Joe Foss

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Yesterday, Joe Foss died. He shot down 26 Japanese airplanes in WW11. He also was a former NRA president and Governor of South Dakota.

 

[bobbysamd]

As well as the above, Mr. Foss was also the first commissioner of the American Football League, with which the NFL merged.

 

[Typhoon1244]

He shot down 26 Japanese airplanes in [World War II].

Oh, but you need to give the details: he shot down twenty-six airplanes in thirty-three days in a clunky F4F Wildcat. Twenty of his kills were A6M's which, at that stage of the war, were still being flown by crack Japanese pilots.

He earned the Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

If (big if) I remember correctly, last year he was going through security at an airport and his Congressional Medal of Honor set off the alarm. He didn't want to give it up - good for him!
Appeared he lived a very full and active life.
Does anyone know of any other big Aces still alive from WWII (Yankee or Brit)? Johnnie Johnson of the RAF died last year.

 

[bobbysamd]

WWII aces

For openers, how about Chuck Yeager? Among other things, he shot down five German fighters in one mission and shot down an ME-262 in his P-51. He shot down eleven aircraft in all. I understand that he took his last flight in an F-15 last year.

General Robin Olds shot down 13 German aircraft during WWII.

 

[Skyrunner]

Be like Joe!!

Joe Foss was a true warrior.

I also admired his goatee that he had in WWII. I don't think I could get away with that in todays military.

Adios,

SR

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
Chuck Yeager's life long friend and ex-WWII squadron mate is still alive . Unfortunately, our nations leading ace of all time passed away about a year ago. Colonel Gabraski shot down 28 aircraft in WWII ( a total cut short, because he was shotdown in 1944 and was a "guest" of the German's in Luftstalag I) and he was credited with 6.5 aircraft in Korea flying the F-86A "Sabre". Colonel Gabreski retired as the Wing Commander of the 52nd Figher Wing flying the F-101B "Voodoo" interceptor. His total flight time was 5000, of which 4000 were in jets.

Regards,

ex-Navy rotorhead

 

[Typhoon1244]

Yeager's friend "Bud" Anderson is still around, I think. And don't forget Robin Olds, who also flew in Korea and Vietnam.

 

[jetexas]

I actually had a chance to meet Chuck Yeager and "Bud" Anderson in '97. I remember Mr. Anderson as being about as nice you can get. Everyone kept asking for Yeager's autograph and he would do it while pointing at Anderson and saying "go get his autograph, he's the real hero here!". I think he shot down 15 German planes while flying P-51's..

 

[B52GUNNER]

Leading Ace

The US leading ACE was Richard (Dick) Ira Bong. 40 kills in a P-38 (named Margie for his wife) during WWII. He was killed in a crash just after WWII flying as a test pilot in a P-80..aka the F-80 aka T-33.

This is not to take any glory from Gabraski.

Also... had the pleasure of meeting Yeager back in 88 at the Independence Bowl when I was still flying on B-52's.

 

[bobbysamd]

Bob Hoover and Ted Williams

I am 99.99% sure that Bob Hoover was a WWII ace. But I can't find any documentation.

I realize that Ted Williams passed on this past year, but he was no slouch as a fighter pilot. He flew Corsairs in WWII, and Furies (Navy/Marine F-86s) or something in Korea as John Glenn's wingman.

Actually, the T-33 was an F-80 derivative, as was the F-94 and one or two other Skunk Works creations.

 

[flywithastick]

Bob Hoover flew in WWII earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, was shot down, imprisoned, managed to escape and steal a German plane to get back across the lines.

 

[B52GUNNER]

No the last ace was in vietnam. I think it was Steve Ritchie. He was the only USAF Ace. Randy Cunningham was a Navy Ace in Vietnam. There was also Robin Olds. He was an Ace in WWII (12 kills in WWII) and then shot down 4 in Vietnam. He was 1 kill short of being a double ace (prop and Jet).

There were 40 American Aces in Korea. The top Ace of Korea was Joe McConnell with 16 kills.

Just to throw in .....B-52 Tail gunners had two confirmed MiG kills in Vietnam. Sam Turner got the first one ... Al Moore got the other one. There were a few unconfirmed ones too.


C'est La Vie

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Good point on old Teddy Ballgame by Bobbysam! John Glenn said he was the best pilot he ever flew with. One hell of a compliment. The guy was also apparently a great fisherman. He did ok hitting a baseball as well.

There was another fellow, last name Johnson who died in SC last year who had over 20 kills in WWII but I can't recall his name. Maybe someone else here knows......


Mr. I.

 

[Geigo]

Don't know If he's an ace but...

There's a guy in the town I grew up in that flew fighter/photgraphic in F6F's. I never asked about how many kills he has, but the stories he tells are the real treasure.

So many young people today don't know anything other than there was a war. Look at Jay Leno's Jaywalking and things like that. Having personal accounts makes so much of a difference in understanding what & how things were done at that time.

He's told me stories of turning a carrier (the Enterprise I think) around in a Typhoon. One story I have used to teach about W&B was his A/C had an extra 400lbs of camera equipment making the CG further aft than any other. For some reason that aircraft would stall out if he did the normal climbing right turn to clear the deck after takeoff. So he would go straight ahead and let it drop some to build up airspeed. One day someone else had to fly his plane and did the standard climbing right turn. About 100 feet it stalled and spun in..the pilot never got out.

He is still in good shape and has a very sharp mind. If anybody else knows people like this I would encourage them to try and tape these people while we still can.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Are there any post Vietnam aces?

It's not easy to become an ace anymore. Conflicts donlt last very long, and most of the people we fight don't have that many airplanes to begin with!

Unless I'm mistaken, the definition of "ace" changed between W.W. I and W.W. II. Didn't it used to be ten kills, then went down to five? Maybe we should do it again to take into account changes in technology and politics: anybody who shoots down more than one airplane in the same conflict is an ace.

 

[Salty Dog]

I just read the story on this not too long ago but can't find it now. I think the definition changed back in WWI because the word came from being the record holder. The record at that point was 4 so the next "record" was 5. Obviously the next "Ace" would have to be six, but shortly (still in WWI) the conventional wisdom settled on 5. Doesn't matter where or when, just every 5 kills makes you an Ace, Double Ace, etc.