World War II Pilot
Led final D-Day bombing run at Utah Beach in Normandy, France
Major David Dewhurst of San Antonio, Texas, flew 85 missions over enemy territory in the Martin B-26 Marauder. He was selected to lead the 553rd Bomb Squadron on an important but highly dangerous mission immediately preceding the D-Day invasion at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. Dewhurst chose to fly his squadron to the target at a very low altitude, exposing it to enemy gunfire but allowing his planes to accurately place their bombs on German held defenses just minutes before Allied troops stormed the beach. The determined execution of this dangerous mission was a significant factor in the success of the American landings that day. A B-26 painted in the colors of Dewhurst’s plane, Dinah Mite, is a featured attraction in the Utah Beach Museum, in Normandy, France.