Winningham, Rollin M., 1914-1998

Rollin M. Winningham (1914-1998) was born March 9, 1914 in Thomas, Oklahoma. He graduated from Edinburg high school in 1931 and Edinburg Jr. College, in 1934. Winningham joined the Army and served a year in a Field Artillery unit before attending flight school. In 1939 Winningham graduated from the Air Corps advanced flying school and was assigned to the 23rd Composite Group, whose mission was to perform tactical and technical suitability testing of all types of airplanes. Winningham learned to fly 38 types of aircraft. In 1943 Winningham was assigned as Deputy Group Commander of the 397th Bomb Group (M), part of the Ninth Air Force in Europe. He assisted in organizing the training of 65 combat crews and flew 45 combat missions with them. In early 1945 Winningham was assigned as Commander of the 323rd Bomb Group (M). The group was assigned to the Air Force disarmament program in the Munich, Germany area after the war. The program took over the German ME 262 jet fighter assembly plant. While there, one of the German test pilots checked Winningham out in one of the Messerschmitt ME 262 jets. From 1946 through 1959 Colonel Winningham served in various capacities including Air Inspector for the Strategic Air Command; Inspector General of the 2nd Air Force; Wing Commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing; and Director of Administrative Services, Headquarters Second Air Force, Strategic Air Command. Colonel Winningham retired from the Air Force in 1968.

From the guide to the B-26 Marauder Archives, Rollin M. Winningham Papers, 1938-1995, 1938-1995, (Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron)