One of the greatest fighter pilots ever, Blakeslee led the 4th FG to become the leading American fighter unit in Europe. Discreet by nature, Blakeslee's aircraft was never decorated. He is credited with 15.5 aerial and 2 ground victories but some sources suggest his actual score to be much higher. He flew over 500 combat missions in 1,000 hours, more than... One of the greatest fighter pilots...
Leonard "Kit" Carson became the highest-scoring ace of the 357th Fighter Group with 18.5 victories, plus 3.5 strafing kills. He preferred to attack his opponents at very short range and ran "Clobber College", the 357th FG's combat school, teaching new pilots essential combat skills and techniques. Leonard "Kit" Carson became the...
Bruce Carr was an ace credited with 14 aerial. One of his most surprising achievements was stealing a Fw 190 fighter from a German airfield to return to his base after he'd been shot down in Czechoslovakia. He also served in Korea and Vietnam. Bruce Carr was an ace credited with...
A former Eagle Squadrons pilot with the RAF, Don Gentile was transferred back to the USAAF in September 1942. His final wartime tally was 19.83 aerial victories, 3 damaged, 6 destroyed on the ground, as well as two aerial victories claimed while serving with the RAF. After the war, he became a test pilot and was killed in a flying accident in 1951. A former Eagle Squadrons pilot with...
Lt.Col. Edward O. McComas was credited with 14 victories, including 5 against Japanese Ki-43 Oscar fighters on 23 December 1944. Lt.Col. Edward O. McComas was...
"Bud" Anderson flew two tours of combat with the 357th FG and became the group's third highest-scoring ace with a total of 16.25 aerial victories. He remained with the Air Force and retired in 1972 with the rank of Colonel. "Bud" Anderson flew two tours of...
Witold Lokuciewski was credited with 9 aerial victories before he was shot down and captured in March 1942. After the war he briefly rejoined the RAF before returning to Poland, where he was imprisoned by Soviet authorities in 1947. In 1956, he joined the Polish Air Force and rose to senior rank before his retirement in 1974. Witold Lokuciewski was credited with...
Capt. James Sullin "Sully" Varnell, Jr. was the MTO's third-ranking ace with 17 victories and ranked as number 10 among Mustang aces. This little-known ace scored all of his 17 victories within 67 days, making him one of the fastest-scoring aces ever. Capt. James Sullin "Sully" Varnell,...
Stanislaw Skalski became the first Allied ace of the war when he shot down 6 German aircraft between 1 and 16 September 1939. After joining the RAF he increased his score to a total of 18 11/12 (or 22 11/12 according to some sources), making him the top Polish ace of the war. Stanislaw Skalski became the first...