The Aviation Medals of Honor

VF-17 is likely the most famous of all the US Navy squadrons. Their history started back with their deployment to the Solomon Islands in 1943 and participation in the campaigns around Bouganville and Rabul and continues to this day. This episode covers their time in the South Pacific as well as the trials involved in the use of the F4U Corsair as a carrier aircraft.

Continuing the series of episodes on the Corsair and the fight for aerial supremacy in the Solomon Islands. In January 1944, the Japanese defenders at Rabul still had some fight in them. Robert Hanson, a 23 year old Marine Corsair pilot, would rack up an impressive string of victories in January, ending with 25 kills at the time of his death. This episode wraps up the Solomon Islands Campaign with the neutralization of Rabul and a brief summary of the Corsair.

Selected references:

The Fighting Corsairs, the Men of Marine Fighting Squadron 215 by Jeff Dacus

History of Marine Corps Aviation in WW2 by Robert Sherrod

Time of Aces, MarinePilots in the Solomons 1942-1944 by Cdr Peter Mersky

Part 1 on Greg "Pappy" Boyington. Before he led the world famous VMF-214 Blacksheep over the Solomons, Pappy Boyington was a broke, sometimes violent, drunk, about to get kicked out of the Marine Corps. He’s given a second chance when he joins the American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers. This episode covers Pappy’s early life and time before his time with VMF-214, the Blacksheep squadron, as well as the history of the AVG.

Selected readings:

Black Sheep: The Life of Pappy Boyington by John Wukovitz

Baa Baa Black Sheep by Greg Boyington

The Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and the American Volunteer Group by Daniel Ford

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com Feedback and reviews are appreciated. Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur

1st Lt Kenneth Walsh was the first F4U Corsair ace and a pilot in VMF-124 during the Solomon Islands campaign. He would earn his Medal of Honor over the course of two missions in August of 1943 and finish the war with 21 victories. In addition to Ken Walsh and VMF-124, this episode covers the development of the F4U Corsair and the initial moves of Admiral Halsey up the Solomon Island chain.  

Selected readings: 

Harnessing the Sky: Frederick "Trap" Trapnell, the US Navy's Aviation Pioneer, 1923-1952 by Frederick Trapnell Jr and Dana Tibbitts 

Corsair, the F4U in World War II and Korea by Barrett Tillman 

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II by Robert Sherrod 

Time of Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944 by Cdr Peter Mersky 

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com Feedback and reviews are appreciated. Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur

Arriving just two days after John L. Smith and VMF-223, the pilots of the 67th Fighter Squadron quickly learned their P-400 Airacobras were woefully inadequate for the air to air mission. Unable to climb quickly or high enough to intercept the Japanese Zeros and Betty bombers, the P-39 variants were pressed into an air to ground role. From September to December of 1942, this group of Army Air Forces pilots would go about the dirty business of air to ground killing. They would never get the publicity of the Marine fighter aces, but in the words of 1st Marine Division commander General Vandegrift, on the morning of 14 September they “saved Guadalcanal”. This episode will look at the development of the Bell P-39 and why it struggled as a fighter over Guadalcanal as well as the history of the 67th Fighter Squadron. 

Next episode: Up the Slot with the Marines and the mighty F4U Corsair 

*Correction* After 5 episodes on Guadalcanal, I somehow managed to say the landings took place on 8 August instead of the actual date of 7 August. 

Selected readings: 

Guadalcanal, the Island of Fire: Reflections of the 347th Fighter Group by Robert Ferguson

Pacific Counterblow - The 11th Bombardment Group and the 67th Fighter Squadron in the Battle for Guadalcanal

P-39/P-400 Airacobra vs A6M2/3 Zero-sen: New Guinea 1942 by Michael Claringbould

In part 5 of 5 in the Guadalcanal series, 1st Lt Jefferson DeBlanc of VMF-112 becomes the first Marine to achieve 5 victories on a single mission. This episode covers DeBlanc's combat experiences from November 1942 through January 1943, his Medal of Honor mission and recovery following his shootdown, as well as the conclusion of the Guadalcanal campaign. 

Selected readings:

The Guadalcanal Air War Colonel Jefferson DeBlanc's Story, Jefferson DeBlanc

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War 2, Robert Sherrod

Wildcat, the F4F in WW2, Barrett Tillman

Time of Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944, Cdr Peter Mersky

Fire in the Sky, The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud

Guadalcanal  1942-43: Japan's Bid to Knock Out Henderson Field and the Cactus Air Force, Mark Stille

*Kolombangara is the name of the island I kept fumbling over

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com Feedback and reviews appreciated! Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur

Conclusion of Captain Joe Foss' story. Following their defeat in October, the Japanese gear up for another push to take Guadalcanal. The fate of the island will be decided over the course of several days of intense air and naval action from 12-15 November. Once again, the flyers of the Cactus Air Force will be in the thick of the action.  

Selected readings:  

Joe Foss Flying Marine: The Story of his Flying Circus, Joe Foss and Walter Simmons  

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War 2, Robert Sherrod  

Wildcat, the F4F in WW2, Barrett Tillman  

Time of Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944, Cdr Peter Mersky  

Fire in the Sky, The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud  

Guadalcanal  1942-43: Japan's Bid to Knock Out Henderson Field and the Cactus Air Force, Mark Stille

*I did my best with Japanese names, please excuse any errors. 

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com Feedback and reviews appreciated! Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur 

While not a Medal of Honor recipient, Marion Carl was twice decorated with the Navy Cross during a combat career that spanned Midway to Vietnam. This episode looks at the life of one of the Corps most accomplished aviators. Along the way, I’ll touch on the Marines at the Battle of Midway, Guadalcanal living conditions, the Coastwatchers, a test pilot career that briefly made Carl “the fastest man alive”, and aircraft from the F4F Wildcat to the F-4 Phantom.

Selected readings:

Pushing the Envelope: The Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl , Major General Marion Carl with Barrett Tillman

A History of Marine Attack Squadron 223, History and Museums Division HQMC

Lonely Vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons, Walter Lord

Harnessing the Sky, Frederick Trapnell Jr and Dana Trapnell Tibbitts

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback, rankings and reviews appreciated! Semper Fi

Major John L. Smith was the Commanding Officer of VMF-223, the first fighter squadron to operate off Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Facing almost daily Japanese raids, 223 fought from the 20th of August, 1942 until relieved on the 13th of October, 1942. Major Smith would leave the island as the Corps leading ace with 19 kills and the Medal of Honor. This episode looks at the two main fighters in the campaign, the Japanese Zero and American F4F Wildcat, the state of USMC aviation in the months after Pearl Harbor, and the early attempts by the Japanese to retake Guadalcanal. 

Selected readings:

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War 2, Robert Sherrod

Wildcat, the F4F in WW2, Barrett Tillman

Time of Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944, Cdr Peter Mersky

Fire in the Sky, The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud

Samurai! The Autobiography of Japan's Greatest Fighter Pilot, Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito

The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WW2 Japanese Naval Pilots, Dan King

Guadalcanal  1942-43: Japan's Bid to Knock Out Henderson Field and the Cactus Air Force, Mark Stille

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

The only fighter pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor from the European Theater of Operations, Maj James Howard took on 30 plus Luftwaffe fighters while protecting 8th Air Force bombers over Oschersleben, Germany on January 11th, 1944. This episode covers the development of the P-51 Mustang, from it's beginnings as a British program to it's arrival in the ETO as an air superiority fighter. 

*Although assigned to the 9th Air Force, Major Howard was operationally assigned to the 8th Air Force.

Selected readings:

Roar of the Tiger: From Flying Tigers to Mustangs, James Howard

Fighting at 425 MPH, Popular Science, August 1944

P-51, P-47, and P-38 Tactical Planning Characteristics and Performance Charts, USAAF, May 1944

P-51 Mustang, Robert Grinsell

Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War 2, James Holland *McGinty quote from here

The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

Addendum to the 8th Air Force B-17 series, this episode covers the early history of 8th Air Force Fighter Command focused on the introduction of the P-47 Thunderbolt in 1943.  

Selected Readings: 

Wolfpack Warriors: The Story of World War IIs Most Successful Fighter Outfit by Roger Freeman 

Thunderbolt! The Extraordinary Story of a World War II Ace by Robert S. Johnson and Martin Caidin 

The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

Part 3 of 4 on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the 8th Air Force. 1st Lt William Lawley is the aircraft commander of a B-17G on February 20th, 1944, day 1 of "The Big Week". This episode takes us through the battle for air supremacy over Europe in late 1943/early 1944 including the Schweinfurt/Regensburg mission into the heart of Germany in August, the disastrous return to Schweinfurt in October that brought the 8th to a crisis point, and the rise of the escort fighter culminating in the crushing blow to the Luftwaffe that was The Big Week. 

Selected readings: 

Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War 2, James Holland * 

The Schweinfurt/Regensburg Mission: The American Raids on 17 August 1943, Martin Middlebrook * 

The Road to Big Week: The Struggle for Daylight Air Supremacy Over Western Europe, Eric Hammel 

Double Strike: The Epic Air Raids on Regensburg/Schweinfurt, Edward Jablonski 

The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

*Unless otherwise noted, all quotes come from these two books. Highly recommend reading.

Part 2 of 4 on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the 8th Air Force. 1st Lt Jack Mathis was a bombardier with the 303rd Bomb Group killed in action on 18 March 1943. He was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in the 8th Air Force and in the European Theater of Operations. This episode also covers Carl Norden and his Norden M-series bombsight, a cornerstone of the Army Air Forces strategic bombing campaign. 

Selected readings:

Bombardiers' Information File, USAAF Office of Flying Safety, 1945

The Secret Weapon, Don Sherman, Air & Space Magazine, February/March 1995

 The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman

I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

Part 1 of 4 on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the 8th Air Force. Staff Sergeant Maynard Smith was a ball turret gunner and the first enlisted aircrewman to receive the Medal of Honor for a May 1st, 1943 mission to St Nazaire, France. This episode covers the development of the B-17 from the prototype Model 299 to the B-17F, the early days of the heavy bomber in action with the 8th Air Force, the role of the aerial gunner, and SSgt Smith’s Medal of Honor mission.   

Selected readings: 

The Mighty Eighth, The Mighty Eighth War Manual, and The Mighty Eighth War Diary, Roger A. Freeman 

Flying Fortress: The Illustrated Biography of the B-17''s and the Men Who Flew Them, Edward Jablonski  

Get That Fighter, Army Air Forces publication  

A Mighty Fortress: Lead Bomber Over Europe, Charles Alling 

Black Thursday: The Story of the Schweinfurt Raid, Martin Caidin

This podcast covers the men and machines behind the Aviation Medals of Honor from World War 1 to Vietnam. This episode is just a brief introduction to my background as a Marine attack pilot and my intent with the podcast. I can be reached at: aviationmoh@gmail.com  

Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur

Recommended reading: Above and Beyond: The Aviation Medals of Honor by Barrett Tillman