Wilbur Jackson Thomas (October 29, 1920 – January 28, 1947) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II.[1][2] He flew a Vought F4U Corsair in Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) which was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) and was one of the first Marine squadrons to augment carrier air groups.[3] Thomas was a triple ace with 18.5 aerial victories.[4][5] He was killed in January 1947 attempting to land a Grumman F7F Tigercat at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California.[6]
U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U Corsair aircraft of Marine Fighting Squadron 213 (VMF-213) at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, June 1943
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![United States](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png) United States World War II flying aces with 15+ aerial victories |
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25–29 | |
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20–24 | |
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15–19 | |
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