Ace pilot from Red Oak escaped POW camp

Tess Nelson
The Red Oak Express

When it comes to World War II, Montgomery County had several astonishing heroes on and off the battlefield. One of the more prominent “flyboys” from the area was John “The Blade” Carder from Red Oak.
John was one of three boys, and was born Feb. 3, 1920, to Nick (N.J.), a World War I veteran, and Ester Marie (Baxter) Carder. The family lived in Shenandoah, where the boys, Tom, John and James, graduated high school; York, Neb.; and Red Oak.
“He was a junior member of the National Rifle Association and won all sorts of awards for marksmanship and sharpshooting while growing up,” recalled John’s niece, Ann Carder. “He also loved to be outdoors, hunting and fishing.”
John attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo., and the University of Iowa before joining the military.
“He was a pilot before World War II, so he was fast tracked through training because they needed pilots so desperately,” said Ann. “He enlisted in Omaha on March 30, 1942, and completed training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.”
A March 15, 1943, article in The Red Oak Express said Carder received his silver wings and Second Lieutenant commission at Air Corps Reserve during graduation at Luke Field in Phoenix. He would then advance to flight school training.
John was trained to fly the quick and nimble P-51 Mustangs in the European Theatre.
The P-51s protected the slower, larger bombers during missions.  John’s P-51 was named “Taxpayer’s Delight.”
John arrived in Europe March 18, 1942, as a member of the 364th Fighter Squadron of the 8th Air Force located in Leiston, England, which was only three miles from the North Sea Coast. This location made it ideal as a Fighter Group Air Base as they’d escort bombers across the sea and over occupied Europe. The air base also witnessed the arrival of many very damaged Allied aircraft, which were just grateful to make landfall in Great Britain.
The 358th Fighter Group were replaced by the 357th Fighter Group early in 1944, flying P-51 Mustangs rather than P-47 Thunderbolts. These Mustangs were able to fly greater distances in escorting bombers to eastern German targets like sites in Berlin, Munich, Bremen, Kassel, Hague, Frankfurt, Bernburg, Oberursel, and Leipzig.
In a March 3, 1944, letter to his parents, John wrote, “Dear Folks: I hope you gathered by my last letter that I got a victory on my first long mission. I was flying with the colonel who got two. The Danube River and the Alps were all in sight on that run. It was all quite a thrill I can tell you. Yesterday, the colonel, two others and I flew down the Zuider Zee and down the streets of The Hague. The Dutch sure like to see the White Star and wave their arms to let you know it. Got a good look at the German pillboxes on the coast from an altitude of 10 feet.”
In March 1944, an article in The Red Oak Express said his group of three squadrons compiled a record of 73 enemy planes shot down, of which 43 were credited to his squadron, the 364th. John gained attention in several newspapers with a “mark of four German planes on eight missions.”  
“I have no doubt the marksmen and sharpshooter awards he won growing up helped contribute to his proficiency in the air,” said Ann.
Soon, Captain Carder, nicknamed “The Blade” became an ace pilot after shooting down seven enemy aircraft in aerial combat. To become an ace, one had to shoot down atleast five enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
In May, Captain Carder would be reported Missing In Action. In a Red Oak Express article, he was reported MIA May 12, 1944, after he’d been promoted to captain and flight leader.
After Captain Carder went MIA, his folks received a letter from his commanding officer John H. Storch. The letter was dated May 15, 1944. The letter explained on May 12, the squadron was escorting bombers to Germany. As they approached the bombers, they were hit once by enemy fighters formation. The fighters went through the bombers and were reforming for another attack when the flight in which Carder was flying reached them and engaged.
 “Our flight was outnumbered, and soon it was a big dogfight. When the flight reformed, your son was missing. He was last seen on the tail of an enemy fighter shooting at it.”
The letter continued to say John was well liked and well respected, that he was a loyal, excellent officer and dedicated.  
“There is still a chance that he was forced down or parachuted and is alive and well although he may be a prisoner of war,” read the letter.
Red Oak and Shenandoah newspapers articles state John and another flier escaped from the enemy while marching from Nuremburg to Moosburg to keep ahead of the Allies.
They were recaptured when a company of retreating Germans soldiers literally stumbled over them as they hid in some underbrush. However the Americans were getting close and “No body wanted us.” They were turned over to members of Hitler Youth, who happened to be intoxicated off vermouth and cognac. The two escaped a second time and made it to a Polish farmhouse where they asked for some milk.
“She took us in the kitchen, and there were 25 German soldiers. For a minute it looked like a trap, but they put their hands up and said “Kamerad,” read a Red Oak Express newspaper article.  
Eventually they met American equipment coming down a road, were sent to the rear where there were ambulances, and ended up spending a couple of days in a hospital eating and resting.  
After that, Captain Carder received a 60-day furlough at home. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. He would also serve during the Korean Conflict.
Following his military service, Captain Carder returned to Red Oak, where he owned and operated a crop dusting and aerial photography business.
He and a friend, Chet Yeager, 50, of Emerson, were killed in an air crash in a heavily wooded area near the top of Black Fork mountain in the Ouachita range roughly 20 miles northeast of Mena, Ark. on Oct. 1, 1961.
The two were flying to Jasper, Texas to pick up an airplane and return it to Red Oak. The plane, owned by Jerry Anderson of Red Oak, was found in a ravine after a two-day search including 15 aircraft and 36 people from the Red Oak, Creston, Emerson and Corning communities.
“I wish I could have gotten to know him better,” said Ann.
John is laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Red Oak.