Re:Gene Wink was a P-47 pilot,any idea which squadron he was in?
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Gene Wink (Capt. Eugene A. Wink, Jr.) was a member of the P-47 Thunderbolt-equipped 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force and was alive and well when I was in contact with him two years ago. He agreed to be interviewed when Thomas D. Jones and I were writing the book "Hell Hawks: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht," published in 2008; signed copies available here. Gene also wrote his autobiography "Born to Fly," which recounts his P-47 experiences and also his experience as the pilot of an SA-16 Albatross in the Korean War. Anyone trying to find him is welcome to contact me at (703) 264-8950. I have a fairly extensive file of interview notes and at least one good photo of him which has been published in a couple of places, including on the cover of his book, backwards. The 365th spent time at Dover Army Air Field, Delaware, before shipping overseas and that's where Gene and the other pilots posed for their portraits. Each had an individual photo taken while standing next to the cockpit of a P-47 named Sea Biscuit that apparently was assigned to the group commander, Col. Lance Call.