William T . Whisner , Jr . William T . Whisner , Jr . was a flying ace of the United States Army Air Corps in World War II , and later the United States Air Force in the Korean War . Biography . William T . Whisner , Jr . was born in Shreveport , Louisiana on 17 October 1923 to William Whisner , Sr . and Eloise Whisner . In his youth , Whisner was an active member of the local Boy Scouts of America , eventually attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in that program . Growing up in Shreveport , Whisner attended C . E . Byrd High School , becoming active in the school ' s Junior Reserve Officers ' Training Corps . It was during this involvement that Whisner developed an interest in becoming a military aviator . Military career . Immediately upon graduating from high school , Whisner applied for the United States Army Air Forces cadet program , being accepted and began his training on 8 April 1942 . Whisner first began Primary Flight Training training at the Lafayette Municipal Airport in Lafayette , Louisiana , getting his first flight time aboard PT - 17 and PT - 19 trainer aircraft . Following the successful completion of this training , he underwent Basic Combat Training at Greenville Army Airfield in Greenville , Mississippi . After this training , Whisner attended Advanced Flight Training at Napier Field , Alabama flying the AT - 6 Texan . Whisner completed his training on 16 February 1943 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army . Whisner ' s first assignment in the Air Corps was sent to Westover Field in Springfield , Massachusetts for operational training , where he learned to fly the P - 47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft . With this training complete , he was assighed to the 34th Fighter Squadron at LaGuardia Field in New York City , New York . The squadron was in the process of training for deployment in support of World War II . The unit was later redesignated the 487th Fighter Squadron , 352nd Fighter Group . World War II . With the unit ' s training completed , the 352nd Fighter Group boarded the troopship RMS " Queen Elizabeth " in June 1943 . The group landed in the United Kingdom , and was assigned to RAF Bodney in Watton , Norfolk , under the operational control of the 67th Fighter Wing , VIII Fighter Command . Throughout the summer , Whisner and his fellow aviators were occupied in training flights over England , where they acclimated to flying in unfamiliar weather . This training was completed on 9 September 1943 and the group flew its first combat mission on that date . From September 1943 through January 1944 , Whisner and the group saw limited success , as the P - 47s were limited in range and few " Luftwaffe " patrols of Nazi German pilots appeared over Norfolk . In its first four months of short - range patrols , the 352nd Fighter Group had 23 confirmed victories , two probable victories , and two German aircraft damaged . First tour . In late January 1944 , the US Army Air Corps adapted a new strategy for P - 47s to escort bombing runs as they returned from their missions . The first attempted mission , on 24 January , was disrupted by bad weather . On 29 January , 13 P - 47 and P - 51 Mustang fighter groups escorted a bombing mission of B - 17 Flying Fortresses to Frankfurt , Germany , and Whisner was among the pilots in the group . German aircraft launched heavy resistance against the bombing , and it would be the first time he could engage enemy aircraft . Whisner and the 352nd Fighter Group joined the mission over Namur , Belgium , as the bomber group was already under attack . Whisner , who was the wingman of Captain George Preddy , joined the chaotic battle , and within 10 minutes Whisner spotted two Focke - Wulf Fw 190 fighters which had just shot down a B - 17 . Whisner pursued one of the Fw 190s down to , pursuing it closely as it attempted evasive maneuvers . As the Fw 190 attempted to dive behind a bank of clouds , Whisner struck it with three bursts from his machine gun , and it descended to before its pilot bailed out . By the end of the day , The American pilots claimed 47 German aircraft destroyed and 5 probables , losing 14 of their own . By March 1944 , the 352nd Fighter Group had 63 victories to its pilots , but senior leaders felt it was under - performing , so the group was equipped with P - 51 Mustangs . It was customary for pilots to nickname and decorate their own aircraft , but a command decision compelled Whisner to name his aircraft " Princess Elizabeth " in honor of an anticipated visit by Elizabeth II . Over the next month , the squadron saw much greater success , and Whisner was among the pilots to benefit . On 9 April , Whisner and Preddy were on an escort mission over Belgium when they spotted an airfield which the flight attacked . In five passes , Whisner destroyed two Junkers Ju 88 dive bomber s and damaged a nearby barracks . The group eventually claimed 12 aircraft destroyed and one probable in the attack . On 30 April , during an attack on an airfield in Clermont - Ferrand , France , Whisner shot down an Fw 190 which was attempting to attack the bombers . The 352nd ended the month with 107 victories and 4 probables , and 62 aircraft damaged Whisner was certified a flying ace . In May , Whisner and the group continued aggressive bombing missions , and while he was unable to get any aerial victories , he was credited with destroying several ground targets . On 10 May , Whisner was a part of an attack on an airfield in Frankenhausen , Germany when he destroyed a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka on the ground . During another mission 24 May , Whisner was credited with destroying seven locomotives and damaging three others during an attack on a German railyard , as well as destroying a railroad station , a tugboat and a gun emplacement . On 29 May the group escorted a flight of B - 24 Liberator s over Glastrow , Germany when they were met by 40 German fighters . Whisner engaged an Fw 190 at . The pilot was extremely skilled , but Whisner managed to strike the Fw 190 with six bursts of machine gun fire , destroying the aircraft . The next day , on a mission against a fuel depot and aircraft production complex in Magdeburg , Germany , and during the subsequent heavy engagement , Whisner and Preddy shared a victory , making Whisner ' s total victory count 6 . 5 . In June , Whisner flew missions in support of the allied invasion of Normandy . For the first week of the month the group supported attacks to soften German defenses in France and Belgium . Following Operation Overlord , Whisner conducted bombing and strafing missions in close air support of ground forces . Flying multiple missions a day , Whisner assisted in the destruction of a convoy on 7 June , with 15 vehicles credited to him . On 13 June , Whisner was given three months shore leave in the United States , having completed his first tour of duty . Second tour . 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 .