Seeking info: Gerald Thurman, KIA August 1944 in P-51

[DanteC]

I am trying to find out anything I can about a friend's father-in-law. This is the information the best he can recall:

Gerald Thurman, 8th AF (He thinks)
MIA on August 12 or 18, 1944
Bailed out of crippled P-51 near English coast
Had clean chute and others in his flight thought he would make landfall.
No sign of him after.

I am looking for any info and photos I can find on this airman. My friend's wife was born August 2, 1944 and only a few days old when her father was killed.

Thanks in advance, all

Dante

[Jack Cook]

2Lt Gerald D. Thurman O-701844
486th FS 352nd FG 8th AF
MIA August 12, 1944
P-51D s/n 44-13736 PZ*T "Lil'Evey"
(assigned to Capt Tom Colby)

[DanteC]

Thanks for the info!!!!! Can you tell me the source? Also, where would one search for photos of that aircraft?

[Swiss Mustangs]

Jack and DanteC

at the time of loss, the aircraft had been re-coded PZ-I and nicknamed "Dotty"; assigned to Kenneth S. Williams

MACR #7776 -2nd Lt. Gerald D. Thurman was lost over the Channel due to Mechanical Failure

Martin

[DanteC]

Thanks for the additional info, but I have a question...

"Lil' Evey" was 44-13736 a P-51D
"Dotty" was 44-11654 a P-51K

Both aircraft coded PZ-T. Can you tell me where you found the information on "Dotty"?

Dante

[Swiss Mustangs]

44-11654 has a DEPUS date 441107 - therefore was an aircraft assigned to the 352nd FG long after the loss of '13736 -

'11654 initially was nicknamed "Lil Evey IV" (to Colby) and suffered a take-off accident at Sta. 141 on 450107 with Alton J. Wallace - yet to be confirmed reports have this aicraft later flown by Charles C. "Chuck" Patillo and with altered nickname "Little Rebel" - salvage date is 460613. "Little Rebel"m though, is the nickname used by Alton J. Wallace on his assigned aircraft.

Chuck Patillo's regular a/c was "HMS Hellion", 44-13737, PZ-W(bar) he inherited from Alton J. Wallace on 450202; former nickname (as mentioned above) was "Little Rebel"

Colby flew the following "Lil Evey" ships:

43-6864 PZ-T "Lil Evey", reassigned 440608 to David J. French as PZ-F and lost with French [POW] on 440805 - MACR #7439
44-13736 PZ-T "Lil Evey" [see detals in my earlier post]
44-13603 PZ-T "Lil Evey III", heavily damaged on 440724 by Charles E. Ferris at Sta. 141
44-14043 PZ-T "Lil Evey" - lost 440911 with Howard. R. Comps, Jr. - KIA, MACR #8660
44-11654 PZ-T "Lil Evey IV" [see details above]
44-72xxx PZ-T "Lil Evey" [last "Evey"]

in addition to that, Colby also flew a P-47 named "Li Evey" - 42-8682 PZ-T

In general, it always is important to bring the various aircraft assigned to an individual pilot in to the proper chronological sequence - further to that, aircraft that survived the pilot, either because he ended his Tour of Duty, or because he was lost with another a/c, or because he was assigned a newly delivered aircraft of a later version, usually were re-assigned to other pilots, often in the same flight. It also was common that aircraft were flown by more than one pilot, because pilots not always were assigned to each mission, and sometimes two pilots 'shared' their aircraft -
Colby was a flight leader and it seems he changed aircraft quite often, be it due to the previous ones becoming unserviceable, or because he could 'pick' a newly delivered a/c in favour of his 'old' one, with the latter being transferred 'down the line'.

As to your question for my source: over 20 years of research into P-51's.

I am always happy to learn more details that either confirm or disapprove my records.

attached a photo of '603 after the landing mishap



and one of the last "Lil' Evey" (via Jack Cook)



Cordially
Martin