Gilbert O. Wymond Jr. (1919–1949) was a United States Army Air Forces fighter pilot during World War II with service overseas in Africa and Italy campaigns. He was noted for his feature role in the filming of the documentary '' Thunderbolt'' (1947).

Early life

Gilbert Osborne Wymond Jr. was born on September 23, 1919, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Gilbert Osborne Wymond and Lucille Graham Wymond. After attending the University of Kentucky for two years, on April 25, 1941, he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).

Military career

Wymond was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the USAAC, and on December 12, 1941, awarded his pilot wings at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, Texas, five days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. His first assignment from December 1941 to July 1942 was as a fighter pilot, flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawks with the 65th Fighter Squadron of the 57th Fighter Group at Bradley Field, Trumbull Field and Rentschler Field, Connecticut."Edit entry Gilbert O. Wymond."
''American Air Museum''. Retrieved: May 30, 2017.

Overseas service

Wymond deployed with his squadron aboard the aircraft carrier . He took off from the carrier on July 19, 1942, landing at Accra in the Gold Coast before moving to Cairo, Egypt in August 1942. Between August 1942 and May 1945, promoted to a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and later,

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, Wymond moved with his squadron through Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Malta, Sicily and Italy. During this period, the squadron transitioned from the P-40 to the

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

. During Wymond's operational deployment, he served as commanding officer of the 65th Fighter Squadron from May 13, 1943, to May 1945, with short periods on leave in the United States from July to September 1943, and May to June 1944. He flew 153 combat missions, and was credited with the destruction of three enemy aircraft, plus two probables, in aerial combat. His first ''Hun Hunter'' was P-40F 41-13947, and by the end of the war, Wymond was flying his 16th aircraft name "Hun Hunter XVI", a P-47D 44-90460. For his action on May 2, 1944, Wymond was awarded the Silver Star. On part, the citation reads: "For gallantry in action as pilot of a P-47 aircraft ... at Rignano, Italy, Lieutenant Colonel Wymond observed activity in a concentration of factory buildings near Montevescala. Immediately leaving his formation, Lieutenant Colonel Wymond dived to minimum altitude in attack and as his accurate fire struck the objective, a tremendous explosion resulted destroying a factory containing large quantities of enemy ammunition. Displaying superior flying skill, Lieutenant Colonel Wymond regained control of his shattered plane and returned safely to base. His courage, selfless devotion to duty and outstanding proficiency as a combat pilot reflect great credit upon himself and the Military Service of the United States.""Gilbert O. Wymond, Jr."
''Veteran Tributes''. Retrieved: May 30, 2017. Wymond was recognized in an article in the February 2002 issue of ''Air Classics'' by the former armament chief of the 65th FS with being an early driving force in the development of the Thunderbolt from a high altitude escort fighter into the premier

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

of World War II. In 1944, Wymond, at 24 years of age, and a Lt Col, took part in the filming of '' Thunderbolt'', (released in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

). The film was directed by William Wyler and John Sturges and documented the American aerial operations of Operation Strangle in World War II, when flyers of the Twelfth Air Force based on

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

successfully impeded Axis supply lines to the Gustav Line and Anzio beachhead.Orriss 1984, pp. 129–130.

Postwar

After the war, Wymond completed jet transition training in the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Lt Col Wymond took command of the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, in April 1949. Wymond was killed in the crash of his Republic F-84 Thunderjet on May 11, 1949.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Molesworth, Carl. ''P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO'' (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No. 43). London: Osprey Publishing, 2002. . * Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II''. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wymond, Gilbet O. Jr. 1919 births 1949 deaths Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Air Force officers Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery