Tibbetts Wesley M Capt

Assigned Aircraft

P-38J CL- 42-67752

Mission History

Not Known

Mission List

55th FG Mission #	Date	Target
n/a	16 October 1943	Practice Sweep/Escort over Gunnery Range
02	16 October 1943	Sweep - Dutch Islands
03	17 October 1943	Sweep - Dutch Islands
05	19 October 1943	Sweep - Ameins area
06	20 October 1943	Duren
07	22 October 1943	Cambrai
08	24 October 1943	St. Andre L'Eure
09	03 November 1943	Wilhelmshaven
11	07 November 1943	Sweep - Ostend-St. Omer Area
13	10 November 1943	Montdidier Airdrome (Red Leader)
14	11 November 1943	Munster (Red Leader)
15	13 November 1943	Bremen (Spotter)
16	25 November 1943	Sweep - Lille Area (Red Leader)
17	26 November 1943	Bremen (Red Leader - returned early due to Oil Cooler failure - landed at Knettishall)
18	29 November 1943	Bremen (Yellow 3)
28	30 November 1943	Ludwigshaven (White/Squadron Leader)
31	05 January 1944	Kiel
35	21 January 1944	Cherbourg (returned early due to oxygen shortage)
44	08 February 1944	Frankfurt (returned early due to left engine being rough)
46	11 February 1944	Frankfurt (returned early due to 'Gunsight Out')
51	24 February 1944	Gotha (MIA)

Air Scores

0-0-0

Ground Scores

0-0

Notes

Born 26th October 1916
Known as 'Wes'
Entered service from Homer, Illinois.
ASN - 0-659496
20 November 1943 - Awarded the Air Medal
20 December 1943 - Awarded 1st Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal (Presented by Col. Woodbury, CO, 66th FW)
01 January 1944 - Promoted from 1st Lieutenant to Captain
17 January 1944 - Awarded 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal
05 February 1944 - Awarded 3rd Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal
23 February 1944 - Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
24 February 1944 - Capt. Tibbetts was killed by enemy fighters near Gotha, Germany.
MACR No. 02682
Capt. Tibbetts is now buried in GAR Cemetery, Homer, Illinois.

Crew - S/Sgt. Walter P. Konopacki, T/Sgt. Phillip H. Dwyer

Memories

1/Lt. William H. Burns reported: "I flew to the target (Gotha, Germany) leading the second element of the flight of Captain Tibbetts. I had my head down and locked, and lost sight of him in the first engagement. We were driving south of the target. This is the last I saw of Capt. Tibbetts. I have no idea of what happened to him."
Reproduced with kind permission of Mr. Robert M. Littlefield from the author's book Double Nickel - Double Trouble

A profile of Wes Tibbetts - By Chet Patterson (Reproduced from the 55th Fighter Group and 442nd Air Service Group Association Newsmagazine, December, 1988, Volume One, Issue Nine)

Additional Photographs

Lt. Tibbetts in his hometown of Homer, Il (The Krukewitt family archives. www.Krukewitt.com)

Lt. Tibbets with his family at home in Homer, Il (The Krukewitt family archives. www.Krukewitt.com)

Lt. Tibbetts (The Krukewitt family archives. www.Krukewitt.com)

(L-R) Dwyer, Capt. Tibbets and Kanopaki

Photograph of Capt. Tibbetts' crash site in Germany (Bjoern Muller via The Krukewitt family archives)

Newspaper Clipping of Capt. Tibbetts MIA (The Krukewitt family archives. www.Krukewitt.com)
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