Related Research Articles
Joseph Jacob Foss was a United States Marine Corps major and a leading Marine fighter ace in World War II. He received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his role in air combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign. In postwar years, he was an Air National Guard brigadier general, served as the 20th Governor of South Dakota (1955–1959), president of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and the first commissioner of the American Football League. He also was a television broadcaster.
The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The medal was established on July 2, 1926, and is currently awarded to any persons who, after April 6, 1917, distinguish themselves by single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Both heroism and extraordinary achievement are entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine. The medal may be awarded to friendly foreign military members in ranks equivalent to U.S. Pay Grade of O-6 and below, in combat in support operations.
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually considered to be five or more.
Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson is a retired officer in the United States Air Force, a triple ace of World War II, and the highest scoring living American fighter ace. During the war he was the highest scoring flying ace in his P-51 Mustang squadron. Towards the end of Anderson's two combat tours in Europe in 1944 he was promoted to major at 22, a young age even for a highly effective officer in wartime. After the war Anderson became a well regarded fighter test pilot, and a fighter squadron and wing commander. He served his wing commander tour in combat in the Vietnam War. He retired as a full colonel in 1972, after which he worked in flight test management for McDonnell Douglas. A member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Anderson has remained a sought-after speaker at aviation and military events well into his 90s.
Ralph Kidd Hofer was an American fighter pilot and flying ace with the United States Army Air Forces in World War II.
John Trevor Godfrey was a Canadian-born American fighter pilot and flying ace in the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force during World War II.
Major General Marion Eugene Carl was an American military officer, World War II fighter ace, record-setting test pilot, and naval aviator. He was the United States Marine Corps' first ace in World War II.
The Times and Democrat is a daily newspaper in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Times and Democrat is owned by Lee Enterprises, a company based in Davenport, Iowa.
Alexander Vraciu was a United States Navy fighter ace, Navy Cross recipient, and Medal of Honor nominee during World War II. At the end of the war, Vraciu ranked fourth among the U.S. Navy's flying aces, with 19 enemy planes downed during flight and 21 destroyed on the ground. After the war, he served as a test pilot and was instrumental in forming the post-war Naval and Marine Air Reserve program. From 1956 to 1958 Vraciu led his own fighter squadron, VF-51, for twenty-two months. He retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of commander on December 31, 1963. Vraciu later moved to Danville, California, and worked for Wells Fargo.
Eugene Anthony Valencia Jr. was a 3rd highest scoring United States Navy fighter ace in World War II with 23 claims.
Charles Russell Stimpson was a United States Navy fighter ace in World War II.
Kenneth Ambrose Walsh was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a Medal of Honor recipient who was the fourth ranking USMC fighter ace in World War II with a record of 21 enemy planes destroyed. He also served in Korea during the first year of the Korean War and retired from the Marine Corps in February 1962.
George Earl Preddy Jr. was a United States Army Air Forces officer during World War II and an American ace credited with 26.83 enemy air-to-air kills, ranking him as the top P-51 Mustang ace of World War II and eighth on the list of highest scoring American aces.
John Lucian Smith was an American Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Corps flying ace who, as commanding officer of VMF-223, shot down 19 Japanese planes in World War II and led his squadron to destroy a total of 83 enemy aircraft during the Solomon Islands campaign.
Colonel Charles Henry "Mac" MacDonald was a United States Air Force officer and a fighter ace of World War II. MacDonald commanded the 475th Fighter Group for 20 months in his P-38 Lightning, "Putt Putt Maru", and became the third ranking fighter ace in the Pacific during World War II.
Air Aces is a Cineflix produced series that airs on History channel in Canada. The series originally aired in the UK titled Heroes of the Skies on September 20, 2012. The series premiered in Canada as Air Aces on January 7, 2013 on History and also aired on Military Channel later in 2013. The show tells the stories of the most heroic airborne combat missions in history. The series uses real vintage aircraft and re-creates mid-air combat sequences. Featuring Spitfires, Lancaster bombers, and Phantom fighters and aerial stunt teams, the series dramatizes the exploits of the world's greatest Air Aces. The series also features interviews with the last surviving veterans and military historians and rare archival footage.
American Fighter Aces Association is a non-profit organization which recognizes the 1,450 combat American pilots who have had five or more aerial victories in combat. The AFAA is located in Seattle's Museum of Flight. The exhibit houses documents, artifacts and histories of the Aces.
Joseph D. Elsberry (April 25, 1921 – March 31, 1985) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and a prolific African-American World War II fighter pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the famed Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” among enemy German pilots. Elsberry destroyed three enemy aircraft over France in a single mission on July 12, 1944, and a fourth aircraft in July 20, 1944, becoming the first African American fighter pilot in history to do so. He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat: Clarence Lester, Lee Archer (pilot), and Harry Stewart.
Curtis Christopher Robinson was an American pharmacist and U.S. Army Air Force officer. He served as a fighter pilot during World War II with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen.
References
- ↑ "Appointment of Four Members of the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad". reagan.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ↑ American Aces (1958), Notes about the Author
- ↑ amazon.com American Aces
- ↑ amazon.com Greatest Fighter Missions
- ↑ amazon.com The Greatest Aces
- ↑ amazon.com Fighter Exploits
- ↑ amazon.com The Aces Talk
- ↑ amazon.com Aces Over the Oceans