William T. Halton
William Timothy Halton was a United States Army Air Force fighter ace in the 352nd Fighter Group who was credited with shooting down 10.5 aircraft during World War II. He was killed in action in 1952, during the Korean War.
Early life
Halton was born on 1917, in Providence, Rhode Island.Military career
On August 18, 1941, he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces and on March 7, 1942, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and was awarded his pilot wings.World War II
After completing P-47 Thunderbolt training, he was assigned to the 328th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group in England in December 1943. Stationed at RAF Bodney in Watton, Norfolk, the unit was under the operational control of the 67th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command.Flying P-47s, Halton scored his first aerial victory on February 20, 1944, when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Leuven, Belgium. In April 1944, the 352nd FG converted from P-47 to P-51 Mustang, and Halton won't score additional aerial victories until November 2, 1944, when he shot a Bf 109 over Merseburg, Germany. On the same month, he was promoted to major and was appointed as commander of the 487th Fighter Squadron. He shot down two more enemy aircraft on November 27 and December 26, 1944.
During the Battle of the Bulge, which started on December 16, the 487th FS was moved forward to airfield Y-29 near Asch, Belgium. His biggest day came on December 27, 1944, when he shot down four Bf 109s, including one shared destruction, at the southwest of Bonn, Germany, while leading his flight in an area patrol. On New Year's Day 1945, Halton led his flight of four P-51s that an attacked a large formation of Fw 190s and Bf 109s that attempted to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries. In the ensuing battle, Halton shot down one Fw 190. For his heroism in the aerial battle, he was awarded the Silver Star.
He scored his last two aerial victories on January 24 and March 18, 1945, During World War II, Halton was credited with the destruction of 10.5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 1 shared destruction and 2 destroyed on the ground while strafing enemy airfields. While serving with the 352nd FG, he flew P-47 and P-51s bearing the name "Slender, Tender & Tall".
Post-war and Korea
After the end of World War II, he promoted to lieutenant colonel in July 1945 and was appointed as commander of the 352nd Fighter Group in September 1945. He left from active duty on March 26, 1946, but returned on July 5, 1946. He continued to serve in the newly created U.S. Air Force.Following the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Halton was assigned as commander of the 136th Fighter-Bomber Group at Itazuke Air Force Base, which was equipped with the F-51 Mustangs. The unit moved from Japan to Taegu Air Base in South Korea, where it primarily flew interdiction missions against North Korean rail transportation. After a completion of a number of missions in his normal tour, he was appointed as the deputy commander of the 18th Fighter Bomber Group. However, he persisted in his desire to fly combat missions, and made a special request to fly additional missions in order to improve 18th FBG's combat effectiveness, and on a mission on April 6, 1952, he showed that F-51s can successfully operate in jet combat zones without fighter-interceptor escort, by leading his flight on a dive-bombing attack on rail lines near Sonchon County, North Korea. Even through being attacked by Communist MiG-15s and intense ground fire, he pressed on his attack on the rail lines and disregarded his personal safety. Despite the attacks against his flight, Halton's flight was responsible for destroying numerous rail lines. He also led his flight in the reconnaissance of the main supply route to Sinuiju, leading to the mission being successful.
On May 21, 1952, he took off from Hoengsong (K-46) Air Base to attack enemy artillery positions near the Korean Demilitarized Zone. On his first pass over the target, his F-51 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. He was not seen to bail out his aircraft and his wingmen reported that the crash was not survivable. Prisoners of war who were released from North Korean custody at the end of the war mentioned not having any contact with Halton. He was not seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent prisoner of war camp.
His remains were never recovered and was declared missing in action. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. He was also posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his April 6, 1952 mission.