Memorial

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1st Lt Arthur V. Mares joined the National Guard in Hastings, Minnesota, on 6 January 1941.

1st Lt Homer R. Mitchell:
"On August 16th, we had eight ships on patrol in an area just west of Paris. We engaged a gaggle of 70 plus FW 190s approximately twenty miles west of Paris. Soon after, at 1545 and at an altitude of 2,000 feet, we found ourselves in a mass of dog-fights over a small area with FW 190s coming in from all directions. It was impossible to hold more than two-ship formations of our aircraft. I saw an FW 190 pulling deflection on Lt Whelan, my No. 3 man, and called for him to tighten up his turn and evade. The FW 190 fired a burst that hit around Lt Whelan’s fuselage and his ship burst into flames. More E/A were coming in on me, so I had to break and did not see Lt Whelan bail out. Pilots of the other flight said they saw his chutes open. In one of the dog-fights, Lt Mares of the other flight was lost during the fight, and neither I nor any of the other pilots saw where he went or know what happened to him."

He was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery of Solers, France.