Nicholas Megura (July 28, 1920 – November 4, 1988) was a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
. He served in the
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 ...
as a fighter pilot 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 opposin ...
, and he became an
ace
An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...
with 11.83 aerial victories before he himself was nearly shot down. Megura was able to crash-land his aircraft in
neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, but was not allowed to fly any more combat missions during the war due to the nature of his release from Sweden.
Early life and service
Nicholas Megura was born on July 28, 1920, in
Ansonia, Connecticut
Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Located on the Naugatuck River, it is immediately north of Derby, and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,918 at the time of the 2020 census. The ZIP code for ...
. While he was attending his first year at college, Megura was expelled due to his rebellious nature. He later got a job at a
Vought-Sikorsky, where he took flying lessons. Before the United States entered World War II, Megura joined the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
and became a flight instructor.
World War II
In July 1943, Megura transferred to the United States Army Air Forces. He was assigned to the
334th Fighter Squadron
The 334th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 4th Operations Group and stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.
The 334th was constituted on 22 August 1942 as an incorporation of the No ...
,
4th Fighter Group
The 4th Fighter Group was an American element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force during World War II. The group was known as the Debden Eagles because it was created from the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force: ...
,
Eight Air Force, based in
RAF Debden
Royal Air Force Debden or more simply RAF Debden is a former Royal Air Force station located southeast of Saffron Walden and approximately north of the village of Debden in North Essex, England
History
The airfield was opened in April 1937 ...
. When Megura was attached to the squadron, they 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-bomber ...
, however they switched over to
P-51 Mustangs
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
after a few months.
On March 6, 1944,
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 s ...
Megura shot down one German
Me110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
and damaged a second one. Two days later, while on a
B-17
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
bomber escort mission, five
Me109s attacked the group. Megura was able to quickly down one, and then engaged another Me109 which was attacking a B-17. Forcing the pilot of the Me109 to bail out, Megura claimed his fifth victory of the war along with ace status. Megura then damaged a third Me109 as it was landing at an airfield. While he was returning to Debden, Megura engaged a
Junkers Ju-88 with his last operating gun, knocking out one engine before he completely ran out of ammunition. For his actions during this three day period, Megura 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 ...
in April.
Internment in Sweden
On May 23, 1944,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Megura's group and several
P-38s from another group engaged over 30 German fighters. While Megura was engaging three Me109s, his own aircraft was severely damaged by
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
from a P-38. The pilot of the P-38 had mistaken Megura's plane for an Me109.
Megura's coolant system was damaged, and he decided to bail out of his plane. However, he could not get his
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
open. Megura then nursed his plane toward
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, and he decided he would keep gliding toward neutral Sweden. Megura miraculously reached Sweden without crashing, and made a
belly landing
A belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device. Normally the term ''gear-up landing'' refers to incidents in which the pilot ...
at the
Kalmar Aerodrome.
Upon landing, Megura was
interned by the Swedish military and was held until June 28. Megura chewed out his engineering officer for his faulty canopy when he returned to Debden.
Due to diplomatic relations in securing his release from Sweden, Megura was no longer allowed to fly combat missions during the war and he was given an administrative job. Megura finished the war with a total of 11.83 aerial victories, plus an additional four on the ground.
Later career and life
Megura stayed in the military after the war, transferring the newly established Air Force in 1947, later retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Nicholas Megura died on November 4, 1988, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
. He was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Bridgeport.
Awards and decorations
Distinguished Service Cross citation
![Army distinguished service cross medal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Army_distinguished_service_cross_medal.png)
:Megura, Nicholas
:Captain (Air Corps), United States Army Air Forces
:334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
:Date of Action: March 6, 1944 and March 8, 1944
:Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps), [then First Lieutenant Nicholas Megura, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 6 and 8 March 1944, in the European Theater of Operations. On 6 March 1944, he attacked enemy rocket fighter planes although outnumbered, destroying one and damaging another. On an escort mission on 8 March 1944, he was attacked by German fighters and destroyed one. three more enemy fighters attacked and he damaged one of them. Two more then attacked and he knocked another from the sky. With all his ammunition expended except for one gun, Captain Megura then engaged and severely damaged a Junker-88 with his few remaining rounds. Captain Megura's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Megura, Nicholas
1920 births
1988 deaths
American Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
American World War II flying aces
Aviators from Connecticut
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Air Force officers
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II