World War II & My Uncle Jesse Paul Wilhite

This page is dedicated to the memory of my Uncle Jesse Paul Wilhite.

Jesse served in the US Army 9th AIRCORPS during WWII, he was a 
member of the 376th Heavy Bombardmant Group, 513th Bomb Squadron, 
stationed in London then in Africa. Jesse was a 2nd Lieutenant & 
Co-Pilot of a B-24 Bomber plane called 'Wolf Pack'. 
He flew 13 successful missions bombing oil and ammunition factories
in Germany before him and the rest of his crew members were listed 
as being lost in enemy fighter action leaving Sicily October 24, 1943.
The pilot of 'Wolf Pack' was Lt. K.J. Turner.


Lt. K.J. Turner, Co-Pilot Jesse, the rest of the crew 
members, and the plane 'Wolf Pack' were never recovered.

Jesse's awards and medals included:

Purple Heart (1 of these)
Europe-Africa Middle East Campaign Medal (1 of these)

Probable other awards and medals were:

Air Medal (1 or 2)
Presidential Unit Citation (1 or more)

and possibly 14 other awards

**Special Thanks to all the members of the B-24 mailing list for 
their help in the information obtained above!  


A letter I received from 'Curtis Torfin' a member of the same 513th 
Bomb Group as Jesse, he writes:

They were on the mission Oct 24th, 1943, we were all waiting and
praying for the boys to return. They had stopped in Brindisi
for gas. They took off from Brindisi and contacted our landing
field. That was the last anyone heard from them. It is not known
if they crashed in the mediterranean or if they just flew past our
field at night and crashed somewhere in the desert.  

A big "thanks" to you Curtis for sending this information.

Check below for a link to a picture of the plane 'Wolf Pack'  
in which Jesse was Co-pilot and also don't forget to check 
the link below for a list of Jesse's missions with a list of
names of his crew members who disappeared along with the 'Wolf Pack'.

Jesse Paul Wilhite 
1920-1943
                                 


SOME GREAT LINKS

376th Heavy Bombardment Group, Inc. Veterans Association
"One of the Most Decorated Bomb Groups in World War II"
Dad's War Finding and Telling Your Father's WWII Story, by Wes Johnston
Military Records for Genealogy Misc links to all Wars
Click here to go directly to USIGS Military Collections Links
A good emailing list to find out interesting information and maybe meet someone who knew your family member who served during WWII
World War II mailing list at rootsweb!
Wilhite Family page
A list of my Wilhite ancestors! This page is being updated. 02-22-04
Yahoo's Wilhite Club
"Join My Club at Yahoo created especially for Wilhite Cousins. Type in the search box "Wilhite Genealogy", without the quotation marks.
John W. Lee Homepage Hosted by his 4th Great Granddaughter
Visit my Dearest Cousin Janice Mauldin Castleman's Beautifully Done Webpage on our LEE ancestors and connecting families.
Return To My Genealogy Homepage
FTM Users Home Page The Wilhite Family
My Wilhite Family Home Page on Family Tree Maker.
The Wolf Pack
This page under construction. This is a picture of the 376th 'Wolf Pack' nose painting.
Jesse's Missions during World War II
Includes those crew members names that flew these missions with Jesse. This page Under Construction!
AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION "The World War I, II, Korean & Vietnam War Information"
Listing for WWI, WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War Plaque, also ABMC Cemeteries, Memorials, War Dead and WWII Commemorations! Good Genealogy Research Material.
Nation World War II Memorial, Washington D.C.
The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II! Check this page out. You can also submit your family and friends names who served during WWII.

Sharon Wilhite Day

swilhite@excite.com
Springfield, MO