Background
Donahue was born to Frank and Ada Donahue in 1913 and was raised on a dairy farm near Saint Charles, Minnesota.
Donahue was born to Frank and Ada Donahue in 1913 and was raised on a dairy farm near Saint Charles, Minnesota.
He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with Royal Air Force Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939-1945 campaign star. He was killed in action in September 1942. He learned to fly as a teenager at the Conrad Flying Service, operated by Max Conrad, an aviator known as the "Flying Grandfather" who had set numerous world records for distance and endurance.
Becoming Minnesota"s youngest commercially certificated pilot at the age of 19, Donahue helped Conrad helping to run the flight school until he left to enlist in the Royal Air Force.
He traveled to Canada, claimed to be Canadian, and was accepted. After training with Number.
7 Operational Training Unit, he was assigned to Number. 64 Squadron at Royal Air Force Kenley on 3 August 1940.
Two days later, he saw combat against Messerschmitt Bf 109s off the French coast, and suffered serious damage to his aircraft, forcing him to land at Royal Air Force Hawkinge.
Donahue thus became one of ten Americans to fly for the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain in 1940. A week later, on 12 August, he was wounded in combat over England"s south coast in his Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I. He was forced to bail out of his burning aircraft, and suffered burns and leg injuries.
On 29 September 1940, he was reassigned to Number.
71 Squadron, one of three Eagle Squadrons, Royal Air Force units composed of American pilots, but did not see combat with that unit Because of the lack of action, he requested to be reassigned to Number.
64 Squadron, arriving back there on 23 October. In February 1941, Donahue served with Number.
91 Squadron, although in March he went on leave back to the United States of America. In October 1941 he was posted to Number.
258 Squadron in the Far East, and participated in the Battle of Singapore, also seeing action over Sumatra in February 1942, where he was wounded by ground fire. After returning to England in mid-1942, he rejoined Number 91 Squadron as a flight commander. He became the first American in Royal Air Force history to lead an all-English squadron.
He was credited with downing two enemy aircraft, with two more probables and one damaged.
He was awarded four medals, including the United Kingdom"s Distinguished Flying Cross on 27 March 1942. Death 91 Squadron. Attempting to intercept a Ju 88, his plane was hit by return fire and ditched in the English Channel.
His body was never foundation Donahue wrote two books about his Royal Air Force service, Tally-Ho! Yankee in a Spitfire and Last Flight from Singapore.
27 March 1942, Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to Flying Officer Arthur Gerald Donahue (81624), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Number.
Flight Lieutenant Donahue was killed in action on 11 September 1942, while a member of Number.