1st Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr.
U.S. Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 475th Fighter Group, 431st Fighter Squadron
P-38 Lightning pilot

Background
Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. was born July 10, 1923 to parents Douglas S. Thropp and Mrs. Douglas S. Thropp in Pennsylvania.

Wartime History
Thropp enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet and earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angels", 431st Fighter Squadron (431st FS) "Hades" as a P-38 Lightning pilot.

On December 7, 1944 took off on a mission over Ormoc Bay and claimed an aerial victory over Damulog on Cebu.

On January 7, 1945 took off at 6:20am from Dulag Airfield on Leyte piloting P-38J "Miss Gee Gee" 43-28525 as part of "Daddy Flight" on a fighter sweep bound for Mindoro in hopes of finding Japanese aircraft to shoot down and add to McGuire's aerial victory credits.

The four Lightnings flew in a "our finger formation led by flight leader P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 piloted by Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. in the no. 1 position. The flight wingman in the no. 2 position was this aircraft piloted by Major Jack B. Rittmayer. The element leader in the no. 3 position was P-38L "Doots" 44-24876 piloted by Captain Edwin R. Weaver. The element wingman in the no. 4 position was P-38J "Miss Gee Gee" 43-28525 piloted by 2nd Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr.

The weather was overcast with stratus layers from 1,500' to 6,000'. As the formation flew over northwestern Negros at an altitude of roughly 2,000', they turned over Fabrica Airfield, but did not spot any Japanese planes on the ground or in the air.

Next, they proceeded to Caroline Airfield where they spotted Ki-43 Oscar pilot WO Sugimoto from the 54th Hiko Sentai (54th Flying Regiment) who had taken off from Fabrica Airfield on a patrol north of Negros then southward to the Guimaras Strait to report the presence of any American ships he might encounter.

Before intercepting, McGuire told his flight to "hold your tanks" (not release their drop tanks) took retain fuel in anticipation of flying further to engage in more combat. With their drop tanks still attached, the P-38s were slower and less maneuverable. During the dogfight with the Oscar, P-38L "Eileen-Ann" 44-24845 piloted by Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. crashed around 7:10am.

After McGuire's loss, Major Rittmayer took the lead and the three P-38s chased Ki-43 Oscar piloted Sugimoto. Thropp managed to fire a burst at it that caused damage before it escaped into clouds. Damaged, Sugimoto force landed but was shot by Filipino guerrillas when he did not surrender to them. Although none of the P-38 pilots observed McGuire's crash, after disengaging from the combat, they saw a fire on the ground roughly one mile northeast of Pinansmaan.

Next, Ki-84 Frank pilot Sgt Fukuda from 71st Hiko Sentai (71st Flying Regiment) joined the engagement. Earlier, he had taken off from Carolina Airfield (Manapla) armed with a 150kg bomb on a patrol to the west of Bacolod to report the presence of any American ships. When Fukuda arrived, he saw a crashed aircraft burning [McGuire's crash] then made a head on pass against Rittmayer and shot him down. Afterwards, he was fired on by Weaver and damaged. He managed to fire on Thropp but was again hit by Weaver and his engine began loosing power. Pulling up into the clouds to disengage, Fukuda landed Carolina Airfield (Manapla) and while landing one of his gear collapsed causing his damaged plane to flip over and was injured in the crash landing.

Statement by 2nd Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. via Missing Air Crew Report 11646 (MACR 11646) page 4
"I last saw Major Rittmayer at an altitude of less than 2000 feet receiving hits from an enemy plane firing form 90° deflection. Later I saw a second fire on the ground in the vicinity, presumably that of his plane."

Aerial Victory Claims
Thropp a total of five victories but was only officially credited with one aerial victory on December 7, 1944. He claimed a total of five victories but was only credited with one.

Victory	Date	Location	Aircraft	Notes on claim
1	12/07/44	Damulog, Cebu		First aerial victory claim.

Awards
Thropp was promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. For his World War II service, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal and Philippine Liberation Medal.

Memorials
Thropp passed away on April 15, 2004 at age 80. He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA at summit 442.

References
USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Thropp, Douglas S. Jr. page 187 (PDF page 194)
Missing Air Crew Report 11646 (MACR 11646) created January 8, 1945
Individual Combat Report (ICR) 2nd Lt. Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. January 7, 1945
Air Force Journal "Death of a Great Flyer" April 1945
The Last Great Ace by Charles A. Martin
McGuire's Last Mission by Carroll R. Anderson
"What Really Happened to McGuire?" by David Mason with introduction by Michael Claringbould via Wayback Machine January 27, 2012
The Search For The Crash Site of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. by David Mason, 2000
McGuire Final Report: Investigation into the final combat mission of Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. (2009) by David J. Mason
FindAGrave - Douglas S. Thropp, Jr. (grave photo)
Thanks to David Mason for additional information

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