Robert B. Westbrook (pilot)
Robert Burdette Westbrook (9 November 1917 – 22 November 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel and a World War II flying ace. Westbrook, a member of the California National Guard before World War II, completed flight training in 1942, and was sent to the South Pacific with the 44th Fighter Squadron, which he later commanded. Westbrook gained his first victories while flying the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and in late 1943 began flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. After scoring his fourteenth victory, Westbrook was sent back to the continental United States on leave in spring 1944, returning as aide to the commander of the Thirteenth Air Force. In late summer he became deputy commander of the 347th Fighter Group. With 20 victories, Westbrook became the Thirteenth Air Force's highest scoring ace. He was killed on 22 November 1944 while strafing a Japanese gunboat.[1][2]
Robert B. Westbrook | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Westy |
| Born | November 9, 1917 Los Angeles, California |
| Died | 22 November 1944 (aged 27) off Makassar, Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | California National Guard United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1930s–1943 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | 44th Fighter Squadron |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Air Medal (15) |
Early life
Westbrook was born in Los Angeles on 9 November 1917, and attended Hollywood High School, where he joined the ROTC and became a cadet captain. After graduating in 1935, Westbrook studied at the University of California, Los Angeles for a year. He became a member of the California National Guard and was federalized along with his unit in March 1941. [3]
World War II
On 25 September 1943, Westbrook was promoted to major and became commander of the 44th Fighter Squadron. On 10 October, he scored the 44th's first P-38 victory on a mission with the 339th Fighter Squadron.[4]
Decorations
His decorations include:
| Distinguished Service Cross |
  | Silver Star with bronze oak leaf cluster |
 | Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster |
| Purple Heart |
  | Air Medal with three silver oak leaf clusters |
| American Defense Service Medal |
| American Campaign Medal |
  | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze campaign stars |
| World War II Victory Medal |
Legacy
A street in Kadena Air Base is named for Westbrook.[5]
References
Notes
- Sherman, Stephen (20 April 2012). "P-38 Lightning PTO Aces of World War Two". acepilots.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- "Westbrook, Famed Pacific Fighter Pilot, Shot Down". San Bernardino County Sun. 19 December 1944. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- Starke 1985, p. 144.
- Molesworth 2003, p. 69.
- "Kadena Air Base Street Names". Kadena Air Base. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
Sources
- Molesworth, Carl (2003). P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84176-536-5.
- Starke, William H. (1985). Vampire Squadron: A History of the 44th Fighter Squadron in World War II, 1941-1945. Anaheim, California: Robinson Typographics. ISBN 978-0918837028.
