Joe Byrd
| Date and Place of Birth: | January 9, 1918 Mooreville, TX |
| Date and Place of Death: | November 8, 1942 Tafaraoui airfield, Algeria |
| Baseball Experience: | College |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Military Unit: | 31st Fighter Group USAAF |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Joe C. Byrd, Jr., son of Joe and Pearl Byrd, was born in Mooreville, Texas in 1918. He attended
Baylor University where he played on the varsity football and baseball
teams. Two of his teammates at Baylor,
Jack Lummus
and Jack
Casey,
lost their lives in World War II.
Following graduation,
Byrd entered military service in July 1941. He was one of eight Baylor
graduates who earned their pilot's wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in
February 1942. He went on to serve as a second
lieutenant with the 31st Fighter Group, USAAF, arriving in Gibraltar in
the Mediterranean in late October 1942. On November 8, 1942, flying
desert camouflaged Spitfire Vs with specially designed air intakes for
desert operations, the 31st Fighter Group left Gibraltar bound for Oran.
With known Vichy French aircraft in the area, the first Spitfires of the
31st FG led by Colonel John R. Hawkins arrived over Tafaraoui airfield
outside Oran for landings. Colonel Hawkins landed, however, Second
Lieutenant Byrd, who was his wingman, was shot down and killed by a
Dewotine 520 of the Vichy French airforce. The Dewotine had been misidentified as a British
Hawker Hurricane and it attacked just as Byrd crossed the airfield
boundary with his gear and flaps down. The remaining airborne Spitfires
gave chase, destroying three of the four French airplanes.
Joe
Byrd, who was posthumously awarded the Air Medal, is buried at the North
Africa American Cemetery and Memorial at Carthage, Tunisia. On January
17, 1943, a memorial tribute was held for Lt. Byrd at the Mooreville
Methodist Church.
Baylor baseball team in 1940. Joe Byrd is back row, third from left
Baylor baseball team in 1941. Joe Byrd is back row, third from right
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with this biography.
Date Added July 23, 2012 Updated August 8, 2017
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