William Judson Sloan

Military
media-45857.jpeg UPL 45857 1LT William J. Sloan
Fighter Pilot
82nd FG - 95th FS - 12th AF
P-38G-5-LO #42-12830 "Snooks IV 1/2" Code: BO

Object Number - UPL 45857 - 1LT William J. Sloan Fighter Pilot 82nd FG - 95th FS - 12th AF P-38G-5-LO #42-12830 "Snooks IV 1/2" Code: BO

Sloan went with the 82nd Fighter Group to Northern Ireland in October and on to French Algeria in January. He was assigned his P-38, which he named "Snooks". On early January 1943, while flying the P-38, Sloan scored the groups first aerial victory when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over an aerodrome in Gabes, French Tunisia. On January 30, he destroyed another Bf 109 and on 20 February he was credited with a double, a Bf 109 and a Dornier 217 off Cape Bon, Tunisia. Sloan became the groups first flying ace when, on 15 February, he downed a Bf 109 over a Luftwaffe airdrome near Kairouan, Tunisia, his fifth aerial victory. On May 20, the group attacked an aerodrome in Villacidro, Sardinia. During this mission, Sloan was credited with a Junkers Ju 88, an Italian Macchi C.200, and two Bf 109 probables. He became a double ace on 20 July when he shot down an Italian Reggiane Re.2001 and a Bf 109 over Gerbini Airfield in Paterno, Sicily. That day, two Italian aces, Franco Lucchini and Leonardo Ferrulli were shot down. On July 10, Sloan claimed his fourth Italian fighter and eleventh aerial victory, an MC.200 over southwest Sicily. He scored his last victory on July 22 to become the top scoring ace in the Twelfth Air Force. Sloan returned to the United States on September 1943. He spent the remainder of the war as a P-38 flight instructor in California. During World War II, Sloan was credited with the destruction of 12 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 2 probables and 3 damaged, from January to September 1943, all while flying the P-38 Lightning.

Note: He was awarded the Air Force Cross in lieu of the Distinguished Service Cross as noted in "awards"

Connections

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Units served with

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-38 Lightning
  • Nicknames: Snooks IV 1/2
  • Unit: 82nd Fighter Group 95th Fighter Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Richmond, VA 1 January 1921

Other

5th Aerial Victory

near Kairouan, Tunisia 15 February 1943 Bf109

Other

9th and 10th Aerial Victories

Gerbini Airfield, Sicily 20 July 1943 Re.2001 Bf109

Died

Dayton, OH 30 January 1999

Buried

8 February 1999 Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA Section 69, Grave 541

William Judson Sloan: Gallery (1 items)