Thomas McGuire

For the American baseball player, see Tom McGuire. For the English film actor, see Tom McGuire (actor).

Thomas B. McGuire, Jr.
Major Thomas McGuire next to his P-38 "Pudgy (V)"
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army Air Forces
Years of service	1941-1945
Rank	Major
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (3) Distinguished Flying Cross (6) Purple Heart (3) Air Medal (15)

Thomas Buchanan McGuire Jr. (August 1, 1920–January 7, 1945) was the second highest scoring American ace during World War II, whose memory was preserved by the naming of McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Early years

Aviation Cadet Thomas B. McGuire.

McGuire was born on Ridgewood, New Jersey, on August 1, 1920. He and his mother moved to Sebring, Florida in the late 1920s and McGuire graduated from Sebring High School in 1938. He enrolled at Georgia Tech and joined Beta Theta Pi fraternity, but left after his third year to join the U.S. Air Corps in 1941, reporting to a contract flying school in Corsicana, Texas, as an aviation cadet. He later earned his wings after finishing his flight training at Randolph Field, Texas.

World War II

First combat

During World War II, his first combat assignment was flying patrols over the Aleutian Islands and Alaska flying the P-39 Airacobra while assigned to the 54th Fighter Group. While scoring no aerial victories in the Aleutians, McGuire was able to hone his skills as a pilot. Returning to the United States in December 1942, he married Marilynn Giesler, a student at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas. In February 1943 he reported to Orange County Airport, California for transition training in the P-38 Lightning. In March 1943, he was sent to the South Pacific as a P-38 Lightning pilot with the 49th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force.

431st Fighter Squadron

Five months later, the 5th Air Force decided to create an entire group, the 475th Fighter Group, of P-38 fighters, at the behest of its commander, the legendary Lt Gen George Kenney. Because he was a natural leader and experienced pilot, McGuire was among those chosen to form the new group. He was assigned to the 431st Fighter Squadron. On August 18, 1943, McGuire was part of a group flying top cover for bombers striking at Wewak, New Guinea. Nearing their target, the fighters were attacked by Japanese aircraft. During the battle, McGuire shot down two Ki-43 "Oscars" and one Ki-61 "Tony." On the following day, near the same location, he downed two more Oscars. This established him as an air ace in two days, after undergoing a frustrating year of apprenticeship with no opportunities to engage the enemy.

McGuire's career nearly came to an end on October 17, 1943 when he scrambled from Dubodura, New Guinea to intercept approaching Japanese bombers being escorted by Zero fighters over Oro Bay, New Guinea. During the ensuing dogfight McGuire observed at least seven Japanese Zero fighters attacking a lone P-38 that was trailing smoke. Without hesitation McGuire dove into the seven enemy fighters and quickly shot down three. Unfortunately the remaining four Zeros were able to attack McGuire and severely damage his aircraft. With his controls shot out McGuire decided to bail out but as he exited the aircraft he found his parachute harness had snagged on something in the cockpit. From 12,000 ft to 5,000 ft McGuire struggled to free himself from the stricken fighter. Finally he was able to free himself and deploy his parachute only 1,000 ft from certain death. Fortunately he landed safely in the water and was rescued by a PT boat. He suffered a 7.7 mm bullet wound to his wrist and numerous other injuries including some broken ribs. He spent six weeks in the hospital before he returned to his unit. For his actions on this day he was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.

Combat career

McGuire's skill at maneuvering the large twin-engined P-38 was legendary, and he would become one of the top scoring pilots in US Air Force history. Had it not been for periodic illnesses and heavy administrative duties as Commander, 431st Fighter Squadron, he might have become the United States’ leading ace. Civilian contractor Charles Lindbergh bunked with him for a time and flew as his wingman on several unauthorized missions, and was credited with one aerial kill. Visitors recalled McGuire ordering Lindbergh around, telling him to run errands as though he were a servant.

McGuire wrote a book on combat tactics for the 5th Air Force. On December 25–26, 1944, McGuire downed at least seven Japanese fighter aircraft in just two days over Luzon, Philippines. With 38 credited victories, he was only two victories behind Major Richard I. Bong, the United States Army Air Forces’ all-time top ace.

His last mission

On January 7, 1945, McGuire was leading a group of four P-38s - himself, Major Jack Rittmayer (four victories), Captain Edwin Weaver (two victories) and Lieutenant Douglas Thropp (one victory) - on a fighter sweep over northern Negros Island in the central Philippines. Their aim was to gain victories. McGuire desperately wanted to pass Major Richard Bong's score of 40 kills. Descending through cloud cover, McGuire’s flight circled a Japanese airfield at Fabrica and then proceeded to a second airstrip at Manapla (also referred to as Carolina). As they approached Manapla, they were confronted by a lone Ki-43 Hayabusa (“Oscar”), which immediately engaged McGuire's flight.

Flying in the number-three position, Lt. Thropp saw the Oscar trying to attack him in a head-on pass. Thropp instinctively broke hard left. The Japanese pilot turned with him and fell into position behind him while firing. Major Rittmayer, flying as Thropp's wingman, turned sharply towards and began firing on the attacker. McGuire saw that the Oscar was being engaged by Rittmayer and turned to face an imminent threat to the flight from the opposite direction. Unfortunately for McGuire and his flight, the Japanese pilot, Warrant Officer Akira Sugimoto, was an instructor pilot with some 3,000+ hours in that type of aircraft. He broke away from Thropp and Rittmayer and turned to find McGuire and his wingman Ed Weaver directly in front of him. Sugimoto was easily able to catch up and attack them from behind.

As Sugimoto approached Weaver from behind, Weaver radioed he was attacked and cut inside of the turn to present a more difficult shot. McGuire eased up on his turn rate in an effort to draw the attacker off of his wingman and onto himself. Sugimoto took the bait and switched his attack to McGuire. As Sugimoto approached from behind, McGuire rapidly increased his turn rate. This extremely dangerous maneuver, performed at only 300 ft (90 m) above the ground, caused McGuire's P-38 to stall. It snap-rolled to an inverted position and nosed down into the ground. He was killed on impact. At the start of the dogfight, McGuire had radioed to keep their auxiliary fuel tanks, as they would need them to reach their main objective in the sweep. Many P-38 pilots believe that this order, which was contrary to standard operating procedures, was the cause of McGuire's death. The auxiliary fuel tank added extra weight and encumbered the aircraft, making it less maneuvereable and more prone to stall and spin at low speeds.

After McGuire's crash, Thropp caught up to Sugimoto and fired on him causing enough damage that he had to make a forced landing a few miles away from where McGuire crashed.

Less than a minute later, another Japanese aircraft, a Ki-84 Hayate (“Frank”) piloted by Technical Sergeant Mizunori Fukuda, appeared from the nearby airstrip at Manapla and attacked Major Jack Rittmayer in a head-on pass. Rittmayer's P-38 disintegrated from cannon shots and pitched down into a river. Rittmayer was killed on impact. Captain Weaver observed Fukuda's attack and fired at Fukuda, severely damaging his aircraft. Fukuda later crash landed at Manapla, where his fighter was destroyed. Thropp's P-38 was slightly damaged in the action and trailed smoke from one engine. Weaver and Thropp returned to Dulag, Leyte.

McGuire's crash was witnessed by Filipinos who immediately rushed to the scene and secured his body so it would not be captured. In 1947, his remains were recovered and returned to the United States. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Memorial on Negros Island, Republic of the Philippines, for Major Thomas B. McGuire

A memorial stands at McGuire's fatal crash site on Negros Island as a tribute to one of America's greatest fighter pilots.

Honors

McGuire's decorations included the following:

•   USAAF pilot badge

•   Medal of Honor

•   Distinguished Service Cross

•   Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters

•   Distinguished Flying Crosses with five oak-leaf clusters

•   Purple Heart with two oak-leaf clusters

•   American Defense Service Medal

•   American Campaign Medal

•   Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

McGuire earned all his decorations before the age of 25.

McGuire received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions, especially in the December 25,-December 26, missions and the final mission on January 7, 1945.

McGuire Air Force Base was dedicated in his honor in January 1948. The base has a P-38 Lightning on static display and the C-17 and KC-10 aircraft flown by the 305 AMW and 514 AMW carry the image of a P-38 in the fin flash of each aircraft's vertical stabilzer.

Major McGuire's Medal of Honor is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, along with his other medals and decorations.

McGuire is enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey on the grounds of Teterboro Airport, The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, and The National Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, Ohio. He is also honored in the Florida Medal of Honor Grove, the National Medal of Honor Grove, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the US and Canadian Military Service display of the Beta Museum at the Beta Theta Pi General Fraternity headquarters in Oxford, Ohio and in the Georgia Tech Alumni Medal of Honor Garden.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• Richard I. Bong, top U.S. World War II flying ace

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Berg, A. Scott. Lindbergh. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1998. ISBN 0-399-14449-8.
• Martin, Charles A. The Last Great Ace: The Life of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. Jacksonville, Fl: Fruit Cove Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-9667791-0-X.

External links

• McGuire Air Force Base Website fact sheet
• McGuire fact sheet from the National Museum of the USAF (includes MOH citation)
• 248th Hiko Sentai: A Japanese "Hard Luck" Fighter Unit {Copyrighted - for reference only}
• "The Last Great Ace" a book about The Life of Thomas B. McGuire written by Charles A. Martin