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Beirne Lay Jr. (September 1, 1909 – May 26, 1982) was an American writer, aviation writer, Hollywood screenwriter, and combat veteran of World War II with the U.S. Army Air Forces. He is best known for his collaboration with Sy Bartlett in authoring the novel Twelve O'Clock High and adapting it into a major film .
Beirne Lay assumed command of the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico on February 28, 1944. His wife was Philippa Ludwell Lee. Lay was Shot down on 11 May 1944 in B-24H #41-29468 'Peg O' My Heart' with the crew of Lt Frank Vratny, 838th Bomb Squadron, and evaded capture.
Beirne Lay Jr. was born on 1 September 1909 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Strategic Air Command (1955), Above and Beyond (1952) and Toward the Unknown (1956). He died on 26 May 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer, Additional Crew, Actor
- September 1, 1909
- Beirne Lay Jr.
- May 26, 1982
Mar 12, 2024 · Beirne Lay, Jr., who flew with the 100th on the Regensburg mission, described the surreal and nightmarish world crews encountered on this fateful flight. In “I Saw Regensburg Destroyed,” his arresting article about the raid included in LOA’s Reporting World War II: American Journalism 1938–1944 volume , he recalls:
Jun 3, 1982 · Beirne Lay Jr., author and screenwriter who specialized in films about the Air Force and who received an Academy Award nomination in 1949 for ''Twelve O'Clock High,'' died...
Jan 1, 2011 · The film was adapted from a novel of the same name by Beirne Lay Jr. and Sy Bartlett, who drew deeply on their own wartime experiences. Both had been successful Hollywood screenwriters before the war, but in 1943, when “Twelve O’Clock High” takes place, they were Air Force officers in England.
Beirne Lay Jr. was born on September 1, 1909 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Strategic Air Command (1955), Above and Beyond (1952) and Toward the Unknown (1956). He died on May 26, 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
