Hitler's Third Reich and World War II in the News is a daily edited review of WWII news, providing thought- provoking collection of hand-picked WW2 information.

Category: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2  -- See latest WWII news here. See also 'German Pilots, Aces', 'Bomber pilots', 'Aviation', 'Female Pilots'.

Four World War II aces spin tales
4 WWII fighter pilot aces recalled dogfights at the Aerospace Museum of California. Col. Bud Anderson, Lt. Col. Don Bryan, Col. Barrie Davis and Col. Art Fiedler were seated before a P-51 Mustang restored to a high polish. Fiedler recalled his days escorting B-24 bombers. On one mission he saw 2 German Messerschmitt 109s. He followed one Me-109 down as it went into a vertical dive, hitting it with machine-gun fire, then watching it crash. Pulling out of the dive, he found himself flying side by side with another German fighter: He could see the the enemy's red helmet and his oxygen mask.     [ sacbee :: 2008-05-05 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

James Finnegan, who shot down Nazi Ace Adolf Gallant, dies at 85
63 years ago James Finnegan, a young fighter pilot flying his P-47, found himself in a dogfight - And at the end of it he downed the top German ace Adolf Galland flying Messerschmitt Me 262 jet. Finnegan was escorting Allied bombers when he "saw two objects come zipping through the formation, and 2 bombers blew up immediately. I watched the two objects go through the bomber formation, and thought, 'That can't be a prop job... it's got to be one of the 262 jets.'" Galland managed to land his crippled Me-262 jet, and years later the two pilots became friends, visiting each other to swap WWII stories.     [ sfgate :: 2008-04-26 :: German Pilots and Flying Aces ]

Abner Aust, WW2 fighter ace turned felon, rejects lawyer's plan to get him out of prison
Abner Aust, 86-years-old WWII fighter ace turned felon, could be sent back to prison for 12 years. Aust has been jailed since 2000, when he was convicted of trying to have a fire set in his ex-wife's house. In 2002 he was convicted of solicitation of murder of his ex-wife. His friends say no one was harmed and he's not a threat. Lawyer Jeff Holmes, initiated the idea of sending Aust to an assisted living facility, where the state could keep track of him. But Aust was having none of it: "I've been examined by a famous doctor... and I have a physical age of 55. I don't associate with old people."     [ tbo.com :: 2008-04-19 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Jack Giannini recounts exploits as World War II pilot
Not happy about the idea of getting shot at as an infantryman Jack Giannini became a fighter pilot. He learned to fly the P-40 Warhawk fighter: And was assigned to the Bell P-39 Airacobra. Designed as a high-altitude interceptor, the lack of a supercharger made it useless in the thin air. "Officer was giving a briefing and he didn't have a map, so he asked me for mine. He kept it and told me I could fly his wing to Africa. But, on the way, my C.O. lost his belly tank." The officer gave Giannini a heading in the Africa, then turned back. "I saw a strip of concrete, so I landed." It was in Spanish-held Morocco. More a guest than a POW, he lived in a hotel for 6 months...     [ bnd :: 2008-04-07 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

P-51 Mustang fighter ace Lt. Gen. Gordon M. Graham dies
Lt. Gen. Gordon M. Graham logged over 9,000 flying hours and got 55 decorations and service awards during his career in the Air Force. His first flying experience came while he was working at an airport in the 1930s. Told one payday there wasn't enough money to pay him, he took an offer of a flying lesson instead. That first experience piloting an aircraft became a passion for Graham, who shoot down at least 16 enemy planes during World War II. By the end of WWII, he had flown 73 combat missions in P-51 Mustang fighter planes.     [ military.com :: 2008-03-29 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Polish ace pilot Witold Urbanowicz's militaria given to Warsaw Army Museum
The Polish Army Museum has been given a collection of medals (Poland's highest decoration for valour the Order of Virtuti Militari, the British Order of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross) and other memorabilia of Poland's best WW2 fighter ace Witold Urbanowicz. He fought on 3 fronts: Poland, the Battle of Britain and in China with the Flying Tigers. He downed 28 German and Japanese aircrafts. In the Battle of Britain he had 15 kills, which put him in the top ten of Allied aces of the battle. After the war he returned to Poland, but was arrested by the Communist secret police as a spy.     [ polskieradio :: 2008-03-26 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Donald Lopez; World War II Fighter Ace, Museum Official
Donald S. Lopez, a World War II fighter ace who became a test pilot and spacecraft engineer and had a substantial role in planning the National Air and Space Museum, died aged 84. Lopez was based in China with the 23rd Fighter Group during WWII and flew 101 combat missions. He had 5 aerial victories, the requirement for an ace. Lopez's first downing of an enemy aircraft was nearly his last: He was flying a Curtiss P-40 when he shot down a Japanese Oscar fighter on Dec. 12, 1943. He nearly smashed into the enemy plane during a head-on pass, and 2 feet of his plane's wing were shaved off.     [ washingtonpost :: 2008-03-05 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

£115,000 for collection of memorabilia of Spitfire fighter ace Douglas Bader
An admirer of the legless fighter ace Douglas Bader had to reach for the sky to get a keepsake of his hero. The anonymous buyer paid £115,000 for an artificial leg and 40 other memorabilia and militaria artefacts belonging to the legendary WW2 Spitfire pilot. As well as the leg, he also got Bader's tunics, coats and flasks, plus parts of aircraft which he flew. The heroic pilot lost both his legs in a flying mishap in 1931 and was discharged from the RAF. He rejoined after the outbreak of war in August 1941. After shooting down 22 Luftwaffe aircrafts, he came down in flames and was taken prisoner and sent to the Colditz castle.     [ express :: 2008-02-21 :: World War II Memorabilia ]

UK bid to recognise NZ war hero Sir Keith Park - Battle of Britain tactical genius
A campaign is afoot in London to win recognition for one of New Zealand's greatest war heroes. Sir Keith Park led a key group of fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain. He commanded the RAF's 11 group in 1940 and his Hurricanes and Spitfires fought furious battles with the Luftwaffe. At the RAF Museum, he is looked upon a tactical genius, but after the battle Park fell out with RAF top brass. "He was sent out to do training and he wasn't even mentioned in the official history which was written by the RAF a year later." Trafalgar Square is home to many of Britain's war heroes and Terry Smith is keen to add a statue of Sir Keith wearing his uniform and helmet.     [ tvnz :: 2008-02-10 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

A documentary recalls efforts of Mexican fighter pilots in World War II
Briefly metnioned in the annals of war are the accomplishes of a little-known military unit that fought as an ally of the U.S. in World War II. 38 Mexican pilots and support personnel assisted U.S. and Filipino forces free the Philippine islands from Japanese occupation. Their story will be told in 2 showings of the documentary "The Forgotten Eagles" at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. "History, in general, has failed to recognize the contributions of this elite squadron, and someone needed to tell their story. I made the documentary because I wanted to add this Latino chapter to history..." told director Victor Mancilla.     [ statesmanjournal :: 2008-01-09 ]

Wolfgang Czaia: Project 262 - The Test Pilot's Journal
Wolfgang Czaia, the test pilot for the Paine Field-based Me-262 Project, had the rare chance to fly the first authentic reproduction of the famed World War II German jet fighter. His book "Project 262, The Test Pilot's Journal" tells the story of those test flights, his off-the-runway crash and the experience of flying as an escort for a B-24 bomber, one of the Me-262's wartime targets. Illustrated with almost 150 photos by aviation photographer Jim Larsen, the 224-page, book includes a 45m DVD filled with movies of the test flights and production. Put into service late in World War II, the Me-262 missed its chance to alter the result of that conflict.     [ heraldbusinessjournal :: 2008-01-03 ]

Eric Barwell: Downing Messerschmitt Bf 109´s, Stukas and a V1
Wing Commander Eric Barwell, who has died at 94, saw action during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain; and later as a night fighter pilot. In Feb 1940 he joined No 264 Squadron, equipped with the Defiant, a fighter fitted with a rear-facing gun turret but no forward-firing guns. This surprised the Luftwaffe and the Defiant squadrons accomplished some successes. Over Dunkirk Barwell and his gunner accounted for a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and, on a second patrol, they shot down 2 Stuka dive-bombers. 2 days later they destroyed another Bf 109. His final success came in 1944 when he shot down a V-1 flying bomb.     [ telegraph :: 2007-12-23 ]

RAF ace Bunny Currant hitchhiked out of enemy territory
Wing Commander Christopher Frederick "Bunny" Currant -- DSO, DFC and Bar, Croix de Guerre -- was not a man to give up easily. On May 22, 1940 he was standing in a field in France in his RAF uniform, with his Hurricane burning behind him. After an unlucky interlude with a Heinkel bomber, he had shown nerves of steel by climbing out of his Hurricane to bale out. But at an altitude of 6,000ft, he changed his mind. He climbed Back into the cockpit, took the controls again, and glided down into a field. Then, with the storm of German armour that would culminate in the retreat from Dunkirk gathering pace, the ace fell in with a group of French farmers near Arras.     [ dailymail :: 2007-12-19 ]

Argentine pilots break silence over World War 2
In October 1942, Flight Lieutenant Donald McLarty was shot down over Libya on his 199th WW2 mission. Even though he was flying for RAF, his uniform was emblazoned with a word 'Argentina'. Many foreigners fought for the Allied, but historians have mostly focused on pilots from countries occupied by Nazi Germany. Few realize that 800 young men from neutral Argentina hurried to sign up as pilots. When McLarty climbed into his Hurricane fighter-bomber for a low-level attack on a German base, he needed to do just 2 more missions to earn a long break. It was not to be... He was persuaded to speak by historian Claudio Meunier, who spent a decade unearthing hidden stories.     [ reuters :: 2007-12-12 ]

Medals of Wing Commander Christopher "Bunny" Currant for sale
The medals (2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Distinguished Service Order) earned by a World War II fighter pilot who shot down 16 enemy aircrafts and defended the North from Luftwaffe attacks will go under the hammer. Wing Commander Christopher "Bunny" Currant performed such heroics he appeared as himself in the morale boosting 1942 film The First of The Few. On August 15, 1940 large formations of bombers attacked and were intercepted by the few RAF fighter squadrons. Bunny and his fellow pilots of No 605 Squadron climbed in their Hurricanes and engaged the bombers - Luftwaffe never returned in force to the North.     [ icnetwork :: 2007-12-10 ]

Jefferson DeBlanc, World War II fighter pilot with Medal of Honor
Jefferson J. DeBlanc, a WWII ace who was awarded the Medal of Honor for shooting down 5 Japanese planes on a single day while running out of fuel, died at 86. On Jan. 31, 1943, DeBlanc took off from Guadalcanal in Wildcat fighter, leading a 6-plane section of Marine Fighting Squadron 112. They were tasked to protect dive bombers attacking Japanese ships near Kolombangara. He became dragged in a fierce air battle, and his fighter was using fuel at a rapid rate and he could have returned to his base, but he continued his attacks: "We needed all the guns we could get up there to escort those dive bombers... I figured I could survive a bailout."     [ washingtonpost :: 2007-12-05 :: Medal of Honor - Stories of the most decorated Heroes ]

Spitfire fighter ace Dal Russel shot down 5 and a half enemy aircraft
WWII fighter pilot Dal Russel flew 286 sorties, shot down 5 and a half enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain and returned home without a scratch. At 22, he was one of the youngest officers to go overseas with Fighter Squadron No. 1, and at 23 was one of the first Canadians to be granted the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was so lucky that ground crew called him DeadEye Dick and painted the ace of spades on his Spitfire. "He did not like to talk about what happened during the war. His brother... was killed in 1944. ...once when I invited him to go hunting with me, he declined. He told me he had seen enough of shooting and would never again fire a gun."     [ montrealgazette :: 2007-11-27 ]

Battle of Britain fighter pilots badly trained, had poor kill/loss ratio
Most Battle of Britain pilots were so badly trained they could not shoot straight, says historian Andrew Cumming. Some went into combat after 10 hours of solo flying and without ever having fired their guns. Lack of training facilities, time and recruits hampered Fighter Command's efforts. Documents show the "kill/loss ratio" for the key air battle (24 Aug - Sept 6, 1940) was "unimpressive". The Battle of Britain pilots (The Few) have become legendary figures, not because of reality but because they helped form a heroic national identity. The RAF's performance against Luftwaffe in 1940 was "ineffectual" and we owe much more to the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy.     [ telegraph :: 2007-10-31 :: The Blitz - Battle of Britain ]

World War II flying ace Abner Aust Jr. - National treasure or menace?
Abner Aust Jr. is a genuine war hero, a flying ace who shot down Japanese Zeros over Tokyo near the end of WWII and then piloted jets in 300 more combat missions in Vietnam. A U.S. Air Force officer organizing a reunion of fighter pilots wants Aust, whom he calls a "legendary American", to attend as a special guest. The 86-year-old Aust also is a felon: convicted of trying to hire somebody to kill one of his ex-wives and burn down her house. He's spent the past 7 years behind bars and likely will die there unless his supporters can persuade a judge that the retired colonel should be regarded as a national treasure instead of an ill-tempered menace.     [ heraldtribune :: 2007-10-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII fighter pilot David Hill dies, shot down 18 1/4 enemy aircraft
David Lee "Tex" Hill, a WWII fighter pilot who was the youngest brigadier general in the history of the Texas Air National Guard, died at 92. He graduated as a naval aviator in 1939, and in 1941 he joined the Flying Tigers, an American volunteer group in China. He shot down 18 1/4 enemy aircraft - The "quarter" came when 4 planes shoot down an enemy plane and each pilot was credited. Hill emerged from WWII a national hero. John Wayne based his character on him in the 1942 film "The Flying Tigers" and Hill earned numerous medals: the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses, the British Flying Cross and 6 Chinese combat decorations.     [ theoldcoot :: 2007-10-12 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Czechoslovak pilot who downed Soviet planes for Nazi Germany dies
Czechoslovak war pilot Jan Reznak, who fought on the side of the Nazi Germany in World War II, died at 88. His 13th squadron shot down 221 Soviet planes, and he himself was downed 3 times. The talented military pilot of Slovak origin first defended the Czechoslovakia, then he joined the Nazis, who decorated him with the Iron Cross, and after the Hitler regime was defeated he joined the Allies again. The only thing speaking in his favour is a documentary film showing Slovak pilots rising their hands in the Nazi salute when decorated. Reznak is the only one not to rise his hand.     [ praguemonitor :: 2007-09-26 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Wilson V. Edwards: American pilot in the Royal Air Force
Wilson V. Edwards heard the Royal Air Force was recruiting pilots under the table. The committee told us we needed 250 hours of flight time. I only had 35 hours. "I told them I had 235 hours." After 3 months of training in Tulsa, Edwards was nearing his departure for Britain when his draft number came up. "They had to get me out before I ended up being drafted, so they sent me to Canada." Later in UK: "I was assigned to an operational fighter squadron, the 133rd Eagle Squadron, and flew the Spitfire." In Jan 1942, the Eagle Squadrons assumed convoy duty over the English Channel. "That was where we encountered the Messerschmitt 110s and the Junker 87s."     [ alamogordonews :: 2007-09-10 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

The last recoverable Battle of Britain pilot exhumation called off
A bid to exhume the remains of a man who is thought to be the last recoverable Battle of Britain pilot has been abandoned. Flt Sgt Eric Williams was shot down on a combat mission over the Thames Estuary on 15 Oct 1940. No parachute was sighted when his Hawker Hurricane Mk1 aircraft was shot down - His squadron was attacked by Luftwaffe fighters led by German ace Major Adolf Galland. The operation to recover his remains from the site in Albion Parade, Gravesend, was called off. The Ministry of Defence spent 3 days excavating the area where he crashed but Flt Sg Williams' body is too deep to be reached.     [ bbc :: 2007-07-30 :: The Blitz - Battle of Britain ]

Air Commodore Paul Webb - Shooting down the first Junkers 88
Air Commodore Paul Webb was one of the 3 Spitfire pilots who took part in the shooting down of the first German aircraft attacking a target on British soil. Webb was scrambled just after 2 pm on October 16 1939 from Drem as a force of 9 Junkers 88s approached the Firth of Forth. The enemy aircraft were led by Helmut Pohle - commander of the first unit to be equipped with the "wonder bombers". The Spitfires of No 602 Squadron intercepted the enemy aircraft as they attacked the two cruisers in Rosyth dockyard. 3 fighter pilots chased one of the bombers as it pulled out of its attack and headed out to sea at low level...     [ telegraph :: 2007-07-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

World War II Reconnaissance pilot, fighter ace John Herman Hoefker
By April 1943, John Herman Hoefker was assigned to the 107th Reconnaissance Squadron and served temporary duty with an RAF squadron. While assigned to the 165th Squadron, he flew 11 combat missions, including convoy patrols, bomber escort and fighter sweeps. By early 1944, Hoefker was reassigned as a flight leader of the newly formed 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. From March 1944 through the early part of June, the unit's mission was to document enemy installations and troop movements in the Normandy. His most notable actions occurred during the German offensive in 1944, the Battle of the Bulge...     [ cincypost :: 2007-07-10 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII ace Alden P. Rigby is inducted into the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame
To be designated an "ace," a fighter pilot must shoot down at least 5 enemy aircraft. Alden P. Rigby came close doing it in one day on Jan. 1, 1945, when he added 4 additional planes to the one he had previously downed. Rigby was part of the "Legend of Y-29," or, as he terms it, "The Miracle of Y-29." It was part of the Battle of the Bulge, a move of the desperate Nazi regime, and Rigby ended up right in the middle of it. Ace is not a designation to be taken lightly. Starting with WWI 1450 Americans in all branches of the armed forces have become aces. "Now there are less than 300 still living. I'm honored to be one name on the list."     [ deseretnews :: 2007-06-30 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Last Post for Spitfire flying ace Desmond Ibbotson who fell to earth
In Nov 1942, plane of Flight Lieutenant Desmond Ibbotson was hit and he crash landed at an airstrip - just captured by the Germans. He was seized by the Afrika Korps and taken to see the Desert Fox Erwin Rommel. But he then escaped and was returned to his squadron by Bedouins. He climbed into the cockpit of Spitfire on Nov 19 1944. "He was about to go back to his squadron and then have a spell of leave. He'd been given the task of testing planes over Italy." When his Spitfire hurtled to earth south of Assisi, it hit the ground with such force that parts were buried 8 metres below the surface. His remains were found in 2005 by the Romagna Air Finders.     [ guardian :: 2007-06-09 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Scottish village honours Kiwi Spitfire pilot Carlisle Everiss
A young New Zealand pilot who sacrificed his life saving a small Scottish village in World War Two will have a bronze bust unveiled in his honour. Carlisle Everiss is regarded as a hero in the small village of Cowie, after he refused to bail out and stayed with his stricken Spitfire to steer it away from houses on Oct 2, 1941. Villagers said he knew his decision meant almost certain death. He died moments after his Spitfire crashed into railway sidings. He was pulled from the burning wreckage by villagers and given the last rites. His actions saved the lives of countless villagers.     [ bbc :: 2007-05-15 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

The Battle of Britain Spitfire ace Iain Hutchinson dies
The battling spirit of Spitfire ace Iain Hutchinson, who survived combat and a German POW camp, has succumbed at 88. He was shot down 5 times and destroyed a string of Luftwaffe planes. It was the actions of pilots such as him during the Battle of Britain that inspired Winston Churchill to proclaim: "Never in the field of human conflict had so much been owed by so many to so few." There are now 70 Battle of Britain pilots left. Most flew the Hurricane but Hutchinson was given the dashing Spitfire. His tally was 3 Messerschmitt 109 fighters confirmed, a Heinkel 111 bomber and a Messerschmitt 110 fighter-bomber probably destroyed, and a 109 damaged.     [ dailymail :: 2007-05-05 :: The Blitz - Battle of Britain ]

Aviation historians pay tribute: Fighter legend Neville Duke dies
Aviation historians have paid tribute to one of Britain's most decorated World War 2 fighter pilots who died shortly after his last flight. Sqn Ldr Neville Duke flew 485 sorties achieving 28 air combat victories, including 7 aircraft shot down in 7 days. As a fighter pilot, he was also shot down twice, including once by the German ace Otto Schulz. After the war he became a celebrated test pilot for Hawker. In 2005 he auctioned his medals and memorabilia - including his Distinguished Flying Cross with two bars, his OBE, his wartime diaries - for £138,000 because of security and insurance fears.     [ bbc :: 2007-04-14 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Daring wartime airman's medals and military insignia up for sale
Medals and military insignia, including 4 Distinguished Service Orders, belonging to one of World War II's finest airmen are expected to fetch up to £180,000. Sir Basil Embry's dedication was so great that, when grounded by RAF because he was overworked, he took on the pseudonym "Wing Commander Smith" to ensure that he flew in some of the war's most daring raids. Sir Basil was also famed for evading capture after being shot down over France while protecting the British Army during the Dunkirk retreat. Sir Basil, who became Air Chief Marshal, was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.     [ timesonline :: 2007-04-10 :: WWII Medals & Most decorated Soldiers ]

The first Chinese American fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corp
Article no longer available from the original source.
Lt. Colonel Fong became a pioneering Asian American for serving in World Ward II as the first Chinese American fighter pilot to fly with the U.S. Army Air Corp in the European Theater. His skill and bravery while escorting ships and bombers with the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron saved countless lives, and the British honored the squadron with a monument for their efforts. "He joined the 56th fighter group, which was to become the most effective fighter group in the 8th Air Force, having shot down more enemy aircraft than any other fighter group. Frank himself shot down 3 German fighters. In June 1944 he flew recon missions over the Normandy coast the day before D-day."     [ aapress :: 2007-04-07 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

World War II fighter pilot who shot down Nazi Germany's flying ace
Robert Smith was a World War II fighter pilot who shot down one of Nazi Germany's flying aces during an aerial battle. It was 62 years ago that Smith, as an Army Air Forces lieutenant, shot down the German FW-190 plane. But it wasn't until 2001 that he learned the identity of the downed pilot through a WWII researcher. The pilot was Lt. Gerhard Vogt, who had been credited with 48 destroyed American planes in 174 combat flights. Smith had to chase the Luftwaffe pilot low through a fog bank over Cologne. "We were bouncing in and out of the fog bank and my wingman was giving me directions from 1,000 feet above me, where he could see the shadows of both planes..."     [ cleveland :: 2007-03-31 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Alex Henshaw, the Spitfire ace who never got to fly a mission
He flew more Spitfires than any other man - and was hailed as the greatest test pilot of World War II. He risked his life to iron out problems with the RAF's aircraft. And he was the only pilot ever to 'roll' the massive Lancaster bomber upside-down in mid air. The death of Alex Henshaw concludes a story of courage and skill. He survived crashes, and clashed with officials about his antics: like bringing Birmingham to a standstill by flying his Spitfire upside-down only feet above the rooftops. He test-flew some 3,000 Spitfires, more than 10% of all those ever built. In 2006 he took the controls of a Spitfire in a flight to mark the aircraft's 70th anniversary.     [ dailymail :: 2007-03-01 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Spitfire pilot Ian Keltie dies - Normandy D-Day 1944, Dunkirk 1940
The cockpit cover flew off. Ian Keltie felt like he'd been "hit with a hammer." Keltie, a pilot fighting for Canada in World War II, struggled to assess the damage to his aircraft during B-17 bombers escort mission on Aug. 24, 1942. "I took violent evasive action and climbed hard and fast," he wrote in Spitfire II, a book about Canadian fighter pilots. He is believed to have been one of the few surviving Canadians to have flown a Spitfire. Keltie flew in support of the Dunkirk evacuations in 1940, and he was the second pilot to land in Normandy on D-Day. King George VI awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross.     [ thestar :: 2007-02-06 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Canadian war hero Syd Shulemson has died - WW2 Fighter pilot
Fighter pilot Syd Shulemson was Canada's most highly decorated World War II Jewish soldier. He helped pioneer techniques for low-level rocket attacks on Axis powers' shipping. The tactics were used for decades until long-range missiles supplanted unguided rockets. He was sent to RCAF 404 Squadron as part of a Royal Air Force Coastal Command wing whose role was to attack German shipping along the Norwegian and Dutch coasts. The squadron was equipped with Bristol Beaufighters. Though heavily armed with four 20-mm cannon and 6 machine guns, they suffered heavy losses when attacking ships with torpedoes because they had to fly straight and slow.     [ ctv :: 2007-02-04 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

World War II pilots faced many hazards in addition to attacks
"If you couldn't recover from a spin, you were a dead pigeon," said Brigadier General Roland Wright. And no one remembered to tell him that in a P-51 a pilot first had to burn off the fuel in the 85 gallon tank behind the seat: "...the airplane absolutely swapped ends with me. I recovered just a few feet above the English channel." Wright had unique experiences with advanced German weapons, like locating the launching sites for the V2 rockets: "I was sitting over Holland at about 30,000 feet and I saw one pass by; it looked like a telephone pole." While he was serving the Germans developed the ME 262, the first jet aircraft that became operational in combat.     [ rexburgstandardjournal :: 2007-01-30 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Who was the first Australian to shoot down a Japanese aircraft
The death of a WWII wing commander has sparked debate over who was the first Australian to shoot down a Japanese aircraft over mainland Australia. Peter Kirk has evidence to show Wilbert "Darkie" Hudson was the first one decorated for bravery on home soil during the bombing of Darwin. He produced an RSL journal, which said "Darkie" used a Lewis machinegun to shoot down Japanese bombers on Feb 19, 1942. -- It was thought Wing Commander Dick Cresswell was the first to shoot down a Japanese aircraft from the air. In 1942, He intercepted 3 Japanese bombers and shot one down at Koolpinyah Station.     [ ntnews :: 2007-01-13 :: Australia during WWII ]

The Yanks who fought just for the fun of it - Knights of the Air
In 1940, Eugene "Red" Tobin left a job at MGM to follow his dream of piloting a British Spitfire, even though he knew that he would be taking on Adolf Hitler and Luftwaffe, and flaunting neutrality laws of U.S.. Other Americans, such as wealthy, two-time Olympic gold-medalist William Fiske III and White Russian immigrant Andy Mamedoff, also refused to wait for America to enter the war. The Battle of Britain was fought in the air: Spitfires and Hurricanes against Messerschmitts and Stukas. Alex Kershaw goes to great lengths to place his tiny squadron within the larger context of the war.     [ timesdispatch :: 2006-12-12 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

One of the earliest decorated pilots: downed enemy at Pearl Harbor
Ken Taylor, one of the earliest decorated fighter pilots of World War II, has died. His heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart medal. He, along with George Welch, were two of the first decorated heroes of the WWII. On Dec. 7, 1941, Taylor woke up to the sound of planes flying low overhead - it was clear that the Japanese were attacking, so he and Welch acted quickly, putting in a call to have their planes prepped for takeoff. Soon after taking off, they found themselves engaged with Japanese aircraft. Taylor would shoot down two Japanese aircrafts.     [ azstarnet :: 2006-12-05 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Exploits of a World War II fighter pilot
In June 1944, I was on my way to Europe on a Liberty ship. Soon we were in a truck with a young driver working our way east, in the dark, when he admitted he was lost. We had begun to hear artillery fire so we stopped. At the crack of dawn, we noticed a runway. By shear luck, we had found the 370th Fighter Group. On my second mission, I noticed "things" falling through our formation. They were 500-pound bombs, released by a formation of B-17 bombers flying high above us. Although Luftwaffe fighters had suffered large losses to P-51s, they continued to attack us in superior numbers forcing us to drop our bombs.     [ lompocrecord :: 2006-09-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

World War II fighter ace Herschel Green dies
Fighter pilot Col. Herschel "Herky" Green, one of the sharpest shooters in World War II, has died. A fighter pilot in Europe and Africa from 1943-1944, he was the leading ace of the 15th Air Force. He destroyed 18 enemy aircraft and 10 more on the ground. During one attack on German bombers, he destroyed six aircraft. Green convinced himself he couldn't be killed after returning from numerous aerial combats unscathed. "Many times after that, I would tear into large gaggles of Luftwaffe fighters with just a wingman, and my only thought was how many we could get before they got away," he wrote in his memoir, Herky! The memoirs of a Checkertail Ace.     [ nctimes :: 2006-08-19 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII Spitfire hero who shot a V1 flying bomb honoured
An "astonishing act of heroism" is being remembered with a plaque and display in a Kent town in honour of a World War II Spitfire pilot Bill Marshall. Royal Air Force pilot shot and destroyed a V1 flying bomb which was about to fall on Lydd. He was lucky to survive when he fired on the bomb from close range and stopped it from hitting Lydd in July 1944. The town suffered only a few broken windows.     [ bbc :: 2006-08-05 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII ace who helped kill commander of Japan's Pacific fleet
Besby Frank Holmes, a decorated combat ace, helped kill the Japanese admiral who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. U.S. forces got a message showing that Admiral Isoruko Yamamoto would be within 400 miles of Guadalcanal for an inspection of combat units. It was too far for any U.S. fighter aircraft at the time. But the newly arrived P-38s had a long range that could be extended by external fuel tanks. 18 pilots took off the morning of April 18. Two planes turned back, but other 16 flew, until they reached their destination. The gamble paid off, and they ran into six Japanese fighters and two bombers, one of which was carrying Yamamoto.     [ sfgate :: 2006-07-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Pilot missed battle not the thrills in 32 feet long "runway"
Web Morrison is one of the very few naval airmen to fly the rarest of warbirds of World War II. He had all the thrills he needed flying the then-new Curtis C-1 Sea Hawk. Flying from the aft catapult of the Works War I-era Pennsylvania, the heavily-built Curtis came equipped with a serious punch for a smallish spotter aircraft. Curtis had a "runway" just 32 feet long - swung out over the battleship's stern quarter. Mounted on a short steel truss that pivoted outward, battleship spotter planes were literally shot into the air with engines screaming by powerful steam catapults.     [ sooeveningnews :: 2006-05-26 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Pilot Charley Fox recalls how he wounded the Desert Fox
This is the story of how a quiet, unassuming Canadian air force pilot named Charley Fox wounded Germany's greatest field marshal, the Desert Fox. Fox, who flew over Normandy three times during D-Day, told his story. The Guelph native, who is 86, was 'looking for targets' on July 17, 1944 in Normandy, when he spotted a car carrying Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and a number of his aides. Fox described how he fired from his Spitfire and struck the car carrying one of Nazi Germany's top military men.     [ chathamthisweek :: 2006-04-26 :: Desert Fox Erwin Rommel ]

WWII air ace Johnny Checketts dies
Johnny Checketts, one of New Zealand's greatest fighter pilots of WWII, has died aged 94. During the war he flew at least 418 sorties, many of them over Nazi occupied Europe. He shot down 14 and a half German aircraft (one victim shared), two V1 flying bombs, and destroyed two German E boats. On top of this tally were four probable "kills" and at least 11 damaged German aircraft. Twice he was shot down in hair-raising brushes with the Luftwaffe fighters, both times bailing out. He won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and US Silver Star and Polish Cross of Valour.     [ aap :: 2006-04-24 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII ace Fred J. Christensen, who flew with black cat, dies at 84
To make a point to fellow fighter pilots in WWII, Col. Fred J. Christensen always flew with Sinbad, a stray black cat he had found. Seeing him return safe from combat missions - black cat and all - helped motivate the other pilots. And counter to traditional superstitions, Sinbad was very good luck for her father, who shot down 22 Nazi planes during the war, including six in a two-minute span of one air battle. Though he flew 107 combat missions against the German Luftwaffe, "he was a very humble man," his daughter said. "He didn't want to be known as a war hero."     [ boston :: 2006-04-12 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

P-51 Mustang ace: Shooting down Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter
WWII fighter ace Clayton Kelly Gross has published a memoir about his adventures shooting down six German airplanes as a P-51 Mustang pilot. His flight leader assigned Gross to fly low, luring German attackers so the rest of his outfit could shoot down the enemy fighters. On April 14, 1945, flying at 12,000 feet, Gross plunged his P-51 into a dive so he could boost his speed enough to catch a 100 mph faster Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter cruising below. The plummeting P-51 was shaking so badly that Gross almost couldn't control it. Nearly colliding with the 262, Gross squeezed the trigger in his control stick and shot it down.     [ columbian :: 2006-04-05 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Bernt Balchen: Rescue missions from Greenland
Norwegian Bernt Balchen was America's greatest Arctic expert of modern times, most notably he was the first pilot to fly across the South Pole. In WWI he served as a cavalryman in the Finnish Army, which fought against the Russians. In 1921, he became a pilot in the Norwegian Naval Air Force. At the beginning of the WWII, he spent the next two years building air bases in Greenland so that aircraft being ferried from the US to Great Britain would have airports to refuel. From a base in Greenland he flew many spectacular rescue missions, saving the lives of numerous U.S. flyers whose planes had gone down on the icecap.     [ norway :: 2006-03-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

Currant - One of the RAF's most successful fighter pilots
Wing Commander "Bunny" Currant was twice awarded the DFC during the Battle of Britain when he was one of the RAF's most successful fighter pilots, being credited with destroying at least 13 enemy aircraft. Currant achieved his first success on August 15 1940, the day the Luftwaffe mounted its biggest raid against the north of England. In a co-ordinated attack, large formations of bombers attacked from Norway and Denmark and were intercepted by the few RAF fighter squadrons. Currant shot down two Heinkel bombers and probably destroyed a third. The Luftwaffe's losses were so high during this raid that they never returned in force to the north.     [ telegraph :: 2006-03-21 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII Ace, Author Robert L. Scott Dies
Retired Brig. Gen. Robert L. Scott, the WWII flying ace who told of his exploits in his book "God is My Co-Pilot," died. His death was announced by Paul Hibbitts, director of the Museum of Aviation where Scott worked in recent years. The Georgia-born Scott rose to nationwide prominence during WWII as a fighter ace in the China-Burma-India theater, then with his best-selling 1943 book, made into a 1945 movie. He shot down 22 enemy planes with his P-40 Warhawk, though he recalled some were listed as "probable" kills.     [ ww2aircraft :: 2006-02-28 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII ace Claude Kinsey dies
Claude R. Kinsey Jr., a "flying sergeant" who became one of the earliest U.S. aces of WWII, died Feb 4. Kinsey was credited with shooting down 7 enemy planes over North Africa between Jan. 29 and April 5, 1943, when he was shot down by his own inexperienced wing man. After recovering from severe burns, he ended up in a large POW camp near Chieti, Italy. Later the young pilot slipped out, evaded machine gun fire and began his 30-day escape down the Apennine Mountains toward Bari, according to a 40-page excerpt of his unpublished biography.     [ arlingtoncemetery :: 2006-02-25 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

WWII Victories of the Army Air Force
WWII Victories of the Army Air Force is the most complete work ever done on WWII fighter pilots. It lists 7,299 pilots, by assigned group and individually, who achieved aerial victories. It lists all 80 Fighter Groups, a total of 7,299 pilots, who had pilots that achieved aerial victories. The pilots within each group are listed in alphabetical order listing their rank, serial number, squadron and the number of victories earned while assigned to that squadron. The book is fully indexed for ease of use.     [ prweb :: 2006-01-14 :: Avitation & Airforce: Luftwaffe, RAF, USAF ]

World War II Fighter Ace Forced To Sell His Medals
A legendary World War Two fighter ace who broke the world air speed record is being forced to sell off his medals after 65 years of flying. Hero pilot Neville Duke, D.S.O, O.B.E., D.F.C. (and Two Bars), A.F.C, has one of the longest and most distinguished records in British aviation history. Duke was credited with 28 air combat victories during his 485 operational sorties after joining the RAF in the summer of 1940 at the height of the Battle Of Britain.     [ lse :: 2005-12-03 :: Mistreated WWII Veterans ]

Pilot who saved Buckingham Palace during World War II to be honored
A Royal Air Force fighter pilot who rammed a German bomber to prevent it attacking Buckingham Palace during World War II is to be posthumously honored for his valor. Sergeant Ray Holmes, who died earlier this year at the age of 90, used his Hurricane to bring down the German Dornier before it reached the palace, London home of the British monarch.     [ telegraph :: 2005-11-02 :: Flying Aces & Fighter Pilots of WW2 ]

See also

'German Pilots, Aces'

'Bomber pilots'

'Aviation'

'Female Pilots'.

What's new - recent & interesting categories.

Although the articles linked from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich 1933-1945 and World War II in the News are reviewed and specially selected, they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, who is not responsible for the content of any external sites. This service is © Joni Nuutinen 2005-2008. All rights reserved.