Wilbur J. Thomas

Summary

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] He was survived by his wife, Adele Kelley, who passed in 2022.

Wilbur Jackson Thomas
Wilbur J. Thomas
Wilbur J. Thomas
Nickname(s)Jack
Born(1920-10-29)October 29, 1920
El Dorado, Kansas
DiedJanuary 28, 1947(1947-01-28) (aged 26)
Orange County, California
Buried
Service/branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1942-1947
RankCaptain
Service number0-13630
UnitVMF-213
Battles/warsWorld War II
* Philippines Campaign (1944–45)
* Battle of Iwo Jima
* Battle of Okinawa
AwardsNavy Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U Corsair aircraft of Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, June 1943

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Walter A. Musciano (1979). Corsair aces: the bent-wing bird over the Pacific. Arco Pub. Co. pp. 90–. ISBN 978-0-668-04597-1.
  2. ^ Barrett Tillman (20 May 2014). US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-78200-953-5.
  3. ^ Fredriksen, John C. (2011). The United States Marine Corps a Chronology, 1775 to the Present. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN 9781598845433.
  4. ^ Commander Peter B. Mersky, U.S. Naval Reserve. TIME OF THE ACES: Marine Pilots in the Solomons. Retrieved 2018-07-18. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Corsair Aces of World War 2. Osprey Aerospace. 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-530-2.
  6. ^ "Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West". Retrieved 2018-07-18.

External links edit