Amazing Aces of the Air by Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es The Amazing Aces of the Air

By Avi Heiligman

Adolphe Pegoud Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron Richard Bong

Shortly after the Wright brothers flew their famous first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, militaries around the world became interested in adapting aviation to their arsenal. In early World War I (1914-1918), the skies became a testing ground of sorts for reconnaissance flights and later for bombers and fighters. Pilots were being trained in aerial combat, called dogfights, and soon the term “ace” became part of aviation lingo. A pilot who shot down five enemy aircraft earned the title ace, and while some aces received attention in the news, many are relatively unknown outside history books. Here are some incredible stories of aces throughout history.

Frenchman Adolphe Pegoud was already an accomplished pilot at the start of World War I. He had been in the French Army until 1913 when he left to earn his pilot’s license. Later that year, he became the first to use a parachute while jumping from an airplane. Military planes were getting more sophisticated, and Pegoud was a test pilot for these new planes experimenting with their capabilities. He developed new maneuvers, including the first to fly a loop and inverted flight (flying upside down). At the beginning of World War I, he volunteered to join France’s aviation unit and was selected to fly an observation plane. On February 5, 1915, he shot down two German planes and by July had shot down four more aircraft. However, on August 3, 1915, the world’s first air ace was killed by a German pilot whom he had previously trained. Pegoud was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his actions and contributions to military aviation.

The top ace from World War I was Prussian-born Manfred von Richthofen, who flew several types of

planes, including the Fokker Triplane. Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, was credited with 80 kills before being shot down in 1918. The leading Allied ace was French Colonel Rene Fonck with 75 confirmed kills, with dozens more claims listed as probable. Eddie Rickenbacker was the top American ace of World War I with 26 aerial victories and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Planes steadily advanced in technology and firepower during the years between the wars. Before the U.S. entered the war in late 1941, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning with an innovative twin boom design was introduced into the Army Air Corps. Richard Bong flew the P-38 while fighting Japanese planes and in the process shot down an American record 40 enemy aircraft. Before being sent overseas, he raised eyebrows by buzzing (flying really) over San Fran-

cisco and knocking off laundry from a clothesline. Since he considered himself to be a poor shooter, Bong contributed his successes by flying as close as possible to make sure he hit his target. Once on a rescue mission to find lost downed pilots in New Guinea, Bong spotted them drifting in a rubber boat. Close behind them was a crocodile that was putting the hapless men in danger. Bong flew in close and hit the crocodile, saving his buddies.

After achieving his 40th victory the “ace of aces” was sent home but was killed before the end of the war while testing the P-80 Shooting Star jet fighter.

Shooting down five enemy aircraft is an incredible achievement for a fighter pilot. To top that, there are pilots that achieved the status of “ace in a day.” Marine pilot Jefferson DeBlanc had a total of nine Japanese planes to his record and shot down five of them on January 31, 1943. Flying his F4F Wildcat fighter over the Solomon Islands, he was on an escort mission for Dauntless dive bombers looking for enemy shipping. The Wildcat was leaking fuel but that did not deter DeBlanc from continuing the mission. He noticed two enemy floatplanes getting into position to attack the dive bombers and shot them down after evading enemy fire. On the return trip, DeBlanc shot down an “Oscar” Japanese fighter, and two other Oscars joined the aerial dogfight. He recorded his fourth and fifth kills of the day when one he shot down one and the other overshot his Wildcat. This put DeBlanc in a position to record his fifth enemy plane, and right after he shot it down, he himself was knocked out of the sky by an undetected enemy. DeBlanc was badly injured in the crash and landed in the ocean. He managed to swim to shore, survived off of coconuts, and was helped by local indigenous people before being rescued by Australian

Before being sent overseas, he raised eyebrows by buzzing (flying really) over San Francisco and knocking off laundry from a clothesline.

Coastwatchers. Soon an American Catalina flying boat came, and he was finally able to receive adequate medical attention for his festering wounds. Following World War II, jets took the place of propeller planes and were now the premier front line fighters. Many pilots who stayed in the Army Air Corps (in 1947, it was made an independent branch of the military and called the U.S. Air Force) were retrained to fly jets. Six World War II aces also became jet aces during the Korean War. One of these was Pennsylvania native Gabby Gabreski. Gabby had been a P-40 Warhawk pilot in the months leading up to the U.S. involvement in World War II and heard about the Polish pilots who achieved success with the RAF (Royal Air Force) during the Battle of Britain. Since he knew Polish, he requested assignment in England and flew 20 missions with the Poles in a Submarine Spitfire. After his stint with the RAF, he became a flight leader in the 8th Air Force flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. He achieved ace status while flying cover for bombers in December 1943 when he knocked out a Bf-109 that was attacking a B-17. In total, Gabby recorded 28 kills over Europe during World War II, making him the leading American ace in the European Theater of Operations. He was present over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day protecting the landing troops from air attack. However, on July 20, 1944, he went too low on a strafing mission over an airfield in Germany and was forced to crash land, becoming a prisoner of war. After the war, he returned to the U.S. as a war hero and became a test pilot.

During the Korean War, Gabby commanded the 56th Fighter Interceptor Wing flying F-86 Sabres. Under his command, the wing shot down 96 enemy MiG jets, with Gabby getting credit for 6.5 kills.

Over-claiming aerial victories was a common problem during the two World Wars, and the number of planes actually downed by pilots from all nationalities is far fewer than actually recorded. Standards for claiming a kill were put into place during World War II.

Many ace pilots received decorations and medals for the heroism in the air. DeBlanc, for example, received the Medal of Honor, while many others were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross. Aerial dogfights are physically and mentally demanding and the sudden turns and maneuvers can be fatal if a pilot wasn’t trained properly or wearing proper equipment. Except for a small handful of pilots whose stories do reach the press, most aces are unknown, making them Forgotten Heroes.

Gabby Gabreski

Jefferson DeBlanc, with his wife,

receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman

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.