page_title: William T. Whisner Jr.
section_title: Second tour
hierarchical_section_title: William T. Whisner Jr. / Military career / World War II / Second tour
caption_attribution_description: English: Captain William T. Whisner of 352nd FG, poses after scoring 4 kills and two probables on November 21, 1944.
context_page_description: William Thomas Whisner Jr. was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 30 years of military service. He was a fighter ace with Army Air Forces over Europe in World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.
  Although best known for his credited destruction of 22½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Whisner commanded the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, before retiring in 1972.
context_section_description: Whisner returned to England in late September. By this time, however, the Luftwaffe had taken heavy losses and was opposing allied pilots far less often. Whisner flew his first combat mission on 28 September, shortly after being promoted to Captain. The 352nd Group was not credited with destroying any aircraft until 1 November. Whisner, now a captain, rejoined the 487th Squadron in the fall of 1944. On Nov. 2, he downed a Bf 109 using the new K-14 gunsight. On Nov. 21 he led a flight of P-51s on an escort mission to Merseburg, Germany. As the bombers left their target, a large formation of enemy fighters struck. Commanding officer of 487th Fighter Squadron, John C. Meyer (now a lieutenant colonel) told Whisner to take a straggler in one of the enemy's three six-ship cover flights. In a linked series of attacks, Whisner shot down four Fw 190s in the cover flight and probably got another.
  With no more than two Fw 190s left in the cover flight he had attacked, Whisner turned his attention to the main enemy formation, exploding a Fw 190 that had not dropped its belly tank. Evading three Fw 190s on his tail, he shot down another that was closing on one of his pilots. Then, low on ammunition, he joined up with Meyer and returned to Bodney. Whisner was credited with five Fw 190s and two probables that day.
  His score later was revised by the Air Force Historical Research Agency to six destroyed, making that day one of the best for any USAAF pilot in the skies over Europe. For that achievement, Whisner was awarded his first Distinguished Service Cross—second only to the Medal of Honor. Whisner was finally certified a flying ace, bringing his total to 10 air-to-air kills.
caption: Whisner poses after scoring 4 kills and 2 probables on November 21, 1944
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