William R Dunn

Military
media-17188.jpeg UPL 17188 William R Dunn was officially recognized in 1968 as the first American ace of WWII. Seen here at the seat of his fighter P7308 XR-D in RAF uniform, he had joined the Canadian army in 1939 and answered an appeal for pilots who had more than 500 hours of flying time.

Object Number - UPL 17188 - William R Dunn was officially recognized in 1968 as the first American ace of WWII. Seen here at the seat of his fighter P7308 XR-D in RAF uniform,...

Bill Dunn was born on November 16, 1916, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 19, 1934, and served as an infantryman until receiving an honorable discharge on November 22, 1935. Dunn enlisted in the Canadian Army on September 7, 1939, attaining the rank of Sergeant Major before joining the Royal Air Force on December 13, 1940. After completing RAF Flying School at Tern Hill, England, on April 16, 1941, Pilot Officer Dunn was assigned to the RAF's No. 71 Squadron, also known as the initial Eagle Squadron (so named because it was composed of expatriate American pilots in the RAF prior to the official entry of the United States into World War II) from May to August 1941, during which time he became the first American fighter ace of World War II by destroying 5 German fighters in aerial combat plus a shared probable; all while flying RAF Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters. After being wounded in action on August 27, 1941, Dunn was hospitalized for 3 months and then spent another 3 months in the U.S. on leave before serving as an instructor pilot in Canada until he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces on June 15, 1943.



Lieutenant Dunn served as a gunnery officer with the 53rd Fighter Group and then joined the 513th Fighter Squadron of the 406th Fighter-Bomber Group, 9th AF, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, in October 1943, and deployed with the group to England in April 1944. He was credited with the destruction of his 6th and final enemy aircraft in aerial combat in June 1944. Promoted to Captain and then Major, he later completed Command & General Staff College before transferring to China, where he served as commander of Luchien and Luchow Air Bases as a Lieutenant Colonel from May 1945 to 1947, participating in the Chinese Civil War on the side of the Nationalists. His next assignment was as an advisor to the Imperial Iranian Air Force from 1947 to 1949.



Lt Col Dunn resigned his commission on November 3, 1949, and rejoined the Air Force in an enlisted capacity on November 14, 1949, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant before receiving an appointment as an Air Force Warrant Officer on April 17, 1952. During this time, he served as an advisor to the Brazilian Air Force from 1950 to 1952. Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, CWO Dunn served as a staff officer from 1952 to 1954, and then served as an Aircraft Controller, Interceptor Controller, Air Traffic Controller, and Wing Support Officer for the 33rd Air Division at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, from May 1954 to February 1958. His next assignment was as a Weapons Controller with the 623rd Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron at Naha AB, Okinawa, from April 1958 to April 1960, and then with the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing at Naha AB from April 1960 to July 1961. CWO Dunn next served as a staff officer with Headquarters, 29th Air Division at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, from July 1961 to May 1963, followed by service as a Weapons Controller with the 848th AC&W Squadron at Wallace AS in the Philippines from May 1963 to May 1964. He served as a Weapons Officer on the staff of Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, from May 1964 to May 1967, and then deployed to Southeast Asia, where he served as a Weapons Force Plans Officer with the 6250th Support Squadron at Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, from May 1967 to June 1968.



CWO Dunn's final assignment was as a Weapons Controller with Headquarters, Aerospace Defense Command at Ent AFB, Colorado, from June 1968 until his retirement from the Air Force on February 1, 1973. He was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 (W-4) in 1963, but retired at his highest rank held of Lieutenant Colonel (O-5).

Bill Dunn died on February 14, 1995, and was buried at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Unit: 406th Fighter Group 513th Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: Spitfire
  • Unit: No 71 'Eagle' Squadron No 133 'Eagle' Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: Hurricane
  • Unit: No 71 'Eagle' Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: Hurricane
  • Unit: No 71 'Eagle' Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Minneapolis, MN, USA 16 November 1916 Born 16th November, 1916, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Enlisted

Minnesota, USA 19 March 1934 Enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 19, 1934.

Other

Honorably discharged

22 November 1935 Served as an infantryman until receiving an honorable discharge on 22nd November, 1935.

Enlisted

Canada 7 September 1939 Enlisted in the Canadian Army on 7th September, 1939.

Other

Joined RAF

England, UK 13 December 1940 Joined the Royal Air Force on 13th December, 1940.

Other

Completed RAF Flying School

Ternhill, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9, UK 16 April 1941 Completed RAF Flying School at Tern Hill, England, on April 16, 1941.

Other

Assigned

Debden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11, UK 17 April 1941 - 27 August 1941 Assigned to the No 71 [Eagle] RAF Squadron. First American fighter ace of WWII by destroying 5 German fighters in aerial combat plus a shared probable.

Other

Wounded in Action WIA

Hawkinge, Kent, UK 27 August 1941 Wounded in action on August 27, 1941.

Other

Hospitalized

27 August 1941 Hospitalized for 3 months.

Other

Transferred to USAAF

15 June 1943 Served as an instructor pilot in Canada until he transferred to the USAAF on June 15, 1943.

Other

Take Off Accident TOA

Ashford, Ashford, Kent, UK 10 July 1944 Take Off Accident, Ashford/Sta 417, England. Cat 5 damage. P-47D 42-26528 513th FS 406th FG 9th AF.

Other

Landing accident causing ground loop

Casper, WY, USA 7 July 1953 Landing accident causing ground loop, Casper, Wyoming, in T-6D, 44-81467 127th FBS 137th FBG, Kansas ANG. Cat 2 damage.

Died

Colorado Springs, CO, USA 14 February 1995 14th February, 1995, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.

Buried

Fort Logan, Denver, CO, USA Buried Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Other

Stateside on leave

Returned to the states on leave.

Other

Assigned 53rd FG

Served as a gunnery officer with the 53rd Fighter Group.

Other

Assigned 406th FG

South Carolina, USA Joined the 513th Fighter Squadron of the 406th Fighter-Bomber Group, 9th AF, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, in October 1943. Congree Army Airfield, South Carolina, USA.

Other

Deployed Overseas

England, UK Deployed with the 406th Fighter Group to England in April 1944.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Dunn Biography Details,
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbapi.asp?Pilot=Dunn%2C+William+R Accident record details.
Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the ..., Volume 2 By Christopher Shores, Clive Williams

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Dunn Biography Details,
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbapi.asp?Pilot=Dunn%2C+William+R Accident record details.
Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the ..., Volume 2 By Christopher Shores, Clive Williams

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes

William R Dunn: Gallery (3 items)