Lucas — Those Who Served with Dad

In the letters

Airplane commander (1st Lt.) from Charlottesville, Virginia; flew with Austin on “City of Charlottesville.” Austin later became an A/C himself while Lucas continued with the old crew.

Researched note

Name: Lucas (given name not stated in letters)
Branch of Service: U.S. Army Air Forces (1st Lt., airplane commander)
Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia (per letters)
Activity During WWII: A/C of B-29 “City of Charlottesville,” 19th Bomb Group, with Austin as pilot on the same crew before Austin became an A/C himself.

Nose-art research lists City of Charlottesville with the 19th Bomb Group. The group’s own 1945 history notes that 314th Wing B-29s were commonly named for U.S. cities tied to crew members—consistent with Lucas naming the ship for Charlottesville. Independent full name / serial / mission log for Lucas not found.

Sources: usaaf-noseart.co.uk — City Of Charlottesville, 19th BG; 19th BG (VH) 1945 unit history (city-name practice).