| Wilbur Jackson Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Wilbur J. Thomas | |
| Nickname | Jack |
| Born | October 29, 1920 |
| Died | January 28, 1947 (aged 26) |
| Place of birth | El Dorado, Kansas |
| Place of death | Orange County, California |
| Buried at | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
| Service/branch | 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 |
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
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. https://books.google.com/books?id=hQx9AAAAIAAJ.
- ↑ Barrett Tillman (20 May 2014). US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-78200-953-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=7JCqCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA241.
- ↑ 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. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003122-00/sec11.htm. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
- ↑ Corsair Aces of World War 2. Osprey Aerospace. 1995. ISBN 978-1-85532-530-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=dJ_VzkMdsGQC.
- ↑ "Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West". http://www.aircraftwrecks.com/pages/f7f-3p.htm. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
External links[]
- Wilbur J. Thomas at Find a Grave
The original article can be found at Wilbur J. Thomas and the edit history here.