357th FG Museum
18876 Alabama Ave. Ida, Louisiana 71044
(318) 469-1060
Email: chmaddox@cs.com
At Present
Open by Request 7 Days – Week
Capt. Fletcher E. Adams 362nd FS P-51B “Southern Belle” 9 Victories, KIA May 30, 1944
The public is encouraged to visit the Capt. Fletcher E. Adams World War Two Museum located in Ida, Louisiana. As you browse through the exhibits, you will notice that most of them pertain to the now-famous 357th Fighter Group-arguably one of the best fighter groups put forward by either side, the Allies or the Axis, during World War Two.
The 357th Fighter Group was activated on December 16, 1942, and its list of original members included a “who’s who” of what would become some of the world’s greatest fighter pilots. This new fighter group included Johnny Brook England (England Air Force Base), Leonard “Kit” Carson (leading ace of the 357th Fighter Group), Clarence “Bud” Anderson (Air Force test pilot and life-long air show performer), Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager (Air Force test pilot and aviation record setter) and Fletcher E. Adams (the leading ace of the 357th Fighter Group when he was shot down over Germany on May 30, 1944).
The 357th Fighter Group arrived in the European theater of the war during November of 1943, and by February of 1944, the group was settled into Station 373 (Leiston Field) near Yoxford, England, where they would remain for most of the war. The men of the 357th were the first pilots in the Army Air Force to fly the brand new, long-range P-51 Mustang fighter plane-the only fighter capable of escorting our bombers deep into enemy territory and back again. The 357th Fighter Group’s proximity to the town of Yoxford led the infamous German radio propagandist, Lord Haw Haw, to nickname them the ” Yoxford Boys,” a moniker the group proudly embraced throughout the entire war.
One of these extraordinary young fighter pilots was Fletcher Eugene Adams, of Ida, Louisiana, and within days of the group’s activation, this aviator and others like him began hammering away at the German Luftwaffe in the skies over Europe. Before leaving America for the war, Lt. Adams told his pregnant wife, Aline, “if it’s a boy, name him ‘Jerry’ because I’ll be chasing them through the sky all day!” Aline gave birth to a boy in April of 1944, and faithful to her husband’s wish, she named him, “Jerry.” By May of 1944, the newly promoted Captain Fletcher Adams was the leading ace of the 357th Fighter Group with nearly 10 kills to his credit. Captain Adams was leading a flight of Mustangs on May 30, 1944, when he was shot down over Germany and murdered by civilians on the ground.
The 357th Fighter Group would go on to become one of the most successful American fighter groups of World War Two. During the short time they were active, the Yoxford Boys shot down almost 600 enemy aircraft and on January 14, 1945, during a vicious air battle the group called “the great rat race,” the 357th Fighter Group set a military aviation record by shooting down 56.5 German fighters in less than two hours!
This museum pays tribute to these selfless fliers and the men who supported them during World War Two. It also honors the young men and women from the village of Ida, Louisiana, who bravely fought and sometimes died in order to preserve freedom in our country and around the world.
Please make plans to visit with us soon, and afterwards, tell a friend about our museum.
Smokie & Jane Maddox
