"The National WWII Museum mourns the loss of WWII veteran and dear friend John “Lucky” Luckadoo, who passed away on September 1, 2025, at 103 years old. He was the last surviving pilot from the 100th Bombardment Group who flew in World War II. “The Major left formation the evening of September 1st and completed his final mission to bluer skies,” a message on Luckadoo's official website said. Born in 1922, Luckadoo joined the US Amy Air Forces at age 19. Two months after the surprise attack of Pearl Harbor, he volunteered as an aviation cadet in February 1942. After completing training a year later, he was assigned as a pilot to the 351st Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group. Luckadoo served as a copilot on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers, flying 25 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. The 100th Bomb Group earned its now-famed nickname, the "Bloody Hundredth", due to its heavy losses in the often-brutal air war in the skies over Europe. Luckadoo recalled that morale for the group cratered after suffering 400 percent crew turnover in its first 90 days in combat. “Every time you went up, you were facing the stark possibility that would be your last mission,” Luckadoo said in a 2012 oral history recording for The National WWII Museum." John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo, Last Surviving Pilot of ‘Bloody Hundredth,’ Has Died | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
