Robert B. Westbrook (pilot)

Robert Burdette Westbrook (9 November 1917 – 22 November 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces lieutenant colonel and a World War II flying ace. Westbrook, a member of the California National Guard before World War II, completed flight training in 1942, and was sent to the South Pacific with the 44th Fighter Squadron, which he later commanded. Westbrook gained his first victories while flying the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and in late 1943 began flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. After scoring his fourteenth victory, Westbrook was sent back to the continental United States on leave in spring 1944, returning as aide to the commander of the Thirteenth Air Force. In late summer he became deputy commander of the 347th Fighter Group. With 20 victories, Westbrook became the Thirteenth Air Force's highest scoring ace. He was killed in November 1944 while strafing a Japanese gunboat.

Early life
Westbrook was born in Los Angeles on 9 November 1917, and attended Hollywood High School, where he joined the ROTC and became a cadet captain. After graduating in 1935, Westbrook studied at the University of California, Los Angeles for a year. He became a member of the California National Guard and was federalized along with his unit in March 1941.

World War II
On 25 September 1943, Westbrook was promoted to Major and became commander of the 44th Fighter Squadron. On 10 October, he scored the 44th's first P-38 victory on a mission with the 339th Fighter Squadron.

Legacy
A street in Kadena Air Base is named for Westbrook.