Chester E. Trout
Captain, U.S. Army Air Forces

Chester E. Trout joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on 22 November 1940.

On 11 July 1942, then-First Lieutenant Chester E. Trout was serving as Pilot of a P-39 Airacobra Fighter Plane in the 40th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, Far East Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces.

On that day, 1LT Trout’s unit was in aerial action against Japanese forces near Port Moresby, New Guinea. While leading a flight of 2 P-39 fighters, 1LT Trout intercepted 26 Japanese bombers accompanied by 11 fighters. Despite being so greatly outnumbered as to make any engagement extremely hazardous, 1LT Trout unhesitatingly made a series of attacks. In the first, he shot down one bomber and in a second, he damaged another. During his 3rd attack, 1LT Trout was under fire from American anti-aircraft batteries, as well as from the enemy fighter planes. In spite of the heavy odds against him, 1LT Trout continued his daring attack and succeeded in dispersing the Japanese formation so that all their bombs fell harmlessly into the bay. 1LT Trout’s courageous actions and extraordinary heroism that day earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

As a Captain, Trout was transferred to the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force, serving primarily in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. On 15 April 1945 CPT Trout, the squadron's operations officer, was flying a P-38L Lightning (44-24632) nicknamed 'Silver Ghost' from Lesina, Italy, leading a combat mission to attack railway communications between Regensburg and Passau, Germany. As they were strafing the target area, CPT Trout radioed his wingman, 2LT Edward G. Brickley, that his aircraft was on fire and that he should bail out. CPT John D. Hurst later stated that he flew over a P-38 burning on the ground and could see the pilot laying about 50 yards from the wreckage. Minutes later, CPT Hurst saw another P-38 in a 30 degree dive and on fire. The P-38 passed in front of him and crashed on the outskirts of Passau, but he could not identify which aircraft it was, due to the haze in the area. The planes of both CPT Trout and 2LT Brickley were hit by German flak and they were killed in action during the crash.

CPT Trout was credited with destroying one enemy aircraft in aerial combat during World War II.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal with Award Numeral 7
American Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Stars
World War II Victory Medal
Presidential Unit Citation with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Air Force Pilot Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Chester E. Trout (ASN: 0-421145), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-39 Fighter Airplane in the 40th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, FAR EAST Air Force, in action near Port Moresby, New Guinea, on 11 July 1942. Leading a flight of two P-39 aircraft, First Lieutenant Trout intercepted twenty-six enemy bombers accompanied by eleven fighters. Although so greatly outnumbered as to make any engagement extremely hazardous, he unhesitatingly made a series of attacks. In the first, he shot down one bomber. In a second, he damaged another. During his third attack, he was under fire from our own anti-aircraft batteries as well as from the enemy. Nevertheless, First Lieutenant Trout continued his daring attack against heavy odds, and succeeded in dispersing the enemy formation so that all their bombs fell harmlessly into the bay.

Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Orders No. 16 (April 10, 1943)

Burial

Captain Chester E. Trout is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France in Plot K, Row 43, Grave 27.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56661708/chester-e-trout