World War II: Ace McGuire Downed

January 7, 1945 - #2 American ace Major Thomas McGuire (right) crashes on Negros Island. A student at Georgia Tech, McGuire left school after his junior year to join the US Army Air Corps in 1941. Completing flight school, he flew his first combat missions over Alaska and the Aleutians, before being transitioned to the P-38 Lightning and ordered to the South Pacific. Flying with the 475th Fighter Group, McGuire endured several months of frustration before finally downing five Japanese planes over August 18/19, 1943. An overnight ace, McGuire quickly added more and ran his total to 38, becoming the US Army Air Corps' second-highest scoring ace. On January 7, 1945, McGuire led a flight of four P-38s on a sweep over Negros Island in the Philippines. During the mission, McGuire crashed and was killed when his P-38 stalled while engaging a Japanese Ki-43 Oscar.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force