John DeWitt Lucas
Second Lieutenant John D. Lucas was a Marine Corps pilot who flew with VMF-221.
He was shot down and reported missing in the battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-9399
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 24, 1917
at Cleveland, OH
Parents
Frank Potter Lucas
Jessie Alice (Trout) Lucas
Education
Alameda High School (1936)
UC Berkeley (1940)
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
April 7, 1941 (enlisted)
March 26, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
1500 Fernside Boulevard
Alameda, CA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Frank P. Lucas
Military Specialty
Pilot
Assistant Ordnance & Gunnery Officer
Primary Unit
VMF-221
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Lucas was a Marine Corps fighter pilot assigned to VMF-221. His squadron was based at Midway Island in early 1942; Lucas flew an outdated F2A-3 “Buffalo” fighter and was the wingman of Captain Philip R. White of 2 Division. On the ground, Lieutenant Lucas served as the squadron’s Assistant Ordnance and Gunnery Officer
At 0600 hours on 4 June 1942, Major Floyd B. Parks led the squadron aloft to intercept a large group of Japanese fighters and bombers bearing down on Midway. The 2 Division followed Captain Daniel J. Hennessy into an orbit pattern over Midway itself in case more Japanese planes appeared from another direction. Within minutes, however, they were vectored into the dogfight and radar “could no longer differentiate between friend and foe.”
Just two of the 2 Division pilots survived the battle – and only Captain White, Lucas’ wingman, managed to land his Buffalo back at Midway. He made a report which stated in part:
Captain Hennessy led us in an attack on the horizontal bombers. There were three formation of nine planes to the formation. After the first pass I lost my wingman and the rest of the division....
The F2A-3 is not a combat aeroplane. It is inferior to the planes we were fighting in every respect... The Japanese Zero fighter can run circles around the F2A-3.... It is my belief that any commander that orders pilots out for combat in a F2A-3 should consider the pilot as lost before leaving the ground.
There are no eyewitness accounts of Lieutenant Lucas’ demise; his F2A-3 #01542 failed to return to Midway, and was reported as missing in action. On 5 June 1943, Lucas was officially declared dead.
Burial Information or Disposition
Shot down at sea; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Frank P. Lucas.
Location Of Loss
Lucas was shot down at an unspecified point after departing from Midway.
