Captain George Wayne Thornbrough
Alaska
Somewhere out across this stretch of the Alaska Peninsula, Captain George Wayne Thornbrough's bomber went down on June fourth, nineteen forty-two, during the Battle of Dutch Harbor.
When Japanese carriers struck the Aleutians, alongside the larger blow at Midway, American crews scrambled to find and hit the enemy fleet hidden in the fog. Thornbrough flew a B Twenty-Six Marauder, a fast bomber jury rigged to carry a torpedo. The crews had little or no torpedo training. Thornbrough is said to have pressed his attack through the squalls.
He did not survive the day. His aircraft was lost, and he did not return. He was honored for his heroism in driving the enemy from American soil.
