Willard Rex Dimmick
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Family sourced photo
Object Number - UPL 21320 - Photo of Williard Dimmick - unknown date
April 12 1944, from The Wellsboro Agitator Newspaper,Wellsboro Pensylvania.
"Killed In Accident In England Recently".
Willard Rex Dimmick
There was a little break in the cloud cover during the afternoon of the 30th and Lt. Willard R. Dimmick, 391St, thought he'd take advantage of an opportunity to test hop his Jug that had a new wing: this way it would be checked out before the next mission once the weather cleared. But fate is unpredictable. Lt. Dimmick's best intentions came to a tragic end near Thruxton, Hampshire, England when his aircraft smashed into the ground while he was trying some maneuvers.
This was the first death of a 366th pilot in a Group aircraft since arriving in England: all personnel were shocked and very upset that his life was lost under such circumstances after months of training and anticipation of contributing to victory.
Buried at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial.
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: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 366th Fighter Group 391st Fighter Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
29 May 1923 | ||
|
Enlisted |
8 September 1942 | ||
|
Died |
30 March 1944 | Willard Rex Dimmick There was a little break in the cloud cover during the afternoon of the 30Th and Lt. Willard R. Dimmick, 391St, thought he'd take advantage of an opportunity to test hop his Jug that had a new wing: this way it would be checked out before the next mission once the weather cleared. But fate is unpredictable. Lt. Dimmick's best intentions came to a tragic end near Thruxton, Hampshire, England when his aircraft smashed into the ground while he was trying some maneuvers. This was the first death of a 366th pilot in a Group aircraft since arriving in England: all personnel were shocked and very upset that his life was lost under such circumstances after months of training and anticipation of contributing to victory. Buried at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. | |
|
Buried |
Revisions
American Battle Monuments Commission
Pennsylvania, Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1959
"Wellsboro Agitator" Newspaper
366th Fighter Association
"The War We Fought" - An almost daily account of the 366th Fighter Group "Hun Hunters"
from stand up, June 1, 1943 at Richmond AAF, VA, through deactivation, August 20, 1946 at Fritzlar, Germany.
This 327 page history contains hundreds of never before published photographs plus maps, casualty lists, 42 pages of P-47 Nose Art and much, much more. It is a "must have" resource for aviation history buffs and P-47 modellers.
http://www.366fightergroupassoc.org/WW%20II%20Book.htm
