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| 2nd Lt. Thomas Neal was a P-47 and P-51 pilot in the 355th Fighter Group in Europe. |
Thomas was born on May 5, 1920 in Pittsylvania, Virginia. His parents Thomas Sr and Helen were also born in Virginia. His father was a farmer. Thomas had one younger sister. By 1940, Thomas had completed one year of college and was living at home with his parents in Banister, Virginia.
He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in March 1942 and upon completion of flight training was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Thomas was assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron of the 355th Fighter Group. The 355th FG was activated 12 November 1942 and was originally equipped with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. After deploying to the European theater, the 355th was based at Steeple Morden, England and flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep over Belgium, on 14 September 1943. The 355th FG primarily served as escort for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers, and also flew fighter sweeps, area patrols, and bombing missions, striking such targets as air parks, locomotives, bridges, radio stations, and armored cars. The group transitioned to North American P-51 Mustang aircraft in the spring of 1944.
Thomas rose to the rank of captain and was credited with shooting down 4.5 enemy aircraft. On 29 April 1944, Cpt. Neal was flying P-51 Mustang 43-6577 on a bomber escort mission to Berlin. Flying at 22,000 feet, approximately 30 miles southwest of Berlin, Cpt. Neal sighted a flight of German FW-190 fighters. He called to his two wingmen, “Let’s go get ‘em boys”, and the aircraft dropped their external fuel tanks and peeled off into a dive. As the Mustangs pursued their prey, one of the wingmen broke off to pursue another enemy aircraft while the other followed Cpt. Neal into a cloud bank. After pulling out of his dive, the wingman lost sight of Cpt. Neal’s aircraft. He circled the area several times and made repeated radio calls to Cpt. Neal with no response. No sign of Cpt. Neal’s aircraft could be found and he was presumed to have been killed in action.
Thomas Fitzgerald Neal, Jr is memorialized in Highland Burial Park, Danville, Virginia.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Pearl Harbor Fallen Hugh Naff of the USS Helena. You can read about Hugh here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
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