. William “Mac” MacDougall, whose snapshots I was lucky enough to discover on an eBay auction listing from a seller in Nevada. According to the seller, they came from a larger album that was sadly dissected to sell in pieces. I was able to acquire all the military-specific photographs in an attempt to post MacDougall’s wartime photos for the world to see. Highlights of the collection include period-printed color prints likely printed from 35mm Kodachrome slides as well as dozens of snapshots of MacDougall and his wartime comrades.

I’ve never attempted to “touch up” wartime images using artificial intelligence, but I did so for this post. I made sure to include both the original scan as well as the touched-up version. Since AI was working with original color prints, it appears that the colors are relatively true to the original scene.

As of the writing of this post, I’ve been able to identify a number of pilots of the 310th Fighter Squadron in the snapshots. The identified men are 1st Lt. Richard L. Colette, Lt. William L. MacDougall (“Mac”), Lt. Norman Gilmore, 1st Lt. Glenn W. Evans, Capt. Roy S. Tanner Jr., Donald C. Smith, and Lt. Ralph Barnes.

If anyone has any information leading to the identities of other men in the images, please let me know! I will update this post with more information about the 310th shortly.

William Leslie “Mac” MacDougall (1918-1989)

Born on January 10, 1918, to Leland Stanford MacDougall and Helen (Pierson) MacDougall in Pasadena, California, “Mac” spent his formative years living at 2430 Linden Avenue in Long Beach. Mac registered for the draft on January 28, 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although archival records have not yet revealed much about his early military service, it is clear that he underwent training to become a fighter pilot.

Mac married Norma June Quinby on October 5, 1943, at a 5 p.m. ceremony at the Atlantic Avenue Methodist Church in Long Beach. More than 250 guests attended the wedding. A contemporary newspaper account lists Mac as a lieutenant at the time of his marriage. Both Mac and Norma were graduates of Poly High School in Long Beach.

From newspaper accounts and dissecting the images in the collection, it appears that Lt. MacDougall served over 14 months in the Pacific with the 310th Fighter Squadron / 58th Fighter Group. He was awarded the Air Medal in 1945 and was referenced in a February, 1945 newspaper article published in the Press-Telegram. The article specifically mentions flying at low altitudes to destroy enemy installations and equipment, which jives with the operations of the 310th Fighter Squadron.

At the time of writing, little has been established about Mac’s postwar life. He died on May 16, 1989, at the age of 71, leaving behind his wife of 45 years and their children, Drew, Brent, and Lynn. He also had three grandchildren: Greg Berry, Kelly Wieczorek, and David MacDougall. Much of this information comes from the obituary of his wife, Norma June, who died in Long Beach in 2012. Norma is buried beside Mac in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California.

Long Beach Press-Telegram Article Describing October 1943 Wedding

You can view the images in the slideshow gallery below,or keep scrolling for individual images with captions. Enjoy!

William Leslie MacDougall in the cockpit of his P-47 somewhere in the Pacific, Ca. 1944.
Select Snapshots with AI cleaned versions adjacent.

1945 Color Print: P-47 with “Mac” Nose Art Color Print from 35mm Kodachrome Slide

1945 Color Print: P-47 with “Mac” Nose Art Color Print from 35mm Kodachrome Slide (AI Cleaned Version)

1945 Color Print: P-47 42-76059 on Runway

1945 Color Print: P-47 42-76059 on Runway (AI Cleaned Version)

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with P-47

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with P-47 (AI Cleaned Version)

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with Fellow 310th Fighter Squadron Members

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with Fellow 310th Fighter Squadron Members (AI Cleaned Version)

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with His P-47

1945 Color Print: William “Mac” MacDougall with His P-47 (AI Cleaned Version)

Black and White Snapshots of “Mac” and the 310th Fighter Squadon

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Ca. 1945 B/W Print: William MacDougall and “Passionate Patsy” with 310th Fighter Squadron Pilots

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: William MacDougall and “Passionate Patsy” with 310th Fighter Squadron Pilots (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: William MacDougall and P-47 “Miss Mary-Lou”

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: William MacDougall and P-47 “Miss Mary-Lou” (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. Norman Gilmore Posed in Cockpit of P-47

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. Norman Gilmore Posed in Cockpit of P-47 (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: “Sullivan” Posed with P-47 42-29081

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: “Sullivan” Posed with P-47 42-29081 (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: First Lt. Richard L. Colette in Cockpit of P-47 (Lt. Colette was Later Missing in Action)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: First Lt. Richard L. Colette in Cockpit of P-47 (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall in Cockpit of P-47

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall in Cockpit of P-47 (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall’s Leather A2 Flight Jacket with 310th Insignia

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall’s Leather A2 Flight Jacket with 310th Insignia (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: First Lt. Richard L. Colette (Lt. Colette was Later Missing in Action)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: First Lt. Richard L. Colette (Lt. Colette was Late Missing in Action) (AI Cleaned Version)

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Pilots of the 310th Fighter Squadron

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall of the 310th Fighter Squadron

Ca. 1945 B/W Print: Lt. William L. MacDougall of the 310th Fighter Squadron (AI Cleaned Version)

The 310th Fighter Squadron in WWII

310th Fighter Squadron in World War II

The 310th Fighter Squadron was activated on February 9, 1942, as part of the 58th Pursuit Group, later redesignated the 58th Fighter Group. Initially based in the United States, the squadron trained on the P 39 Airacobra and P 40 Warhawk before converting to the Republic P 47 Thunderbolt in 1943. The squadron was redesignated the 310th Fighter Squadron on May 15, 1942.

In October 1943, the 310th began moving overseas, arriving in Australia before moving to Dobodura, New Guinea, on December 28, 1943. The squadron entered combat in February 1944 as part of the Fifth Air Force, initially flying protective patrols and escort missions before taking on increasingly aggressive fighter sweeps, ground attack and strafing missions against Japanese airfields and installations.

During 1944, the squadron moved forward with the Allied advance, operating from Saidor and Noemfoor in New Guinea before moving to Leyte in the Philippines in November. From bases in the Philippines, 310th pilots flew fighter sweeps, close support and attacks against Japanese positions and airfields. The squadron subsequently moved to Mindoro, Luzon and Okinawa as Allied forces continued their advance toward Japan.

One of the squadron’s most significant actions came on December 26, 1944, when the 58th Fighter Group attacked Japanese naval forces threatening the American beachhead on Mindoro. The group’s performance resulted in the award of the Distinguished Unit Citation. The 310th also received the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and campaign honors for its service throughout the Pacific.

By the summer of 1945, the 310th was operating from Okinawa, where its P 47s continued attacking Japanese railways, airfields and other installations. The squadron remained in the Pacific after the Japanese surrender and was ultimately inactivated on February 20, 1946.