- american army fighter ace of WW2 with 20 solo claims, 3 shared, 1 damaged and 2,33 claims on the ground; 13th highest scoring army pilot, 8th in 8th AF and highest-scoring ace of 359nd Fighter Group - nicknamed Bright Eyes or X-Ray Eyes - killed in an accidental crash of an F-86
Wetmorův nejúspěšnější stroj: P-51D-10NA "Daddy's Girl", sériového čísla 44-14733, s taktickým označením CS-L. Na tomto stroji dosáhl 8 samostatných a 2 skupinových sestřelů.
Wetmorův P-47D-10-RE CS-P 42-75068, na kterém létal ze základny v East Wretham, v dubnu 1944 a se kterým dosáhl 2 sestřely.
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Kills amounted to a total of 7 machines
1. P-47D-5RE (CR-G), p. no 42-8663: 1 separate, 1 group kill and 1 damaged the machine 2. P-47D-10RE (CR-P), p. no 42-75068: 2 separate kills 3. P-47C-2RE (CS-O), p. no 41-6282: 1 single kill 4. P-51B-15NA (CS-P), p. no 42-106894: 4 separate kills 5. P-51D-10AM "Daddy's Girl" (EN-L), p. no: 44-14733: 8 individual and 2 group victories 6. P-51D-15NA (CS-H), p. no 44-14979: 3 separate kills 7. P-51D-15NA (EN-IN), p. no 44-15521: 1 single kill
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FIGHT REPORT OF SUPERVISOR RAY S. WETMORE (5th and 6th solo kills)
a. combat b. 19 May 1944 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 13:45 e. Stendal f. accumulating clouds with light fog over the ground g. Me 109 h. two (2) Me 109s destroyed in the air
I was leading a yellow squadron escorting bombers into Berlin when approximately 100 Me 109s began attacking them. I dropped to the rear of the Kraut formation, picked a target and approached to within 100 yards before opening fire. I observed hits on the tail and torso. Me 109 flared up and went into a corkscrew, out of control.(1)
I made a turn and spotted another Me 109 attacking the P-51, so I descended on it. I chased it to 12,000 feet, firing at it when it was in range. He kept flying in and out of the clouds so often that it was hard to fire a long burst at him. Finally he dropped into a big cloud, and I flew above him and surprised the German by flying out of it. I fired a long burst at him at 200 yards, saw hits all over the Me 109. The pilot flipped the plane over and bailed out." At that point I lost my number 2 and number 3, so number 4 and I headed home.[/i
I credit myself with two Me 109s destroyed in the air.
Plane number: 6894 Codename: CS-P Ammunition consumption: 886 armour-piercing, incendiary and armour-piercing in 2-2-1 composition
Ray S. Wetmore Lt. Cmdr., Air Corps 359th Fighter Group
I saw Yellow 1 (Lt. Cdr. Wetmore) get many hits on the Me 109.
Paul H. Bateman Lt. Cmdr., Air Corps 359th Fighter Group
I flew the Yellow Four position in the vicinity of Stendal and encountered one (1) Me 109 at about 13:45. After firing several short bursts to no effect, and in the meantime trying to get into a better position, I saw Yellow One come between me and the Me 109. Fired at the NL and flew into the clouds. When they reappeared, the pilot left the NL and the plane went down unconscious.
John L. Downing Lt. Cmdr., Air Corps 359th Fighter Group
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COMBAT REPORT OF SUPERVISOR RAY S. WETMORE (7th and 8th solo kills)
a. combat b. 29 May 1944 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 12:15 e. vicinity of Stettin f. good g. FW-190 h. two (2) FW-190s destroyed in the air
I was flying as White 3, escorting the bombers, when we spotted 3 waves of Me 109s and FW-190s, each consisting of about 20 aircraft, launching an attack on the bombers in the vicinity of Szczecin at about 12:15. We attacked the rear of the last wave, consisting of FW-190s. I picked a target and approached to within 400 yards, but after firing I did not notice any hits. I continued the approach to about 100 yards and fired a long burst, this time seeing many hits around the cockpit and tail. A lot of debris flew off the NL and went into a corkscrew in flames.(1) I picked another target and started to approach when I was notified that an FW-190 was hanging on my tail. I turned and estimated it was at least 2,000 yards away, so I continued my approach and fired a short burst at the aircraft, to no effect. I made a left turn and initiated an aerial dogfight with the NL that was chasing me from behind. We fought all the way to the ground, over the anti-aircraft defenses. Our turns were so wild in this fight that it was impossible to get in each other's sights. Eventually I got good hits with a 40° advance and saw hits behind the cockpit. The pilot dropped the overlay, pulled the landing gear and prepared for landing. I made another pass, pulled in, rolled the plane over and bailed out. His parachute deployed and he landed in the middle of the anti-aircraft defenses.(2)
While I was firing on the first NL, I saw White 1, Colonel Murphy, score many hits on an FW-190 flying to the right of me. The NL flipped over and went down in a puff of black smoke.
I credit two FW-190s destroyed in mid-air.
Aircraft No.: 6894 Code designation: CS-P Ammunition consumption: 919 armor-piercing, incendiary and armor-piercing in 2-2-1 composition
Ray S. Wetmore Lt. Cmdr., Air Corps 359th Fighter Group
I've seen White 3 get many hits on FW-190s. White 3's target broke apart and crumbled to the ground.
Howard E. Grimes Lieutenant Commander, Air Corps. 359th Fighter Group
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COMBAT REPORT OF CAPTAIN RAY S. WETMORE (9th and 10th solo kills)
a. combat b. 2 November 1944 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 12:45 e. Erfurt-Weimar-Jena area f. cloud cover 7/10 g. Me 109 h. two (2) Me 109s destroyed in the air
I was leading a red squadron escorting bombers over Merseburg when approximately 30 Me 109s attacked the bombers. We were in the forward box. I called my squadrons and told them to drop the auxiliary tanks, then execute a half turn to the rear to start pursuing the bandits who in the meantime had executed a reversal from the bomber formation. We intercepted them at 12,000 feet. I pulled my squadron right through their formation, but we had such high speed we didn't even have a chance to fire. This split the Germans so that I was able to separate the Me 109s and close to 400 yards before opening fire. Using the new K-14 K-14 sight, I saw many hits around the wing roots and in the fuselage right after I pulled the trigger. The German pilot deployed the flaps to slow down and perform a roll. My airspeed was still above 450 and I flew over him. I sent him another burst before I flew over him. He did a barrel roll right through the cloud cover with me right behind him. His spin turned into a corkscrew, which he never picked up again.(1) At that point my number collided with another Me 109 that was on his tail and I was under cloud cover. Before I got a chance to fly through the cloud cover at 6,000 feet, 15 to 20 Me 109s descended on me. I immediately went from a tight turn and started calling for help. The German pilots seemed very aggressive, but too arrogant about their fighter tactics as they never took advantage of their position. I fired one on one at the German in the Lufbery circle with a 70° advance. I noticed three hits on the cockpit. At that point it looked like the other Germans had evaporated, so I continued with the attack. I didn't fire on him further as my first shot seemed to disable the pilot. The plane went into a stall and hit the ground squarely.(2) It was near a small town where a lot of small arms were firing and it was getting pretty hot. During the dogfight, I noticed two B-17s flying through the clouds with their wings on fire. The Germans were still attacking them. I couldn't help them as I was fighting my own battle.
I credit myself with two Me 109s destroyed in the air.
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COMBAT REPORT OF CAPTAIN RAY S. WETMORE (11th to 13th solo kills)
a. combat b. 27 November 1944 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 12:45 to 13:00 e. vicinity southeast of Hannover f. good g. Me 109 h. three Me 109s destroyed in the air
I was leading the Red Squadron when Nuthouse directed the group north of Munster where the bandits were reported. The squadron split up due to intense anti-aircraft fire. I took my squadron to the area where we were to strafe the target in an attempt to rendezvous with the squadron again. At that point I saw two groups of bandits, each consisting of 100 aircraft. One consisted of Me 109s, the other an FW 190. I immediately became aware of my group and Nuthouse as to their position, altitude and direction of flight. I continued to follow them high and behind their formation. A few minutes later one of my swarm had to turn back due to engine trouble. At that point the Germans noticed us and began sending four-man swarms in our direction. I continued sending a position of Germans until we collided with them to save our necks and they collided with us. I approached one Me 109 at 600 yards before opening fire. I used the K-14 sight and as soon as I opened fire, the Me 109 started burning and went into a corkscrew. I credit this NL as destroyed.(1) At that point I noticed my number, Lt. York, firing at another Me 109 and it went down in a corkscrew, in a puff of black smoke. I then tore it down in front of the Germans who were attacking us. I sent a good burst from 300 yards with a 20° deviation. The NL lit up under the hits and went into a black smoke plume. The last I saw of the Me 109 was in the corkscrew, engulfed in flames. I credit this NL as destroyed.(2) I saw another German coming at me, so I turned towards him. We were spinning around at 30,000 feet above the ground. He seemed very aggressive with his Me 109, he was pretty damn good. Although I could have spun him over, he came up behind my tail a couple of times. He was good at using Fowler's flaps. [I finally ran out of ammo, but by that point I had already hit him several times. I made another pass at him and he jumped. (3) I spent the next ten minutes fending off repeated attacks from the FW 190, but managed to avoid them all. Finally they separated and I flew home.
I credit myself with three (3) Me 109s destroyed in the air.
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COMBAT REPORT OF CAPTAIN RAY S. WETMORE (14th solo kill and 2nd shared)
a. combat b. 31 December 1944 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 11:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. e. vicinity of Hannover f. CAVU (Ceiling and unrestricted visibility) g. Me 109 h. one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air and one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air, shared
I was leading "A" group flying to a second rendezvous near Hanover when the squadron flew ahead and ran into more than 10 Me 109s at 32,000 feet. The Germans lined up at 6 o'clock from the B-17 box. I turned and got on the tail of one of the Germans. I approached to about 600 yards. The German was turning slightly, so I had to advance the shot 30 degrees. The first two shots didn't do any damage, but the third one glanced all over his hull and started sending up big puffs of black smoke. The German went into a wild corkscrew. I followed him to 5,000 feet, but he was rolling so wildly I didn't get a chance to fire another shot. I credit myself with the destruction of the Me 109.(1)
At that point I saw another Me 109 perform a U-turn in an attempt to shoot down the P-51 on its tail. I was in a great position to launch an attack; I dropped to the ground, flying over Hanover at treetop height and firing from behind at 300 and 500 yards with excellent results. The German made an emergency landing on his belly in a snowy field. His plane flipped over and fell to pieces. At that moment, my number, Lt. Rueschenberg sprinkled.(2)
I credit one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air and one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air shared with Lt. Werner J. Rueschenberg.
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COMBAT REPORT OF CAPTAIN RAY S. WETMORE (15th solo kill)
a. combat b. 1 January 1945 c. 370th Fighter Squadron, 359th Fighter Group d. 11:31 e. Luneburg area f. good g. Me 109 h. one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air
I was leading a Red Squadron escorting bombers northeast of Hamburg when I noticed two clusters of bandits of about 30 NL each with top cover. The overhead cover consisted of Me 109s and Me 262s. The Germans turned towards us as we attacked them at 31,000 feet. I selected a pair of Me 109s as my target, which provided top cover. They saw me and started to climb. At 36,000 feet they split up, one turning to starboard and the other to port. I called my number 3 to take the one on the left. I sent a good burst with a 90° advance at 500 yards on the one spinning to starboard. I only saw a couple of hits and the German started to drop and rotate. My number 3's radio wasn't working, so he followed me. The German matched me at 4,000 feet with me on his tail. He fired twice from behind from 300 to 25 yards. I made many hits and the German landed on his belly in the open field. He slid sideways and one wing and part of his tail fell off. My number 2 and I strafed the German and his plane.
I credit myself with one (1) Me 109 destroyed in the air.
Ray S. Wetmore, RAY S. WETMORE, 0675960 Capt., Air Corps, 359th Fighter Group.
SUPPORTING TESTIMONY. I saw Capt. Wetmore firing on the aforementioned Me 109. The NL immediately began to rotate and descended as if in a stall. Capt. Wetmore followed him, suspecting some sort of subterfuge. The NL leveled off just above the ground when Cpl. Wetmore again got on its tail and gave it a good splash before it crashed. We subsequently strafed the aircraft and pilot.
Werner J. Rueschenberg, WERNER J. RUESCHENBERG, Lieutenant Commander, Air Corps. 359th Fighter Group.
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FIGHT REPORT OF CAPTAIN RAY S. WETMORE O-675960 (20th solo kill)
a. combat b. 15 March 1945 c. 370th Fighter Squadron d. 15:00 e. Wittenberg f. foggy g. Me 163 h. one (1) Me 163 destroyed in the air
I was leading a Red Squadron escorting bombers southwest of Berlin when I saw 2 Me 163s circling at 20,000 feet, 20 miles away in the vicinity of Wittenberg. I was flying towards them, at 25,000 feet, I went after one slightly below me. When I got within 3,000 yards of him, he saw me, turned and went into a 70-degree climb. At about 26,000 feet, he ran out of fuel, so he made the turn. I dropped behind him and leveled off at 2,000 feet at 6 o'clock. During the descent, my airspeed indicator read 550 to 600 miles. I opened fire at 200 yards. Pieces were flying off it. He made a sharp right turn and I sent another short burst, half of his left wing flew off, the plane caught fire, the pilot jumped and I saw the plane hit the ground.(1)
Ray S. Wetmore, RAY S. WETMORE, 0675960 Capt., Air Corps, 359th Fighter Group.
SUPPORTING TESTIMONY. I flew the Red Three position in the squadron of Capt. Wetmore when we saw two jets about 20 miles southwest of us, so we took off after them. When the jet spotted us, it started to climb at a 70° angle. It made a U-turn after it ran out of fuel. We went to 2,000 feet, and here Capt. Wetmore got within range and opened fire. I saw the hits, and then the jet made a sharp turn to the right, and about that time, Cpl. Wetmore made good hits on his wing, debris started falling off and he caught fire. The pilot jumped out at 500 feet and I saw the jet hit the ground.
Confirming the claim of Capt. Wetmore's claim to the destruction of one (1) Me 163 in the air.
Russell E. Shouse, RUSSEL E. SHOUSE, Flight. Sgt., Air Corps 359th Fighter Group.
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