Felix Drewry Williamson (July 26, 1921 – January 24, 1947) was a highly decorated

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

major. He was a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with 13 aerial victories, including five in a single day, for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Early life and career

Felix D. Williamson was born on July 26, 1921 in

Crisp County, Georgia Crisp County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,128. The county seat is Cordele. The county was created on August 17, 1905, from Dooly County and named for Geo ...

. Williamson enlisted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in September 1941. He subsequently went to

Fort Jackson, South Carolina Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located within the city of Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army gene ...

, where he was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces.

World War II flying ace

Williamson was soon assigned to the

62nd Fighter Squadron The 62d Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Mission The 62d Fighter S ...

, 56th Fighter Group, Eight Air Force. Williamson's squadron was assigned to Royal Air Force Station Halesworth in Suffolk, England. The 62nd Fighter Squadron flew

P-47 Thunderbolts The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomb ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and Williamson named his aircraft "Georgia Peach." On November 29, 1943,

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

Williamson downed his first German plane, sharing a victory with a fellow fighter pilot. On April 19, 1944, Captain Williamson's squadron moved to Royal Air Force Station Boxted in

Essex, England Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. On December 23, 1944, Williamson downed two German planes, becoming an ace and bringing his total number of victories to six. Captain Williamson claimed his next series of victories on January 14, 1945. On that date, he shot down five enemy planes during a single mission. For his actions, Williamson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. On February 3, 1945, Williamson downed two more German planes, claiming his final victories and finished the war with 13 total kills. In addition to his Distinguished Service Cross, Williamson was awarded four Distinguished Flying Crosses, three

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

s and the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Post-war and death

After the war, Williamson was promoted to major and was assigned to the

1st Fighter Group 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyr ...

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

in Riverside County, California. At March Field, Williamson flew the United States' first operational fighter jet, the

P-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

. On January 24, 1947, Major Felix D. Williamson was killed in a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...

with another P-80 pilot near March Field. He was buried at Penia Baptist Church Cemetery in

Cordele, Georgia Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2010 census. Cordele calls itself the Watermelon Capital of the World. History Cordele was incorporated on January 1, 1888, and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Felix D. 1921 births 1947 deaths American World War II flying aces Aviators from Georgia (U.S. state) Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II