Copyright 2006-2007 Alexandre Jay

302th Fighter Squadron

This wartime photo shows Capt. Wendell O. Pruitt, of
The 302nd Fighter Squadron, leaving his ring with his
crew chief, S/Sgt. Samuel W. Jacobs, before a mission
in November of 1944. (NARA photo).

Captain Pruitt, considered one of the 332nd’s best pilots,
was credited with shooting down 2 Bf 109s and a He 111.

The P-51C in the background is Alice-Jo. After serving
a successful combat tour in Italy, he was sent back to the
States and assigned as an instructor. After failing to be
reassigned back to his old outfit for a second tour, it’s
ironic this pilot ended his days in a training accident, his
AT-6 failing to pull out of low altitude roll. It was April
26th, 1945, that both he and his student were killed......
just days before World War 2 ended.

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Unit History:
302nd Fighter Squadron formed: 4th July, 1942.
Squadron activated: 13th October, 1942.
Squadron inactivated: 6th March, 1945.
Squadron reactivated: 1st July, 1987 as 302nd
Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Aircraft flown in combat:
P-39Q Airacobra
P-40L Warhawk
P-47D Thunderbolt
P-51Mustang B/C and D variants.

Theatres of Combat:
MTO and ETO (Mediterranean and European
Theatre of Operations from the 17th Feb, 1944
to the 20th Feb, 1945.

Served in the following campaigns:
Rome-Arno, Normandy, both Northern and
Southern France, North Apennines, Rhineland,
Central Europe, Po Valley, Air Combat;
EAME Theater.

Squadron Decorations:
None