"Ugly Duckling" - George E. Bostwick grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and attended Ripon College from 1937 to 1941 where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He entered the U.S. Army Infantry in June of 1941 and graduated from flying school on October 1st, 1943.Arriving at Boxsted, England in early 1944, he joined the 62nd Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group and flew his first mission on May 11th, 1944. By the end of June, Bostwick had flown 37 missions including two on D-Day over the Normandy beachhead.On June 7th, he destroyed his first aircraft in the air, an Bf.109, over Grandvilliers, France and on July the 4th over Conches Aerodrome, Bostwick destroyed three Bf.109's in quick succession. He also damaged an Bf.109 in the air on the same mission.

Throughout the most part of the mission, he was on his own and at a great disadvantage because of a malfunctioning aircraft. He was awarded the Silver Star for his accomplishments on this mission. Two days later, on July the 6th, flying LM.Z "Ugly Duckling," Bostwick destroyed a Bf.109 in the air over Beaumont, France, to become an ace. On September the 8th, on his 70th mission, he destroyed three Fw.190's on the ground at Euskirchen Aerodrome.Reassigned to the 63rd Squadron on his return to the 56th Fighter Group for a second combat tour in January 1945, Bostwick flew his first mission of the tour on January the 10th, a raid on Cologne. On March the 25th, George Bostwick became one of the few allied pilots to shoot down a twin jet Me.262. On April the 7th, he destroyed two Fw.190s in the air Near Bremen. Three days later, Bostwick flew a raid over Berlin and in an attack on Werder Aerodrome destroyed four aircraft on the ground.