Exactly 70 years on, a new book re-opens the events of August 1944 when US Navy pilot Joe Kennedy Jr, older brother of future US President John F. Kennedy, was killed over the Suffolk countryside in a top secret mission pioneering drone aircraft for the first time. In this new short book, Kennedy-era researcher Paul Elgood, who uncovered the long forgotten story of JFK’s visit to Birch Grove shortly before his 1963 assassination, recounts these wartime events and journeys to the site of the tragedy, finding the last scattered remains of the long lost plane.
High expectations were placed on the first born son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. In the wake of his support for the pre-war policy of appeasement, Joseph P. Kennedy knew he would never be President. He seamlessly transferred his ambition to his children, anointing the oldest, Joe Jr, as his proxy for the White House. Joe Jr was living the Ivy League life of the east coast social elite until the call to England interrupted his idyllic lifestyle as President Roosevelt appointed the elder Kennedy to be his ambassador to England. Joseph Sr placed huge pressure on Joe Jr, instilling his Irish American insecurities on his son to always compete and win. In peace and war, Joe Jr’s pursuit of excellence propelled him forward. War hero was the next expectation place on him.
After two tours of duty in war-weary England, Joe Jr had flown enough combat missions to make him eligible to return home, his war over. Instead, Joe volunteered to stay in England, taking on even greater risks piloting dangerous missions to target Hitler’s devastating V-bombing campaign. By August 1944, he stepped forward to co-pilot the launch of a top secret, perhaps near suicidal drone bombing mission. Departing from RAF Fersfield in Suffolk, the flight went badly wrong and the plane exploded shortly after take-off. The crew’s bodies were never found. Eyewitnesses described two explosions and a huge ball of fire with debris scattered for at least a mile.
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