Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By And/Or Copyright
0642301a 0642301b	36k 30k	Marion William Dufilho, the son of John Marie and Anna Catherine (Hinckley) Dufilho, was born 22 May 1916 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. After graduating high school, young Dufilho was appointed the the U.S. Naval Academy in June of 1934. Graduating from the Academy on 02 June 1938, he was assigned to the battleship USS Mississippi (BB 41), in which he served until November 1940. After being detached from Mississippi, he reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida as "ensign, under instruction" for flight training. Graduating on 15 February 1941 as Naval Aviator #7153, he was assigned to Fighter Squadron Three (VF-3) aboard USS Lexington (CV 2). He was promoted to Lt.(jg) on 01 July 1941, and then Lieutenant on 01 July 1942. On 20 February 1942, the Japanese at Rabaul were determined to locate and sink the U.S. carrier Lexington and Japanese G4M1 Betty bombers set out with that end in sight. Alerted to the coming fight, six F4F Wildcats landed on the Lexington to refuel and rearm and six others took to the skies to rid the carrier deck of fully fueled and armed aircraft, and to engage the attacking bombers. The fight was bitter. When a second wave of enemy bombers appeared, only two aircraft, F4F-3s flown by Lieutenant Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Marion Dufilho, were between the attackers and the carrier they protected. Dufilho's machine guns froze but O'Hare dove on the eight bombers and downed four; then he aimed at taking out the master bombardier and interrupting the bomb run. On 08 May 1942, Lexington was torpedoed and lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea and Lt. Dufilho transferred to Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5) aboard USS Saratoga (CV 3), Lexington's sister ship. As flagship of Rear Admiral F. J. Fletcher, Saratoga opened the Guadalcanal assault early on 07 August 1942 when she turned into the wind to launch aircraft. She provided air cover for the landings for the next two days. At about 1500 on the 07th, Lt. Richard Gray, leading, with Ens. M. K. Bright, Lt. Hayden M. Jensen, Lt.(jg) C. B. Starkes, Lieut. Marion W. Dufilho, Lt.(jg) F. O. Breen, Lt. David C. Richardson, and Ens. C. D. Davy sighted 11 enemy type Aichi 99 dive bombers, which were flying unescorted. No warning of this enemy attack had been received. Lt. Jensen, the first to sight the enemy and to give the alarm by radio, attacked and followed the enemy down through the antiaircraft fire from the ships, destroying 2 of the raiders. Lt. Dufilho followed him, and also nailed 2 of the enemy planes while damaging a third. Lt.(jg) Starkes and Ens. Bright each accounted for 3 more, or a total of 10 shot down. Another flight of from 7 to 12 enemy dive bombers, however, attacked our ships unobserved by our own fighters or radar. They were reported by one of our scout bombers as they approached from another direction. Two of these planes were destroyed during their retirement. None of the dive bombers of the group intercepted succeeded in getting a hit on their targets, according to Lcdr. Simpler. The hits were made by the unopposed attack. Lt. Marion Dufilho was awarded the Navy Cross for this engagement. On 24 August 1942, while serving as a section leader in Fighting Squadron 5 in Saratoga (CV 3), Lieutenant Dufilho was killed in action in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism and achievement in this battle, which turned back a major effort of the Japanese to reinforce Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Other medals awarded posthumously were the Purple Heart; American Defense Service Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal. Lieutenant Dufilho's remains were never located, he is memorialized with a headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. USS Dufilho (DE 423) (1944-1946) was the first ship to be named in his honor. (Photo from the U.S. Naval Academy Yearbook; The Lucky Bag, Class of 1938.)		Bill Gonyo Downey, Cal. Assoc. Researcher Navsource
0642302	40k	24 July 1944: Houston, Tex. - Port bow view of USS Dufilho (DE 423) near Houston three days after being commissioned. The ship carries Measure 32/3d camouflage scheme. (U.S. Navy Photo #BS 98961 from the Bureau of Ships, United States National Archives)		Jerry Church   caption from Mike Green Port Angeles, Wash.
0642303	69k	02 November 1944: Casablanca, French Morocco - As seen from the USS Kasaan Bay (CVE 69), the USS Dufilho (DE 423), wearing 32/3d camouflage scheme. (U.S. Navy Photo #80-G-298905 from the United States National Archives)		David Buell   caption from Mike Green Port Angeles, Wash.
0642305	71k	07 December 1944: The Gulf of Mexico - Overhead starboard side view of the USS Dufilho (DE 423) underway in the Gulf of Mexico, as seen by an aircraft from squadron ZP-24. Dufilho is enroute to the Panama Canal after departing Norfolk, Va. on her way to the Pacific. She and USS Douglas A. Munro (DE 422) are escorting USS Fomalhaut (AK 22) (U.S. Navy Photo # 80-G-294554 from the United States National Archives, courtesy of C. Lee Johnson at USN Dazzle)		Mike Green Port Angeles, Wash.
0642306	133k	circa 1944: Port broadside view of USS Dufilho (DE 423). (U.S. Naval Historical Center photo #NH 79838, courtesy of D. M. McPherson, 1974, from the Naval History and Heritage Command)		Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Manager, Navsource DE / FF / LCS Archive
0642304a	135k	29 December 1945: Hong Kong, China - A group photo of Dufilho's engineering department. The photo belonged to Lisa's father-in-law Russell E. Snyder, who recently passed away.		Lisa Flowers Snyder

Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has
been made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list
only a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists, rosters, or deck logs available. Please see the
Frequently Asked Questions section on NavSource's Main Page for that information.

Additional Resources

---

Tin Can Sailors
The U.S. Navy Memorial
The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
The Destroyer History Foundation

---

To The DE, FF, LCS Photo Index Page

Back To The Main Photo Index

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail: Webmaster.

This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved. Page Last Updated: 15 November 2023