Warbird Information Exchange

Dean Laird:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/30/us/wwii-fighter-pilot-dean-laird-obit/index.html

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Kevin McCartney

We salute you! RIP

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

There were also Royal Navy pilots who shot down German and Japanese aircraft.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Cuthbert_Hay

Respects to them all, of course.

There is only one fighter ace who shot down Japanese, German, Italian and American planes in WWII. In 1943 over North Africa, Sardina and Italy Louis Curdes shot down seven BF-109s and an Italian Macchi 202. He himself was shot down in August and captured by the Italians but soon escaped when Italy signed the Armistice with the Allies. He was sent home but returned to active duty a year later. He was sent to the Pacific where he shot down a Japanese Ki-46. His most interesting kill was of an US C-47. While on patrol over the Philippines he noticed the C-47 attempting to land at a Japanese airfield. He tried to radio the plane and flew in front of it to stop it from landing to no avail. It turned out the plane's radio was not working and they were running out of fuel. Thinking it would be better to force it to land, rather than the occupants end up as prisoners he shot out both engines. The C-47 ditched into the sea and all survived being rescued by a PBY the next day. Later Curdes learned that a nurse that he went on a date with the night before was on the plane. They married after the war.

I had never heard this story before...thank you for sharing!

I was crew chief on Tom Camps FM2 Wildcat and we used to attend the Planes of Fame Airshow. One year this gentleman walked up with his 2 sons and said he flew Wildcats in Operation Torch and in the Pacific and had kills in both theaters. He shot down a Ju-88 in the Med. and Zero’s in the Pacific. He stayed in the Navy and retired as a squadron commander based at NAS Alameda, 2 weeks before Korea. I think I have his name somewhere . I put him in the Wildcat and had his 2 sons get up on the wing and he told us of some stories of flying Wildcats in WW2. The look on his sons faces, listening to their Dad was priceless!!!