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James Frolking in uniform, Long Beach, CA [3/1944]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: 436th Fighter Squadron, 479th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
  • Location of Service: England; Netherlands; United States
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/48142

View full service history

"I stood up, and just dove out of the airplane head first…" (Audio interview, 10:10)

First Lieutenant James Frolking's story has all of the twists and turns, close calls, and lucky breaks of a Hollywood movie. A fighter pilot who flew his first mission on D-Day, patrolling the English channel for enemy planes, he went on to fly 50 more, primarily escorting B-24 and B-17 bombers on combat missions. On October 7, 1944, on the way back to England from Czechoslovakia, his plane was hit by enemy fire, and he made the decision to bail out--only to land uninjured on a sandbar, with land in sight. After spending the night in the dinghy that was part of his escape pack, he decided to head for shore, and eventually made contact with the Dutch underground. For three weeks, he was put up and cared for by a Dutch family, while Germans patrolled the surrounding area, and in one terrifying incident, requisitioned the farmhouse in which he was staying.

James Edward Frolking Collection
Interview / Recording

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ Down in the Dutch Islands, by Jim Frolking ]
View 9 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album ]
View 5 images in sequence.
[ Escape and Evasion Report filed by Jim Frolking after returning to Allied custody ]
View Enlarged Image
[ Photocopies of telegrams relating to Frolking's return home after being shot down over Holland ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Letter from the Van der Maas family to Jim Frolking [6/6/1946] ]
View 2 images in sequence.
[ Letter from Wim de Vor to Jim Frolking [11/29/1947] ]

Show more resources (1)

View Enlarged Image
[ Photocopy of a telegram and news clipping relating to Frolking's "missing in action" status ]

About this Item

Title

  • James Edward Frolking Collection

Names

  • World War II - Korean War Roundtable
  • Frolking, James Edward
  • Donohue, Jerri R.

Home State

  • Ohio

Headings

  • -  Frolking, James Edward
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: 436th Fighter Squadron, 479th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
    • Location of Service: England; Netherlands; United States
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1955
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: In 10/1944, the veteran was returning from a bomber escort mission to Brux, Czechoslovakia when he was forced to bail out over water near the Netherlands due to being hit by German flak. With the help of a Dutch family and the Dutch Underground, he was able to evade capture by the Germans.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Memoirs [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1999)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004-2005)
  • Photograph: Copy photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 1943)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2006-06-23)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/48142

Cite as

  • James Edward Frolking Collection (AFC/2001/001/48142), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, James Edward Frolking, and Jerri R Donohue. James Edward Frolking Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.48142/.

APA citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, Frolking, J. E. & Donohue, J. R. (1942) James Edward Frolking Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.48142/.

MLA citation style:

World War Ii - Korean War Roundtable, James Edward Frolking, and Jerri R Donohue. James Edward Frolking Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.48142/>.