Raymond Shuey Wetmore
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Ray Wetmore enlisted aged 18 in 1941, he was commissioned in March 1943 and joined the 359th Fighter Group. He became top Ace of the 359th Fighter Group, scoring 21 victories, his final kill was an ME 163 jet. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944- January 1945, Wetmore was hit by friendly fire and his aircraft was set alight. When his wingman Lieutenant John F McAlevey alerted him to the fire, Wetmore extinguished the blaze with a nose dive and returned home safely. He completed 142 missions and totaled 563 combat hours.
Following the War, Wetmore was promoted to Major and commanded the 59th Fighter Intercept Squadron at Otis Air Force Base. He died in a freak flying accident in an F-86 on 14 February 1951. Wetmore was on a routine trip when his aircraft suddenly shot skyward, he was unable to eject as the plane began to crash and was killed instantly.
April 1943-Nov. 1945, 142 missions, 563 hours, P-47D 42-75068, P-51B 42-106894, P-51D 44-14733 'Daddy's Girl'
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Daddy's Girl
- Unit: 359th Fighter Group 4th Fighter Group 336th Fighter Squadron 370th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Daddy's Girl
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Baltimore Babe
- Unit: 359th Fighter Group 370th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Daddy's Girl / Ruggie's Ruthie
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Little Dessy
- Unit: 359th Fighter Group 370th Fighter Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Kerman, California | 30 September 1923 | |
Died End Tour of Duty (ETD) |
Sandwich, MA, USA | 14 February 1951 |
Revisions
Merged data from duplicate record to include information from :
- Fighter Aces of the U. S. A., Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force and Aces and Wingmen II
Freeman, The Mighty Eighth, pp. 275-276.
http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Shuey_Wetmore
ME 163 Claim: https://www.facebook.com/notes/359th-fighter-group-1943-1945/me-163-enc…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list / Unit History