Forgotten Heroes

Forgotten Her es Fighter Pilots in the Pacific

By Avi Heiligman

Members of the Black Sheep Squadron Jerry Yellin flew the last World War II mission in the Pacific

Aerial combat came about during World War I when pilots began to experiment with different methods to take down enemy airplanes. Grappling hooks, grenades, and handguns were all used to varying success. It was a French pilot who was the first to use a machine gun on a plane in battle, but there were design defects that hampered its effectiveness. Aircraft manufacturers and designers came up with planes designed to fight in battle without jeopardizing the plane or the pilot. Fighter pilots were trained in air-to-air combat and are highly regarded within the military community. Here are some notable World War II fighter pilots and their stories while fighting the Japanese in the Pacific.

Marine fighter squadron VMF-214, known as the Black Sheep Squadron, was commissioned in 1942 and became famous under legendary commander Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. The Idaho native had been with the Marines since 1935, and in 1941, he resigned from the Marines to join the American Volunteer Group (AVG). Known as the Flying Tigers, the AVG began flying missions in China two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attacks, and Boyington scored two kills in the air before rejoining the Marines. In his Vaught F4U-Corsair, Pappy became an ace while leading his squadron in the skies over the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. Boyington was later shot down and spent the rest of the war in a Japanese POW camp. Altogether, he had 26 kills (some records show 28 kills) to his credit and received the Medal of Honor.

While the lack of military discipline tactics was to circle around an enemy airfield waiting for a large enemy force to come up to meet them where they would be waiting in ambush. In addition to shooting down enemy planes, the squadron also accounted for cargo ships and troop transports and destroyed several enemy installations. The squadron still is active and in 2022 transitioned to flying the F-35B Lightning II fighter.

Japanese Emperor Hirohito had just accepted the Allies’ terms for unconditional surrender, but the flight crew did not hear the alert telling them that the war was officially over.

in the squadron was appalling to some spit-and-polish officers, the results achieved in battle are very impressive even by World War II standards. The Black Sheep Squadron shot down 203 Japanese planes, with nine pilots attaining the status of ace (at least five enemy planes shot down). One of their

One of the other aces in the Black Sheep Squadron was Chris Magee from Omaha, Nebraska. He shot down nine enemy planes. His Navy Cross citation shares some of the details: “Displaying superb flying ability and fearless intrepidity, First Lieutenant Magee participated in numerous strike escorts, task force covers, fighter sweeps, strafing missions, and patrols. As a member of a division of four planes acting as a task force cover on September 18, he daring [sic] maneuvered his craft against thirty enemy dive bombers with fighter escorts and, pressing home his attack with skill and determination, destroyed two dive bombers and probably a third.”

He later shot down five Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, and the next day, he strafed an enemy airfield leaving eight destroyed Japanese planes burning. In 1948, Magee decided to join the fledgling Israeli Air Force even though he wasn’t Jewish. The fighter ace was assigned to the 101st Squadron, flying S-199 fighters from Ekron Airbase. Magee returned to the U.S. without seeing action in the Israeli War of Independence.

Early World War II fighter planes were limited in range and could not escort bombers on long-range missions. The introduction of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter changed the way bombing missions were planned. The P-51 had a range of over 1,600 miles and could go much further with external fuel tanks. A pair of Jewish P-51 pilots from the 78th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group were credited with flying the last combat mission of World War II.

Boyington briefing members of his squad Chris Magee, left, with Pappy Boyington

Captain Jerry Yellin was born in Newark, New Jersey, and started his fighter pilot career in P-40 Warhawks and P-47 Thunderbolts. On a training mission, the engine on his P-40 quit, and he was forced to parachute into the Pacific off the coast of Hawaii. Yellin was eventually rescued, and he was soon training to fly Mustangs. In March 1945, he landed at a recently captured airfield on the hotly contested island of Iwo Jima. His first combat missions were in support of the ground troops still fighting on the island and included strafing and bombing entrenched Japanese positions. In April, he flew the first long-range fighter mission over Japan and was noted for his exceptional flying skills. Yellin is credited with shooting down a Zero while escorting B-29 bombers on one of his 19 very long range missions.

First Lieutenant Felix Phillip Schlamberg from Brooklyn, New York, was Yellin’s wingman in another P-51 on August 14, 1945. Japanese Emperor Hirohito had just accepted the Allies’ terms for unconditional surrender, but the flight crew did not hear the alert telling them that the war was officially over. After completing their mission over an airfield, the pair flew into cloud cover, but only Yellin emerged. Schlamberg and his plane were never found, making him one of the last casualties of the war.

Yellin wrote books on his World War II experiences after his discharge a few months later. Both pilots were awarded the Air Medal. Yellin was also the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

World War II fighter pilots were needed in large numbers to fill the tens of thousands of fighter planes rolling off the assembly lines. These pilots will be remembered for their sacrifices and bravery, while being an important asset in bringing the Axis powers to the surrender table.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.