Captain Andrew D. Turner, 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group

Captain (later Major) Andrew D. "Jug" Turner (January 6, 1920-September 14, 1947) commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force, waves from the cockpit of his North American P-51C-10-NT Mustang (#42-103960) "Skipper's Darlin' III." This was probably a staged photo, although some captions indicate he was taking off on a bomber escort mission. Turner graduated from Tuskegee class 42-I-SE and was inducted on October 9, 1942. When the 100th's commanding officer, Lieutenant Robert B. Tresville, failed to return from a mission in June 1944, Turner took command. On July 18, 1944, Turner was credited with a probable Me-109, which he was seen to damage heavily but a crash was not witnessed. A resident of Deanwood, Washington D.C., he flew 69 missions with the 100th. Electing to stay in the Air Force, he was killed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, when his Republic P-47N Thunderbolt collided with another pilot. Both Turner and the other pilot were killed. Corporal Hugh Beguesse (1917- ) his plane's armament crew, was a Caribbean native who moved to Chicago, Illinois; he was not yet a citizen when he was drafted. "Skipper's Darlin' III" was sold for scrap on September 30, 1945.