Date:	Sunday 12 April 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Republic F-84E Thunderjet
Owner/operator:	8th FBS, 49th FBG, USAF
Registration:	51-485
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	-   North Korea
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
Republic F-84E-25-RE Thunderjet 51-485, 8th FBS, 49th FBG, USAF: Written off (destroyed) April 12 1953 when
Crashed after bomb run over North Korea. Pilot Captain James Washington Wills Jr, USAF was killed

USNA Class of 1950, Captain Wills was the pilot of a F-84E Thunderjet fighter with Headquarters Squadron, 49th Fighter-Bomber Group. On April 12, 1953, while on a combat mission, after completing a bomb run, his aircraft crashed. His remains were not recovered.

Awarded
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal

1. The Baltimore Sun on April 20, 1953:
2. http://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F-84.html
3. https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1951.html
4. https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/dbSearchAF55.asp
5. https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/JAMES_W._WILLS,_JR.,_CAPT,_USAF
6. https://www.koreanwar.org/dpaa/korwald-all.pdf
7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118805607/james-washington-wills

A U.S. Air Force Republic Republic F-84E-25-RE Thunderjet (s/n 51-485) from the 49th or 474th Fighter-Bomber Group refueling from a Boeing KB-29M Superfortress (from the 43rd Bombardement Wing?) over Korea. Operation "High Tide", which saw the first aerial refueled strike missions, began in May 1952 when twelve F-84Es flew non-stop from Japan to bomb targets in North Korea. In the same year, aerial refueled "Fox Peter" operations began flying F-84Gs non-stop across the Pacific. The F-84Es had refuel-able outboard tanks that had to be refueled separately with the "probe-and-drogue"-system, whereas the F-84Gs used the boom-system to refuel all tanks. The depicted F-84E 51-485 was lost when it crashed after bomb run on 12 April 1953. The pilot was killed.

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