Scott:
The following biography is about a lesser known, unsung 4Th FG Ace - 1St Lieutenant Hipolitus Thomas "Tom" Biel.
As they use to say at the 4Th,
Cheers,
Tom Walsh.
H. T. BIEL
MUSTANG ACE FROM MINNESOTA
The German FW-190 Pilot feels the concussion as half inch armour-piercing, high explosive and incendiary machine gun rounds slam into his aircraft. The Focke-Wulf Pilot cannot shake from his tail this pesky American who is chasing him across rooftops and around the church steeple over this small town near Gifhorn, Germany. It is Wednesday, March 29, 1944 and the time is 1330 hours.
The persistant American is 28 year old 1St. Lieutenant Hipolitus Thomas "Tom" Biel. Biel has two aerial victories to his credit and his intent is to make sure this Luftwaffe Fighter is his third!
"Tom" is flying a P-51B Mustang, coded QP-T, from the 334Th Fighter Squadron (FS), 4Th Fighter Group (FG), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
Lt. Biel closes to 200 yards, fires a burst and starts a fire when his rounds ignite the FW-190's center line, external fuel tank. The German ducks into a snow squall hoping to evade this tenacious American. Biel is not about to let him escape and plunges into the snow storm in full pursuit. The two adversaries emerge in clear air on the other side of the squall flying beside each other only yards apart! For a few moments they look each other over then Biel slides the P-51B in behind the German and opens up at point blank range inflicting heavy damage to his opponent's cockpit area. Thinking that he must be dead, Biel pulls alongside and is utterly amazed to see the other pilot staring at him! "Tom" drops back for the second time and pours a withering burst from his four Colt Browning 12.7 MM machine guns into the severly damaged, but still flying, FW-190. Now the enemy fighter is on fire from nose to tail. The German Pilot pops off his canopy in an effort to leave, but he is too low to bail out! Lt. Biel again pulls up alongside and flies wing on his victim right down to ground level as this skilled Luftwaffe Pilot makes a perfect, wheels up, belly landing in the snow covered field. Biel cannot stick around to see if this lucky German flyer safely exits his burning fighter as his Mustang is now attracting heavy, accurate ground fire, so he prudently decides to leave!
Hipolitus Thomas "Tom" Biel was born on July 28, 1916 in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents, Edward and Agnes Biel, immigrated to the United States from Southern Poland. "Tom" was the second of five children and their only son. His father was a marble polisher and his mother a homemaker and a butcher. Economically, they were considered a poor family. Poland is predominantly Catholic and Polish families have a habit of naming their children after Polish Saints. The feast day for the Polish Saint, Hipolit, was August 13 and, as it was the closest to Tom's birthday, it was decided to name him Hipolitus which is the English translation of that Polish Saint's name. "Tom" hated his first given name as children for years unmercifully teased him and called him "Hippo". He was a protective brother to his four sisters - Estelle, Eleanor, Elizabeth and Theresa - but being a very private person, he seldom disclosed details to his family of what was happening daily in his life.
His sisters say he was a bit of a rogue when he was young and for a time he was a member of a gang. That membership got him into many fights and, after his nose had been broken several times, it had to be surgically corrected.
He graduated from Cretin High School (a Jesuit Military Academy) in 1935. "Tom" attended the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) from September 9, 1935 to June 4, 1936 studying in the Liberal Arts Program. He worked for the First National Bank and dabbled in local politics campaigning for, but losing, an election to be a Justice of the Peace in the 6Th Ward.
He had always loved airplanes and applied to the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) to become a cadet in their pilot training program. He was not accepted for, at that time, the pre-war Air Corps had very strict entrance guidelines:
NO YOUNGER THAN 22 YEARS OF AGE;
NO OLDER THAN 26 YEARS OF AGE;
MUST BE SINGLE;
MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE.
Lesser restrictions applied in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). A massive recruiting program was underway to train and equip a large Air Force as Canada had been at War with Germany since September 10, 1939.
Days after celebrating his 25th birthday, H. T. Biel travelled from the family home, located at 88 East Belvidere Street in St. Paul, to Winnipeg, Manitoba where, on August 5, 1941, he enlisted as an Aircraftsman 2Nd Class (AC2). His RCAF enlistment number was R123557.
From August 5 to December 20, 1941 he was at the following RCAF training establishments:
NO. 2 MANNING DEPOT (MD) - PENHOLD, ALBERTA;
NO. 3 MD - EDMONTON, ALBERTA;
NO. 3 SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL (SFTS) - CALGARY, ALBERTA;
NO. 2 INITIAL TRAINING SCHOOL (ITS) - REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN.
On December 21, "Tom" began his flight training on de Havilland Tiger Moth Biplane Trainers at No. 19 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Virden, Manitoba. The day prior he had been promoted from AC2 to Leading Aircraftsman (LAC). He graduated from Virden on March 14, 1942 after having flown 69 hours and 15 minutes on the 145 shaft-horsepowered Tiger Moths.
The next phase of his pilot training took him to No. 2 SFTS, Uplands (Ottawa, Ontario) to fly the 5300 pound, 550 shaft-horsepowered Harvard (AT-6). One of "Tom's" instructors at No. 2 was a fellow American who hailed from Littlefield, Texas. Sergeant Pilot Gerald Emerson "Monty" Montgomery and LAC Tom Biel would later serve together in the 334Th and would become very good friends - Montgomery as a Major and Biel as a 1St. Lieutenant.
After having accumulated 179.2 flight hours on Harvards, LAC Biel became Sergeant Pilot Biel and was awarded his cloth RCAF Pilot Wings in a graduation ceremony at Uplands on July 24, 1942.
"Tom" took his two week pre-embarkation leave from July 10 to the 23rd. He reported to "Y" Depot, Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 25. His troop ship left Halifax on August 6 and arrived in England on the 18th.
For the next ten days, H. T. Biel was at No. 3 Personnel Recruitment Centre (PRC) in Bournemouth. This is where the newly arrived Canadian trained aircrews had a few days to acclimate themselves to the British money system, travel procedures and perhaps some local customs.
"Tom's" advanced flying and operational training took place from August 29, 1942 to March 7, 1943 at the following Royal Air Force (RAF) Stations:
NO. 5 PILOT (P) ADVANCED FLYING UNIT (AFU), TERN HILL AND CALVELEY, AUGUST 29, 1942 TO SEPTEMBER 22 FLYING MILES MASTER I'S, III'S AND HAWKER HURRICANES;
NO. 57 OPERATIONALL TRAINING UNIT (OTU), HAWARDEN, NORTH WALES, SEPTEMBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 2 FLYING MILES MASTER I'S AND SUPERMARINE SPITFIRES;
NO. 58 OTU, GRANGEMOUTH AND BALADO BRIDGE, SCOTLAND, NOVEMBER 3 TO MARCH 7, 1943 FLYING MILES MASTER I'S, III'S AND SUPERMARINE SPITFIRES.
The assessment of his ability as a Pilot and of his Air Gunnery were rated above average.
In order for "Tom" to join the USAAF, he first had to be released from the RCAF. On March 24, 1943, the Overseas Headquarters of the RCAF in London, England honourably discharged Sergeant Pilot Biel, citing that he had served one year and 234 days. His combined flying time stood at 343 hours and 45 minutes.
Between March 25 and April 16, he joined the USAAF as a Flight Officer. His log book shows him at the Combat Crew Replacement Centre (CCRC) at Station 342, Atcham in Shropshire on April 17. He remained there until September 3, converting to American Flying procedures and aircraft. While at Atcham, he flew Piper Cubs, Supermarine Spitfire VB's, Miles Master III's and Republic P-47C and D Thunderbolts.
On September 7, 1943, Biel joined the 334Th FS, 4Th FG, based at Station F-356 Debden, located 2 miles southeast of the village of Saffron Walden. He was promoted to 2Nd. Lieutenant in January, 1944 and to 1St. Lieutenant in February.
"Tom" flew combat with the 4Th for just over seven months, destroying 11.333 German Aircraft (5.333 aerial and 6 on the ground).
LIST OF AERIAL VICTORIES
JANUARY 14, 1944 - FW-190
FEBRUARY 10, 1944 - ME-109
MARCH 29, 1944 - FW-190
APRIL 5, 1944 - 1/3 OF A JU-88 (SHARED WITH BEESON AND FIEDLER)
APRIL 11, 1944 - ME-110 & ME-410
April 24, 1944 - Field Order #312
The 4Th FG Commander, Colonel Donald J. M. Blakeslee, leads a free lance support mission to Munich, Germany from 1055 to 1520 hours. The Group arrives over Frankfurt at 1233 hours at 18,000', turns south and lets down to 10,000'. Just north of Worms, a combined force of thirty-four FW-190's and ME-109's are spotted heading down the Rhine River. Opposing the 4Th are two Staffel's (Squadrons) from Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 2. 1.JG/2 are flying FW-190A-7's and 2.JG/2 are flying ME-109G-6's. All three Squadrons of the 4Th (334Th, 335Th and 336Th) engage the enemy at 1245 hours. When the battle is over the 4Th has lost three Mustangs, but they had destroyed sixteen German Fighters. Two 335Th Pilots, 2Nd. Lt. Milton G. Scarbrough and 1St. Lt. Paul Sidney "Rip" Riley are shot down and became Prisoners of War (POW's). 1St. Lt. Hipolitus Thomas "Tom" Biel, from the 334Th, is killed in aerial combat at 1300 hours while flying a P-51B-I0NA Mustang coded QP-X. "Tom" is shot down by Uffz. Krauss from 2.JG/2 from a height of 6,000'.
Months after Biel's death, Major "Monty" Montgomery wrote a letter to the family after he had returned home to Texas. He described how, in "Tom's" last fight, the two were separated and the last time he saw him an ME-109's cannon and machine gun rounds had set Biel's plane on fire and it was falling out of control. "Monty" was unable to go to his aid as he was busy outmanoeuvring some Germans who were trying to shoot him down! He went on to say that he was unable to give the family any ray of hope for Tom's survival. He said his very good friend died a brave fighting man and was a true Catholic.
Another letter found its way to the family in St. Paul, this one from England from a young lady claiming to be "Tom's" steady girlfriend. She said they planned to be married and even had a joint bank account. The family unaware of this relationship and still reeling from the news of his death, did not respond and her name and address were subsequently lost over time!
The wreckage of his aircraft was not discovered for several years. H. T. Biel's remains were returned to the United States where, on February 17, 1949, he was interned in Calvary Cemetery, St. Paul, Minnesota.
- END -
The author gratefully thanks the following who provided information for this article:
National Archives of Canada,
4Th Fighter Group Web Site,
Biel and Fibuch Families,
"Escort To Berlin" by Garry L. Fry and Jeffrey L. Ethell
and "1000 Destroyed" by Grover C. Hall Jr.
By Tom Walsh - Email -
walsh@lweb.net
Phone - 519-659-3298
Fax - 519-659-0720
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