Theodore Hugh Winters Jr. (March 11, 1913 – April 25, 2008) was a highly decorated

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 ...

. He was a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with eight aerial victories and was awarded two Navy Crosses during the

battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fo ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Early life and career

Theodore H. Winters was born on March 11, 1913, in

Society Hill, South Carolina Society Hill is a town in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States alongside the Pee Dee River. It is the oldest community in Darlington County and one of the first towns founded in South Carolina. The town was once the intellectual cente ...

. Upon graduating high school in 1931, Winters entered the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

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. On June 6, 1935, he graduated from the academy and was commissioned as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diff ...

in the Navy. Ensign Winters was assigned to the USS ''Pennsylvania'' for one year as a

gunnery officer The gunnery officer of a warship was the officer responsible for operation and maintenance of the ship's guns and for safe storage of the ship's ammunition inventory. Background The gunnery officer was usually the line officer next in rank to th ...

, followed by one year aboard the USS ''Hamilton'' as a gunnery and communications officer. In June 1937, Winters was sent to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where he attended flight training. The following June,

Lieutenant Junior Grade Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), i ...

Winters graduated from the course and was designated as a

Naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-base ...

. Winters was assigned to VB-5 aboard the USS ''Yorktown'' until June 1940. He then returned to Pensacola where he served as a flight instructor.

World War II

From February to March 1942, Lieutenant Winters was assigned to the

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

USS ''Matagorda''. Afterwards, he was attached to Fighting Squadron 9 (VF-9) as the executive officer aboard the USS ''Ranger''.

North Africa

In November 1942,

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Winters took part in Operation Torch in

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. In one day, he led three combat missions, destroying 14

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its t ...

bombers on the ground at Rabat-Sale Airdrome, followed by destroying more enemy planes at

Port Lyautey Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 2 ...

and then attacking an enemy position at El Hank. Although his aircraft was hit by enemy fire and he was wounded, Winters continued to lead his men throughout the next few days and destroyed 20 planes on the ground at Médiouna Airdrome. He then bombed enemy vehicles at

Fedala Mohammedia ( ar, المحمدية, al-muḥammadiyya; ber, ⴼⴹⴰⵍⴰ, Fḍala), known until 1960 as Fedala, is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most im ...

and then attacked enemy destroyers in Casablanca Harbor. For his actions during the operation, Lieutenant Commander Winters was awarded his first

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

Pacific War

Winters and his squadron returned to the United States by the end of November. In April 1943, VF-9 was attached to the USS ''Essex'' and set out for the Pacific. By August 1943, Winters was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

and was made the commanding officer of Fighting Squadron 19 (VF-19) aboard the USS ''Lexington''. By September 1944, VF-19 and other squadrons were flying combat missions over the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in preparation for the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

in October. On September 12, Commander Winters shot down three Japanese planes. Winters claimed ace status and was awarded a second Silver Star by mid-October, shooting down three more enemy aircraft and probably downing a fourth. On October 24, during the

, Commander Winters led his squadron through a barrage of

anti-aircraft fire Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

to inflict severe damage on two Japanese

battleships A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type o ...

and four cruisers. The next day, Winters continued leading his planes through barrages of anti-aircraft fire even though his own plane was damaged. His squadron assisted in the sinking of one

fleet carrier A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during World War II, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other less capable types. In addition to many medium-s ...

and two light carriers. Commander Winters was awarded two Navy Crosses during this two day period. On November 5, Commander Winters again led his squadron in attacking a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer in

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

. Upon assisting in sinking the two ships, Winters shot down an enemy aircraft. Winters was awarded his third Silver Star and finished the war with a total of eight aerial victories.

Post-war career

In January 1945, Winters was assigned to the training unit at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. He would stay there until the summer of 1947, when he attended the

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

. Upon graduating in January 1948, he was attached to the USS ''Midway''. From July 1949 to February 1951, Winters was assigned as a faculty member at the Naval Academy, followed by an assignment aboard the USS ''Franklin D. Roosevelt''. He began attending the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

, in July 1953, graduating in February 1954. From 1959 to 1960, he served as the commanding officer of the USS ''Franklin D. Roosevelt''. Captain Winters retired from the Navy on July 1, 1961. Theodore H. Winters died from a stroke on April 25, 2008, in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch, the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mount ...

. He was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards and decorations

CAPT Winters' awards include the following:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winters, Theodore H., Jr. 1913 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American naval officers American World War II flying aces Aviators from South Carolina Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Joint Forces Staff College alumni Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Naval Aviators United States Navy captains United States Navy pilots of World War II