William C. Day, Jr. received his wings and commission in the Army Air Corps on December 12, 1941, five days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Second Lieutenant Day joined the 49th Fighter Group in Florida later that month. The ‘Forty Niners’ arrived in Australia during January 1942, and in April began flying Curtis P-40 Warhawks, with the 8th Fighter Squadron from Darwin. When the group moved to New Guinea in October 1942, opportunities for combat increased. Then a First Lieutenant, Day scored his first aerial combat kill on November 1 and followed that with two more on January 7, 1943 while flying Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. On March 1 he tallied his fourth and fifth confirmed victories. By this feat Bill Day joined the unique ranks of those who could lay claim to a fighter pilot ‘ace’. This is a rare group that destroyed at least five enemy aircraft in aerial combat. He also claimed four enemy fighters and bombers as probably destroyed (Probables are those that could not be confirmed by a second individual observing the kill, the lack of gun camera film confirming the destruction, or the damaged aircraft flew out of visual contact before a crash site could be seen). In all Day flew 138 combat missions. His record of five confirmed and four probable destroyed Japanese aircraft resulted in his being awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Air Medals.
Following WW II and the attainment of a college degree at Bucknell University, Bill was employed by the Kelly-Springfield Tire Company in Cumberland. He related that he flew twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft in combat and had high praise for its capabilities and flying characteristics. His status as a fighter combat ‘ace’ and his flight experiences enabled Day to later relate his past to eager listeners. Day frequently entertained airport buffs with his flying stories and combat experiences. During the 1950’s and 1960’s flight instructors were few in number at the Cumberland Airport and there were beginning flight students who were most fortunate to have Bill Day for their flight training. Among the lucky ones were Ted Fritz and Eugene Light.
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Wings Over Cumberland 