This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Michael Frederick
to remember
Marine Capt Wilbur Thomas.
If you knew or served with this Marine and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town El Dorado
Last Address El Dorado
Date of Passing Jan 28, 1947
Location of Interment Forest Lawn Cemetery - Glendale, California
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Died in post-war flying mishap in 1947.
Other Comments:
Credited with downing 18.5 Japanese aircraft while flying F4U Corsairs with VMF-213.
One of the most successful but least known Marine Corsair aces was First Lieutenant Wilbur J. Thomas, whom Barrett Tillman called "one of the deadliest fighter pilots the Corps ever produced." He scored 18.5 kills while flying with VMF-213. Thomas' combat career is remarkable because he scored most of his kills in a one-month period during the hotly contested landings on Rendova and Vangunu islands in mid-1944.
After staying in the rear area of the New Hebrides, Thomas was finally transferred to the combat zone. He flew his first missions in June and July 1943. His mission on 30 June was a CAP mission over amphibious landings at Wickham Anchorage on the southern tip of New Georgia.
Fifteen Zeros pounced Thomas's fighters. After he had become separated from his group, seven Zeros had attacked the lone F4U, but, undeterred by the odds, Thomas turned into the Japanese, eventually shooting down four of them. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this mission. Three weeks later, on 17 July, Thomas and his wingman attacked a group of Japanese bombers and their Zero escort, and shot down one of the bombers.
Thomas was on the receiving end of enemy fire on 23 September. After shooting down three Zeros, and splitting a fourth with his wingman, the young ace found he had taken hits in the oil lines. His engine seized and he glided toward the water, eventually bailing out at 3,000 feet. He scrambled into his rubber raft and waited for rescue. He paddled for five hours to keep from drifting to enemy positions. After 10 hours, a Consolidated Catalina flying boat (PBY) set down beside him and brought him home.
By the time VMF-213 left for the States in December, Wilbur Thomas had scored 16.5 kills in five dogfights. He returned for another combat tour, this time on board the carrier Essex (CV 9) headed for the South China Sea and Japanese bases in Southeast Asia. He added two more kills to his previous score when he took out two Zeros near Tokyo during Essex's first strike against the Japanese Home Islands on the afternoon of 16 February 1945.
Again, as did several of the young aces who managed to survive the war, then-Captain Thomas died in a postwar flying mishap in 1947.
Image
Navy Cross - 1944
Name of Award Navy Cross
Year Awarded 1944
This ribbon will display Multiple Award devices automatically based on the total number of awards listed.
Details Behind Award
Citation: The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Wilbur J. Thomas (0-13630), First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as a Fighter Pilot attached to Marine Fighting Squadron TWO HUNDRED THIRTEEN (VMF-213), Marine Air Group ELEVEN (MAG-11), FIRST Marine Aircraft Wing, in aerial combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area from 5 September 1943 to 14 October 1943. When he was attacked by a numerically superior force of Japanese fighters during escort duty for our heavy bombers on a strike against Kahili Airfield, on Bougainville Island, First Lieutenant Thomas expertly maneuvered and fought his plane in a fierce counterattack, shooting down in flames three of the hostile planes. On 25 September in a similar action, he again personally destroyed three enemy aircraft and contributed to the destruction of another. Consistently displaying exception courage and skill throughout subsequent vital missions, he succeeded in bringing down an additional three hostile Zeros and probably two others, and aided in the sinking or destruction of thirteen enemy barges. First Lieutenant Thomas' superb airmanship and heroic devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.