78th Fighter Group
78th Fighter Group
Aces of the 78th . .
\During their tour of duty in the ETO, the 78th Fighter Group posted an "official" total of 688 enemy aircraft destroyed either in the air and on the ground with an additional 406 aircraft "probably destroyed" or damaged. Fifty(50) Group pilots ( see the " Final Tally . ." section of this page ) accounted for over 50% of these victories. These figures are based on the claim and credit guidelines established by the 8th Air Force in 1943. 474 of these victories were in the air. Considering the traditonal definition of a fighter "ace"...five or more "credited" air victories... twelve(12) 78th Group pilots can be identified. These pilots and their accomplishments are reviewed on the page:
12 O'Clock High . .
In consideration of the performance by all the 78th Fighter Group pilots with their impressive record including both enemy aircraft and ground targets destroyed........one has to recognize them as all being "Aces" in their own right.......consistently demonstrating efforts " Above and Beyond " !
( Data Source: "Eagles of Duxford", Appendix 5, Garry L. Fry, Phalanx Publishing Co., Ltd., 1991, ISBN: 0-92625860-2-1 )
The Fighter Ace . . .
What is a fighter ace? The accepted definition is " a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft ". During World War II this definition was refined and required formal verification. First of all the, it had to be established that the pilot was flying his aircraft when the kill occured. Second, the enemy aircraft must itself be in the air. In general, aircraft destroyed on the ground did not count( the 8th Air Force included ground victories in their "credit" awards). Also, the enemy aircraft had to be piloted(e.g., V-1 claims did not count ). It had to be an enemy aircraft...captured Allied aircraft flown by the enemy did not count. Also, it was expected that the enemy aircraft was an armed military aircraft...not a civilian airliner, for example. Liaison aircraft were included, because it was assumed that someone aboard might possibly be armed.
Col. John D.Landers, 78th Fighter Group Commanding Officer, February - June, 1945. Credited officially with 14.5 air victories(3.5 while serving with the 78th).(Picture source: unknown)
The 84th Squadron "Victory Board" gets updated.(Picture source:"Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force", Jerry Scutts, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1998, ISBN: 1-85532-729-5 via Bivens)
For an 8th Air Force pilot to be recognized "officially" as an ace, he had to make immediate formal "claims" and receive "credits" from a " Victory Credit Board " totalling at least five. During 1943, the 8th Fighter Command established a Board(composed of experienced combat pilots) which reviewed all "claims" and associated verification information for damage inflicted to enemy aircraft by its pilots. The Board would render a decision as to the category of the damage( destroyed, probably destroyed, damaged) and award appropriate "credit" to the pilot. Most American units, including the 78th Fighter Group, also allowed shared victory "credits". Also, the 8th Air Force allowed "credit" for confirmed ground victories. These ground "credits" would later be revoked by the post-war USAF, stripping away the "ace" designation for a long list of 8th Air Force pilots.
T/Sgt. C. Koskela paints a sixth kill marking on Lt. Warren M. Wesson's a/c, "Jeanie -v.o.s."(v.o.s. meaning "victory over seperation"). His score of four in the air and two on the ground qualified him as an "ace" per the 8th Fighter Commands standard. After the war, this status was revoked by the USAF. Lt. Wesson flew with the 83rd Squadron. (Picture source: "Thunderbolt Aces of the Eighth Air Force", Jerry Scutts, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1998, ISBN: 1-85532-729-5 via AFM)
The Final Tally . . .
Fifty(50) 78th Fighter Group pilots reached the number of five(5) "credited" victories and were designated as "aces" in accordance with the original 8th Air Force standards. The twelve " highlighted pilots " achieved credit for 5 or more victories exclusively in the air. See the " 12 O'Clock High . . . " page for further details.
Rank / Name
Sqd.
Air Victories
Ground Victories
Total
Col. John D. Landers HQ
14.5
20.0
34.5 *
Capt. Alwin M. Jucheim 83rd
9
6
15
Major Quince L. Brown 84th
12.3
2
14.3
1Lt. Francis C. Harrington 83rd
4
8
12
Lt.Col. Olin E. Gilbert HQ
2
9.5
11.5
1 Lt. John A. Kirk 83rd
4
6
10
Capt. Charles M. Peal 83rd
2
8
10
Capt. Duncan M. McDuffie 83rd
4
5
9
Lt.Col. Eugene P. Roberts HQ
9
0
9
1Lt. Clyde E. Taylor 84th
0
9
9
Lt.Col. Joseph Myers HQ
4.5
4
8.5
1Lt. Henry R. Stack 84th
1.5
7
8.5 *
Major Richard A. Hewitt 82nd
4
4.3
8.3
Capt. John J. Hockery 82nd
7
1.1
8.1
Lt.Col. Richard E. Conner HQ
4.5
3.5
8
1Lt. Danford E. Josey 84th
0
8
8
Lt.Col. William H. Julian 83rd
5
3
8
1Lt. Richard A. Messenger 83rd
0
8
8
Capt. James W. Wilkinson 82nd
6
2
8
Lt.Col. Jack J. Oberhansly HQ
6
1.6
7.6
Major Norman D. Munson 82nd
0
7.5
7.5
1Lt. Neal Hepner 84th
0
7
7
Capt. Edward R. Kulik 83rd
0
7
7
Capt. Peter E. Pompetti 84th
5
2
7
Major Robert E. Smith 84th
1
6
7
Capt. Robert T. Green 83rd
4.5
2
6.5
Lt.Col. Benjamin I. Mayo 84th
4
2.5
6.5
Capt. Benjamin M. Watkins 82nd
2
4.5
6.5
1Lt. Robert R. Bosworth 82nd
1
5
6
1Lt. Jerry E. Brasher 82nd
1
5
6
Major Gillespie Bryan 84th
0
6
6
1Lt. Anthony T. Colletti 83rd
1
5
6
1Lt. Louis DeAnda 84th
0
6
6
Capt. Donald J. DeVilliers 83rd
0
6
6
Capt. Herbert K. Shope 82nd
0
6
6
1Lt. Grant M. Turley 82nd
6
0
6
1Lt. Warren M. Wesson 82nd
4
2
6
1Lt. Merle R. Capp 84th
2
3.5
5.5
Capt. Huie H. Lamb 82nd
2.5
3
5.5
1Lt. Eugene L. Peel 82nd
0.5
5
5.5
Capt. Harold T. Barnaby 83rd
4
1
5
Capt. Robert R. Bonebrake 83rd
3
2
5
Capt. Charles DeWitt 82nd
0
5
5
1Lt. Gene C. Doss 83rd
0
5
5
Capt. Dorian Ledington 84th
2
3
5
Capt. Charles P. London 83rd
5
0
5
2Lt. Charles E. Parmalee 84th
3
2
5
1Lt. Richard E. Phaneuf 84th
3
2
5
Major Jack C. Price 84th
5
0
5
1Lt. Dale S. Sweat 83rd
0
5
5
* - includes victories scored with other units
( Source credit: "Eagles of Duxford", Appendix 1, Garry L. Fry, Phalanx Publishing Co., Ltd., 1991, ISBN: 0-92625860-2-1 )
This page was last revised on 7 / 20 / 00.
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