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Major (later Colonel) Harold G (Hal) Shook, Commanding Officer 506th Squadron.

Hal Shook, was in the opinion of the men who flew with him and other officers and men in the squadron, the finest Commanding Officer they had ever been associated with. Without a doubt the finest fighter pilot, best navigator and all-round leader, he was tops as a C.O. In "Shooky" the pilots had an ideal leader they would follow anywhere. All officers and enlisted men exerted special effort because Shook wished it done and not because he ordered it done.

It was his one regret that he had never shot down an enemy plane, and he hated to stay on the ground while his boys were flying for fear they’d run into a fight without him. When part of the squadron was bombed up and part top cover, Hal Shook always handled the riskier dive-bombing assignments until his last mission when for the first time he flew with the top cover flight. He flew on many of the 506th’s missions, if not as squadron commander, then as wingman to break in some of his other pilots as mission leaders. Finally the Group Commander, Col McColpin had to tell him to take it easy, so he flew only every other mission.

Hal Shook was the first pilot in the Group to fly 100 missions, 7 October 1944. It was typical of him that he took the unnecessary risk of flying on two of the days three missions, although he had already received orders to send him home for a rest.

After flying 105 combat missions, he was rotated home from St Trond, Belgium during the first week of October, 1944. He was given a great farewell, and shortly before his departure a V-2 missile made a silent descent on the airbase and exploded 100 yards from where he was standing. It’s 2000 lb. Warhead made a great deal of noise and left an impressive hole in the ground. He felt honored. It seemed Hitler had sent him a farewell present.

Hal Shook was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 19 Oak Leaf Clusters, a Presidential Unit Citation, the Belgian Croix de Guerre, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Belgian Fourragère. 

(photos courtesy of Hal Shook)

You'll find much more of Hal's exploits in a typical Winkton Mission and in the miscellany section. To view a file that combines both Hal's mission log and pilot's log book click here