Scope and Contents Fighter ace Eugene P. Roberts discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in England with the 84th Fighter Squadron of the 78th Fighter Group. Special focus on a bomber withdrawal mission over the Netherlands on July 30, 1943 in which Roberts and his squadron scored several aerial victories. Roberts notes that this was the first mission in which his squadron utilized...

Scope and Contents Fighter ace Newell O. Roberts discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in the Mediterranean Theater with the 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group. Topics discussed include his service history, stories about fellow servicemen, and notable combat missions. Special focus on a reconnaissance mission on December 2, 1942 over the Tunisian coast, during which...

Scope and Contents In this six-part oral history, fighter ace John Richard Rossi discusses his military service with the American Volunteer Group during World War II. He describes his training with the United States Navy and his wartime experiences with the AVG’s 1st Pursuit Squadron in the China-Burma-India Theater. He also touches on his service with CNAC (China National Aviation Corporation) after the AVG disbanded and on his postwar activities. Topics discussed include his training and service history,...

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Fighter ace George T. Chandler discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his experiences as a fighter pilot and his time with the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 347th Fighter Group in the South Pacific. Special focus on a combat mission on November 8, 1943 in which Chandler’s squadron provided air support for a beachhead invasion force at Bougainville.

Scope and Contents In this two-part oral history, fighter ace Eugene Ralph Hanks discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. In part one, he describes his experiences as a fighter pilot with Fighting Squadron 16 (VF-16) in the Pacific Theater. Special focus on a combat mission on November 23, 1943 in which Hanks scored several aerial victories against a formation of Japanese fighter aircraft. He also discusses incidents from his flight training and briefly describes his...

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Fighter ace Thomas S. Harris discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time with Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) and Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17) in the Pacific Theater. Special focus on a combat mission on April 12, 1945 in which he downed a Kawanishi N1K-J “George” aircraft near Kikaishima, Japan.

Scope and Contents Fighter ace Ivan S. Hasek is interviewed about his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in Europe with the 353rd Fighter Squadron of the 354th Fighter Group. Special focus on a mission on March 16, 1945 in which Hasek’s flight encountered a large group of Messerschmitt Me 109s near Limburg, Germany. Hasek scored four-and-a-half aerial victories during the ensuing dogfight....

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Fighter ace Herbert B. “Stub” Hatch, Jr. discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in the Mediterranean Theater with the 71st Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group. Special focus on a dive-bombing mission against an oil refinery in Ploiești, Romania on June 10, 1944. During the mission, Hatch scored several aerial victories and became “an ace in a day.”

Scope and Contents In this two-part oral history, fighter ace Thomas L. Hayes, Jr. is interviewed about his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. In parts one and two, he describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in the South Pacific with the 35th Pursuit Group and his time in Europe with the 357th Fighter Group. Topics discussed include his training and service history, his missions in Java with the 17th Provisional Squadron, and his...

Scope and Contents In this two-part oral history, fighter ace Edwin L. Heller discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He describes his experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in Europe with the 486th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group. Special focus on a bomber escort mission to Germany on May 8, 1944 in which Heller scored two aerial victories and afterwards managed it back to England in a damaged North American P-51 Mustang....