John S. Walmsley, Jr.

Who was John S. Walmsley, Jr.?

John Springer Walmsley, Jr. was a bomber pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and later the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Walmsley rose to the rank of Captain and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on 14 September 1951 above Yangdok, North Korea during a bombing mission.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Walmsley jouned the Army Air Forces and spent the 1940s as an instructor pilot in the United States and Japan, but did not see combat. He was deployed with the 8th Bombardment Squadron to the Korean War, flying B-26 Invader aircraft. During this time, Walmsley volunteered for a risky bombing campaign, Operation Strangle.

During one of the bombing missions, Walmsley's aircraft spotted a Chinese supply train moving by cover of darkness. His aircraft attacked it until expending its ammunition and called for backup. He then used a spotlight on his aircraft to illuminate the train for subsequent attacks, exposing himself and his crew to intense anti-aircraft fire, which he did not avoid. The mission resulted in the successful destruction of the train, though Walmsley was killed when his heavily damaged aircraft crashed.