Interesting story about WWII U.S. Navy ace

[maxum96]

Interesting story I found in the San Diego Union-Tribune about a WWII Navy ace who shot planes down in both the European and Pacific theaters of combat. He also was a Tora pilot for the movie.


http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/27/shooting-star-naval-aviations-center-universe/

[John Dupre]

Thanks. That was very interesting.

[Old Shep]

Diz came to the CAF Museum and did a Seminar Series program for me. Great guy and lots of good stories. He said that filming for the movie Tora, Tora, Tora was almost as hazardous as combat. He said one pass over a series of explosions say a fifty-five gallon barrel go flying by his wing: a bit "unnerving" according to Diz.

They aren't making guys like that any more.

[Noha307]

Dean “Diz” Laird is a legend, the only known U.S. Navy ace to shoot down both German and Japanese planes during World War II.

I read a story not too long ago of an American fighter pilot who shot down German, Italian, Japanese aircraft as well as a C-47! Seems the Gooney Bird was trying to put down at an airfield

There's a great picture of him sitting in a cockpit with Swastikas, Fasces, Hinomarus and one Star Spangled Banner painted as kill markings on the fuselage below him.

Found this in the process of writing the post: http://www.acesofww2.com/USA/aces/curdes/

His name was Lou Curdes. It also reminded me that, as the above page puts it:

He is the only person that has ever been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after shooting down his girl friend.

Technically, Mr. Laird's claim could still be true if there were no other Navy pilots to do it. (Apparently, according to the link, two other American flyer matched Lou's feat, but I have no idea if they were Navy pilots.)

EDIT: I also don't know if either of the other two pilots were aces. Again, this might make the claim more or less correct on a technical level.

EDIT: I never finished one of the sentences above. (That's what I get for trying to write a post at 12 midnight. ) Anyway, to finish my thought (lest I leave anyone hanging)...that it was unaware was controlled by the Japanese.

...or you could just check out one of the links below, generously provided by JDK, if you're not too lazy.

Last edited by Noha307 on Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

Curdes' story has come up here several times:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8106

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37171

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... =3&t=37315

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37356

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45958&start=15

I mention it because of the various extra bits in each thread, and that the Pima Kitang is in his colours.

Regards,