Wilbur J. Thomas
Wilbur Jackson Thomas (October 29, 1920 – January 28, 1947) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II.[1][2] He flew a Vought F4U Corsair in Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) which was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) and was one of the first Marine squadrons to augment carrier air groups.[3] Thomas was a triple ace with 18.5 aerial victories.[4][5] He was killed in January 1947 attempting to land a Grumman F7F Tigercat at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California.[6]
U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U Corsair aircraft of Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, June 1943
Wilbur Jackson Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Wilbur J. Thomas | |
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born | October 29, 1920 El Dorado, Kansas |
| Died | January 28, 1947 (aged 26) Orange County, California |
| Buried | |
| Service/ | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942-1947 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Service number | 0-13630 |
| Unit | VMF-213 |
| Battles/wars | World War II * Philippines Campaign (1944–45) * Battle of Iwo Jima * Battle of Okinawa |
| Awards | Navy Cross Distinguished Flying Cross |
See also
References
- Walter A. Musciano (1979). Corsair aces: the bent-wing bird over the Pacific. Arco Pub. Co. pp. 90–. ISBN 978-0-668-04597-1.
- Barrett Tillman (20 May 2014). US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-78200-953-5.
- Fredriksen, John C. (2011). The United States Marine Corps a Chronology, 1775 to the Present. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN 9781598845433.
- Commander Peter B. Mersky, U.S. Naval Reserve. TIME OF THE ACES: Marine Pilots in the Solomons. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
- Corsair Aces of World War 2. Osprey Aerospace. 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-530-2.
- "Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West". Retrieved 2018-07-18.
External links
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