Lou Spence | |
|---|---|
_cropped.JPG) Wing Commander Spence as commanding officer of No. 77 Squadron in the Korean War, August 1950 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Silver" |
| Born | 4 April 1917 Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 9 September 1950 (aged 33) An'gang-ni, South Korea |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–50 |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Unit |
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| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | |
Louis Thomas Spence, DFC & Bar (4 April 1917 – 9 September 1950) was a fighter pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II, he flew with No. 3 Squadron, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), and commanded No. 452 Squadron, receiving a Mention in Despatches. He led No. 77 Squadron in the opening months of the Korean War, and was awarded a bar to his DFC, the US Legion of Merit, and the US Air Medal, for his leadership.
Born in Bundaberg, Queensland, Spence worked in a bank before joining the RAAF in March 1940. In August the following year he was posted to North Africa with No. 3 Squadron, which operated P-40 Tomahawks and Kittyhawks against German and Italian forces; he was credited with shooting down two German aircraft. Spence commanded No. 452 Squadron in 1944, flying Supermarine Spitfires in defence of Australia's North-Western Area against the Japanese. After a brief return to civilian life following World War II, he rejoined the RAAF in October 1946. He took command of No. 77 Squadron, operating P-51 Mustangs as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, in February 1950. The squadron went into action within a week of the outbreak of the Korean War in June. Spence was killed during a low-level mission over South Korea in September 1950.