PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot

[RSwank]

I found a couple of newspaper articles that reveal a little more about Paul S Miller. This first article is from Fresno Bee of December 12, 1941, and it mentions that Miller is in the Philippines. He was commissioned at Stockton Field in the summer of 1941 (possibly class 41-H or 41-G). He probably was assigned to one of the squadrons of the 28th Pursuit Group once in the Philippines.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...he-republican/

This second story is from the Hanford Sentinel of 29 April, 1943.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...ford-sentinel/
The article describes how Miller was flown out of the Philippines (Mindanao) in a B-17 just before the Japanese took over all the islands. The John “Buckley” (Bulkeley) mentioned in the story is the navy PT-boat skipper (of “They Were Expendable” fame) who had taken General MacArthur from Corregidor south to Mindanao by PT-boat in March of 1942. MacArthur was then flown on to Australia in a B-17 on March 17.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Bulkeley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla...he_Philippines

The B-17 flight described in the newspaper story took place on 13 April 1942. The Philippine pilot mentioned in the story, Captain Jesus Villamor, would later return to the Philippines as a guerrilla fighter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jes%C3%BAs_A._Villamor
The assumption would be the Paul Miller joined a Fighter Group in Australia (possible the 8th FG) and served in New Guinea. He was back in the US by April 1943.

Herbert M Wheatley's story is also quite interesting. He was a tail gunner on one of the B-17s that arrived at Peal Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7th, 1941. His plane landed on a golf course. He later was the tail gunner on the B-17 that did fly MacArthur to Australia 17 March 1942. I don't know if he ever became a pilot.

Search for all the Wheatleys on this link:
https://archive.org/stream/ryanflyin...1ryan_djvu.txt


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5202...ford-sentinel/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...rt-m_-wheatley


As far a Miller's claim of a Zero in New Guinea, Miller is not listed for any claims on the official post war claim list.

http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories...ii-by.name.pdf