Maj. John C. Wilkins

MAJ. JOHN C. WILKINS

The first battle casualty of the 20th. FG during the war, Portland, Oregon's John C. Wilkins was assigned to the 79th.FS on 10 June, 1943. Two days later he assumed the duties of Group Deputy Commander and, by 1 October was promoted to the rank of Major.

On 3 Novemeber the 20th. FG sent several of their most senior pilots (Wilkins, Cumming, Yaryan, Gatterdam, Blanton, Fall, Ott, Graham, Hanzo, Gall, Mednick, Nichols, Snow, Lobinger, Meyer and Reihmer), along with the necesary ground personnel and 10 of the 16 assigned P-38s, to Nuthampsted - home of the 55th.FG. Maj. Wilkins was placed in charge of this detachment.

The then fledgling 20th.FG had assigned these men to fly along side the 55th.FG, the only other 8th.AF Fighter Group to be equipped with P-38s at the time, so that the young pilots could gain some much needed combat experience. While the 55th.FG had arrived in the ETO after the 20th.FG but because of the experience of their pilots they were assigned P-38s ahead of the 20th. (At this time there was a serious shortage of the aircraft for the 20th. and flight time was hard to get.)

On 5 November the 55th.FG, along with the detachment from the 20thFG, were directed to rendezvous with B-24s that had been dispatched to attack Gelsenkirchen and Munster, escort said bombers to Munster and then back to the North Sea. Due to various equipment malfunctions and engine failures all of the nine pilots of the 20th. were forced to turn back and head home.

On 7 November the 55th.FG and the 20th.FG detachment were sent on a mission to escort 72 B-26 Medium Bombers against Meulin Airfield, in France. Maj. Wilkins had trouble getting his engines started and was unable to take off with the group. Seven minutes after the final aircraft in his formation had departed he finally got his engines started, made his way around the Nuthampsted perimeter taxi-way, turned on to the wrong runway and took off on a southern heading. He was never seen or heard from again.

Maj. Wilkins' short career with the 20th.FG lasted but one mission. He left a wife, a 32 month old daughter, and an 18 month-old son. He is listed on the Wall of Missing in Cambridge, England.

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