Fred E. Gutt

Fred E. Gutt
Born	(1919-10-10)October 10, 1919 Kronstadt, Romania[1]
Died	June 30, 2012(2012-06-30) (aged 92)[2] Rolling Bay, Washington
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Rank	Captain
Battles / wars	World War II Guadalcanal Campaign Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Air Medal

Fred Ernst Gutt (October 10, 1919 – June 30, 2012) was a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot who became an ace in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.

Early life

Fred E. Gutt was from Madison, Wisconsin, although he was born in Kronstadt, Romania. He was a 1941 graduate of the University of Wisconsin.[3]

World War II

Gutt was assigned to Marine fighter squadron VMF-223. Initially flying Grumman F4F Wildcats, 2d Lt. Gutt arrived with VMF-223 on Guadalcanal on 20 August 1942, to operate as part of the Cactus Air Force. He was evacuated with the unit on 12 October.[4] Reequipped with Vought F4U-1 Corsairs, VMF-223 returned to action in the Solomon Islands in 1943.[5]

On 28 December 1943, Gutt shot down three Japanese fighter planes in less than five minutes during a fighter sweep over Rabaul, bringing his score to seven.[6][7] He finished his combat duty with eight kills.[8][9] Four kills were each scored in the F4F and the F4U.[10] He shot down four Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, two Rufes, a float biplane, and a bomber.[11][12]

Gutt was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross twice.[13]

References

1. Olesan, James A., "In Their Own Words – The Final Chapter: True Stories From American Fighter Aces", iUniverse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4502-9806-3, page 142.
2. "Fred e. Gutt". 30 June 2012.
3. "The University of Wisconsin Collection - Collection - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries".
4. "Marine Fighting Squadron 223".
5. "Marine Attack Squadron 223".
6. "Becomes Ace". The Capital Times. December 31, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved June 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Associated Press, "New Air Ace", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Monday 3 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 234, page 2.
8. Toliver, Raymond F. and Constable, Trevor J., "Fighter Aces of the U.S.A.", Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, California, 1979, Library of Congress card number 79-53300, ISBN 0-8168-5792-X, page 377.
9. "Summaries of 20 USMC Fighting Squadrons in WW2".
10. "List of Marine Corps Aces in WW2 - Wildcat and Corsair pilots".
11. Olesan, James A., "In Their Own Words – The Final Chapter: True Stories From American Fighter Aces", iUniverse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4502-9806-3, page 142.
12. Oleson, James A. (2011-03-16). In Their Own Words - the Final Chapter: True Stories from American Fighter Aces. ISBN 9781450290463.
13. "List of Marine Corps Aces in WW2 - Wildcat and Corsair pilots".