Thomas Jefferson Estes
Military
"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
Object Number - UPL 30792 - First Lieutenant Thomas J Estes, Pilot, 384th Bomb Group.
Estes originally joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he trained as a fighter pilot. After Pearl Harbour he enlisted in the AAF and was commissioned October 9 1942. In May 1943 he joined the 384th BG at Grafton Underwood where combat missions began the following month. Shot down 25 July 1943 in a massive raid over Hamburg he managed a landing on the North Sea in 'Weary Wiley'. The crew of ten spent two days in life rafts before being picked up by a passing Danish trawler and then transferred to an Air/Sea rescue plane.
His final assignment was training pilots on the B-29.
2 DFCs, 4 Air Medals
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-734436
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38163311
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Old Ironsides
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Ruthless
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 547th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 413th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Miss Carriage : Flak Alley : Lil'
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Joker
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 February 1944
- Date: 30 January 1944
- Date: 21 January 1944
- Date: 14 January 1944
- Date: 4 January 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Grafton Undermud
- Site type: Military site
Revisions
Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p.190 Grafton Underwood 106, http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=…
