William Dyess

William Edwin Dyess (born 9 August 1916, Albany, Texas- died 22 December 1943, Burbank, California) was an officer of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Career

'Ed' Dyess graduated in 1934 from Abilene High School and in 1936 from John Tarleton College in Stephenville, Texas. Dyess underwent flight training at Kelly and Randolph Fields in San Antonio, Texas, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps. Promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to command the 21st Pursuit Squadron at Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana, Dyess led the squadron to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines, in October 1941.

The 21st Pursuit Squadron was assigned to the 24th Pursuit Group which together with the 19th Bomb Group suffered heavy casualties during the opening of the war with Japan in 1941. Flying P-40 Warhawks against superior Japanese types, Dyess maintained his unit's morale in the face of staggering losses. Dyess also served as an infantry officer during the Bataan campaign, participating in the Battle of Agloloma Bay

Dyess, as commanding officer, refused to abandon those of his squadron who could not be evacuated, and gave his airplane ("Kibosh") to another fighter pilot -- Lieutenant I.B. "Jack" Donalson -- who, because of Dyess' generosity and selfless actions, was able to evacuate to Australia. Dyess also supervised the evacuation of Philippine Army Col. Carlos Romulo, a close friend of General Douglas MacArthur who would survive the war and would later serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Captain Dyess was captured on 9 April 1942. Later that day, he and the others who surrendered at Bataan began the infamous Bataan Death March. He was imprisoned at Camp O'Donnell and from June to October at Cabanatuan Concentration Camp where he and his men were routinely denied the rights of POW's. Dyess and others were transported by ship, the "Erie Maru", to Davao Penal Colony on Mindanao arriving November 7. After two months of planning and preparation, Dyess, along with nine other American POWs and two Filipino convicts escaped from Davao on 4 April 1943. It would be the only large-scale escape of Allied POWs from the Japanese in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Dyess and his group spent several weeks evading pursuit, then joined a group of guerillas for several months. The group decided to split up, with seven joining organized guerilla forces in northern Mindanao. Dyess and two others were evacuated by the U.S. Navy submarine "Trout" to Australia in July 1943.

Upon reaching the United States in August, he was thoroughly debriefed on his experiences as a POW by high-ranking military brass and ordered to the military hospital at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. From his hospital bed, Dyess worked with "Chicago Tribune" writer Charles Leavelle to tell the story of the atrocities and brutality he and his fellow POW comrades had experienced and witnessed while in Japanese captivity. The U.S. Government, however, refused to release Dyess' story for publication on the grounds that it would infuriate the Japanese and risk the cancellation of the delivery of Red Cross relief supplies to American POWs still under Japanese control. There was also added speculation that Dyess' story was in actuality suppressed by both a Pentagon and White House fearful that an infuriated American public would demand a greater prosecution of the Pacific War (the United States and its allies was operating under a "Europe First" strategic policy).

Promoted to lieutenant-colonel, Dyess was assigned to fly P-38 Lightnings in preparation for a return to combat. On 22 December 1943, Dyess' aircraft caught fire while on a training mission over the highly populated area of Burbank, California. He remained with his burning aircraft despite ample opportunity to bail out in order to guide it to a vacant lot saving countless civilians on the ground. Almost one month after his tragic death, the "Chicago Tribune" finally received permission from government censorship offices to release the deceased aviator's incredible story on 28 January 1944. The story ran in serial form for several weeks and was picked up by over 100 American newspapers. According to Leavelle, it was biggest story of the war since Pearl Harbor. Published in book form in late 1944, "The Dyess Story" became a bestseller.

William Edwin Dyess was credited with saving numerous lives not only in his final acts, but by his courage and leadership during time of war. Among other commendations, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Service Cross. In 1957, Abilene Army Airfield was renamed Dyess Air Force Base in his honor. His personal papers are archived at Maxwell AFB, Alabama and the special collections archive at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

See also

* Battle of Bataan

External links

* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/fdy5.html TSHA Online - Texas State Historical Association - Home ] at www.tsha.utexas.edu
* [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/daybyday/12-22-004.html TSHA Online - Texas State Historical Association - Home ] at www.tsha.utexas.edu
* [http://www.lonestarflight.org/index.php?pgid=7&rec=27 ] at www.lonestarflight.org
* http://www.afa.org/magazine/valor/0590valor.asp
* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/personal_papers/pp064.html AFHRA Personal Papers ] at afhra.maxwell.af.mil

References