Combat Aviators & Crewmembers of All Wars

12/21/2025

On 20 December 1943, a USAAF B-17F bomber named "Ye Olde Pub" was returning from a raid on Bremen when it was heavily damaged by flak and enemy fighters, falling out of formation with one engine out and several crewmen wounded. As the lone, crippled B-17 limped away, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot, 2nd Lt. Franz Stigler, intercepted in his Messerschmitt Bf 109. Upon closing in, Stigler could see through the gaping holes in the bomber’s fuselage that the American crew was badly injured, and the tail gunner appeared dead. He later recalled that he “had never seen a plane in such a bad state” and felt shooting it down would be akin to killing men in parachutes.
Defying standing orders, Stigler chose not to fire on the helpless bomber. Instead, he pulled alongside the B-17 and tried to signal the American pilot, 2nd Lt. Charles “Charlie” Brown, to land in Germany or divert to neutral Sweden for medical care, gestures Brown did not understand at the time.
Seeing Brown refuse to land, Stigler then flew in formation next to the Flying Fortress, positioning his Bf 109 near the bomber so German anti-aircraft gunners would hold their fire. In an extraordinary act of mercy, he es**rted the stricken B-17 beyond the German coast, effectively shepherding it out of danger. Only after they reached open water over the North Sea did Stigler finally break away. He drew alongside Brown’s cockpit, snapped off a salute, and then peeled away back toward German territory.
Brown and his stunned crew understood that the German had spared them. Though their bomber was barely airworthy, with one engine dead, the tail shredded, and systems failing, Brown managed to fly Ye Olde Pub back to England. He made an emergency landing at RAF Seething in Norfolk, and remarkably, all crew members survived except the tail gunner, who had been killed in the attack.
At his debriefing, Lt. Brown reported the incredible incident of the enemy fighter that had es**rted rather than destroyed his plane. Accounts suggest that U.S. officers, perplexed by this act of chivalry, decided such a story could hurt morale or propaganda efforts and thus told Brown and his crew not to discuss it. (Indeed, one postwar account reveals the mission debrief was classified “secret” and remained so for years.)
On the German side, Franz Stigler also kept silent about what he had done. Sparing an enemy bomber violated orders, and Stigler knew he could have been court-martialed or even executed if his superiors learned he willfully let an enemy go free. Upon landing, Stigler reportedly told his commanding officer that the B-17 had crashed at sea, concealing his act of mercy. He never claimed the kill and never spoke of the incident to anyone during the war.
Both pilots thus kept the unusual encounter to themselves; for decades, it remained an obscure, almost mythical anecdote known only to a few witnesses. It was not until over 40 years later that the story re-emerged and was verified.
In 1986, now-retired USAF Colonel Charlie Brown mentioned the incident while speaking at a veteran aviators’ reunion, describing the German pilot who had mysteriously spared his crew. The tale sounded so improbable that some fellow veterans questioned whether it really happened, and Brown himself wondered if his wartime memory might be faulty.
Determined to find the truth, Brown embarked on a search for the unknown German pilot. He spent four years scouring military records and contacting organizations of former Luftwaffe pilots, but initially found no documentation, which was unsurprising, given that no official reports had recorded Stigler’s act.
Finally, in 1990, Brown’s inquiry in a German pilots’ newsletter reached Franz Stigler, who was then living in Canada. Stigler responded with a letter confirming, “I was the one,” and when the two men later spoke by phone, the former fighter pilot described the 1943 encounter in detail, down to the es**rt maneuver and farewell salute, exactly as Brown had remembered.
By cross-checking dates, locations, and unit markings, it was quickly established that Franz Stigler was indeed the Luftwaffe pilot who had intercepted Ye Olde Pub that day.
Brown and Stigler finally met face-to-face in 1990, nearly half a century after their encounter. They embraced as comrades rather than enemies, with Brown thanking Stigler for sparing his life. The two became close friends and remained in regular contact until both died in 2008, only months apart.
🖼️ “The Guardian,” by Nicolas Trudgion

12/20/2025

Cleaning guns on a P-47 Thunderbolt 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron Italy.
The 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron (1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça, or 1st GAvCa) was Brazil’s primary combat aviation unit in World War II, distinguished for its service in the Italian Campaign.
Formed on 18 December 1943, the squadron was part of Brazil’s broader contribution to the Allied war effort following its declaration of war against the Axis in 1942. Commanded by Major Nero Moura, the unit comprised about 350 personnel and 43 pilots, many of whom trained in Panama before converting to the Republic P‑47 Thunderbolt in the United States.
The squadron deployed to Italy in September 1944, joining the U.S. 350th Fighter Group under the XXII Tactical Air Command. Operating from Tarquinia and Pisa airfields, the Brazilian pilots flew their first missions in October 1944. Initially paired with experienced U.S. pilots, they soon undertook independent operations. Between November 1944 and May 1945, the squadron flew 445 missions, totaling 2,550 sorties and 5,465 combat hours.
Their targets included German supply lines, bridges, fuel depots, and armored vehicles. The squadron destroyed 1,304 motor vehicles, 25 bridges, 31 fuel and ammunition depots, and several armored cars and railway wagons. Though their missions accounted for only about 5% of XXII Tactical Air Command’s operations, their destruction rate was notably higher than average, reflecting their effectiveness.
The squadron’s battle cry, “Senta a Púa!” (“Send a Bullet!”), became a symbol of Brazilian resolve. By the war’s end, the unit had earned respect from Allied commanders and demonstrated Brazil’s commitment during WW2. Returning home in June 1945, the squadron left behind its aircraft but carried forward a legacy of courage and professionalism that remains celebrated in Brazilian military history.

12/12/2025

have tried to research him, to no avail, sad that his history, along with others is gone. It was mentioned that he was the first pilot to shoot down a German jet fighter

12/09/2025

Huang Panyang (a.k.a. Wong Pan-yang/Wong Pan-Yang or simply John Wong, Chinese: 黄泮扬; pinyin: Huang Panyang; Wade–Giles: Huang Panyang; 1was a Chinese-American aviator who volunteered to serve in the Chinese Air Force in the looming war against the Imperial Japanese invasion and occupation; first entering service in China with the previously-separated "warlord air force" under Guangdong provincial leader General Chen Jitang, before centralizing under the Nationalist Chinese Air Force of the Republic of China.

John Wong Pan-yang (Cantonese: Poon-Yeung Wong; Hanyu Pinyin: Panyang Huang) was born in Zhongshan County, Guangdong Province, China. In 1916, at the age of six, he emigrated with his father to Seattle, Washington in the United States, where he would live with his uncle even as his father returned to China six years later. John Wong befriended Arthur Chin after moving to Portland, Oregon, where they both enrolled in a Chinese-American-established flight school (the Chinese Flying Club of Portland) with tuition costs and expenses paid-for by donations from the Chinese-American community for the promise to join the Chinese military in the looming war against the Empire of Japan at the time.

John Wong received his U.S. civilian pilots' license in April 1932, traveling to China to join the Guangdong Provincial Air Force under General Chen Jitang, and was then sent to Germany along with other native Chinese and Chinese-American volunteer pilots by the Guangdong government, including Arthur Chin, for advanced aerial gunnery training with the Luftwaffe at Lagerlechfeld Air Base in southern Germany. Wong returned to China in 1936 and completed advanced training at the Hangzhou Jianqiao Aviation School.

By then, the provincial and warlord air forces have become absorbed into the central Chinese Air Force, and Wong was assigned to command the 17th Pursuit Squadron (PS) of the central government's 3rd Pursuit Group (PG) flying the Boeing P-26 Peashooter Model 281, stationed at Chuyung Airbase (Jurong Airbase) in defense of Nanjing following the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Captain John Wong Pan-yang's first aerial battle took place on 15 August 1937 when he scrambled eight of his 17th PS/3rd PG fighters against an incoming raid of 20 Mitsubishi G3M bombers from the Kisarazu Kokutai, along with five Fiat CR.32s of the 8th PS/3rd PG led by Capt. Chen Yaowei, seven Hawk IIs of the 28th PS/5th PG led by another Chinese-American, Capt. Chan Kee-Wong (Chen Qiguang), and five additional Hawk IIs plus a single Hawk III of the 34th Provisional PS. Wang and fellow pilot Su Ying-Hsien shared one victory that day.

Wong yet again engaged another large bombing raid on Chuyung the following day, 16 August 1937, scoring a triple-kill over the G3M raiders from the Kanoya Kokutai. Wong first attacked the latter's command flight, downing the G3M of Lieutenant Commander Nitta, and damaging another commanded by Lieutenant Junior Grade Watanbe. He joined the Chinese-American Lieutenant Tse-Tsim Wong in pursuing another G3M flight, downing another bomber. Wong was credited with three victories during the air battle on this day, although Watanbe's aircraft returned to base damaged.

In the early morning of 23 August 1937, Wong led seven of his fighters in an es**rt of at least 12 Hawks of the 4th and 5th groups led by Capt. Huang Kuang-Han (English name Raymond Wong) on a strike against Japanese landing forces and naval assets at Wusongkou on northern shores of Shanghai metropolis; while on approach over the target area, John Wong's Peashooter pilots engaged the defending Japanese navy fighters while the Hawks went for the ground targets, and in the intense running dogfight, deputy commander Lt. John Huang Xinrui shot down a Nakajima A4N fighter near Chongming Island, however, Lt. Qin Jiazhu was killed in the melee.

During the Battle of Shanghai, Wong es**rted Chinese bombers and fighter-bombers but the Chinese pilots found themselves at a disadvantage against the Japanese A2N, A4N, and A5M fighters. He claimed one floatplane damaged on 20 September. In early November, just before the fall of Nanking, Wong's 17th Pursuit Squadron was pulled out to Hankou and shifted to the 5th Pursuit Group. On 3 December he returned to Nanjing to fly a reconnaissance mission on the Chinese air force's single Hawk 75, escaping two intercepting groups of Japanese fighters and gaining target information that was passed on to the newly arrived Soviet-crewed SB-2 bomber units.

Wong was promoted to command the 5th Pursuit Group in April 1938 and two months later was stationed at Shaoguan, commanding Art Chin's 28th Pursuit Squadron and the 29th Pursuit Squadron. Both units were equipped with the Gloster Gladiator biplane fighter. On 16 June he led eight other Gladiators into actions against a Japanese bombing raid targeting the Le Chang station on the Canton-Hankow railway. Wong shot down two G3Ms in this action, his last victories of the war. Wong took part in the air battles over Guangxi and the air defense of Chengdu in 1939, but the Chinese fighter pilots found it difficult to contest the Japanese night raids. During the air defense of Chengdu, Wong flew a captured Ki-27 monoplane fighter against Japanese bombers conducting night raids without success. After entering the staff college in 1940, Wong served as air attache at the Chinese embassy in London. He received the Four Star Medal for aerial victories although his official victory tally was six, as mentioned by the Republic of China Air Force's official history. Postwar, Wong did not return to the United States and settled in Hong Kong, working as general manager of an industrial firm.

12/09/2025

a very interesting story

The incredible true story of the most audacious German POW escape attempt of World War II - when two Luftwaffe pilots stole an RAF aircraft from inside Brita...

12/04/2025

a great video about helicopters in Viet Nam

At just 21 years old, you’re flying a UH-1 Huey helicopter into enemy fire. The ground is erupting beneath you. Tracers streak across the air. Soldiers in th...

12/03/2025

On December 2, 1972, Captain Tony Shine took off for a routine reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. A skilled and disciplined pilot, he descended beneath cloud cover to observe an important supply route, fully aware of the dangers that lay hidden in the mountains.
Minutes later, he vanished. He was 33 years old.
Tony Shine was more than a pilot — he was a husband, a father, and a man defined by quiet courage and steadfast duty. His last transmission over the radio was the only sign of his presence before the jungle swallowed his F-4 Phantom and all trace of him. For decades, his family lived with hope and heartbreak, never forgetting him.
His daughter, Christa McAuliffe, would later carry forward his legacy of courage and perseverance in her own historic journey as the teacher selected for the Space Shuttle Challenger, keeping her father’s story alive even in the face of tragedy.
In 1995, after 23 years, a joint recovery team located his aircraft and remains, confirming the loss that had haunted his family for decades. In 1996, Captain Shine was laid to rest with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His service, bravery, and sacrifice were finally recognized, and his story brought home.
Captain Anthony Shine’s legacy endures in the hearts of aviators and families alike — a symbol of duty, honor, and the courage of those who never returned.

12/01/2025

Thomas Wade Landry September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000
Landry attended the University of Texas at Austin He interrupted his education after a semester to serve in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Landry was inspired to join the armed forces by his brother Robert Landry, who had enlisted in the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While ferrying a B-17 over to England, Robert Landry's plane had gone down over the North Atlantic, close to Iceland. Several weeks passed before the Army was able to officially declare Robert Landry dead Landry began his basic training at Sheppard Field near Wichita Falls, Texas (now Sheppard AFB), and his preflight training at Kelly Field, located near San Antonio, Texas. Landry's first experience as a bomber pilot was a tough one. A few minutes after takeoff, Landry noticed that the pilot seemed to be working furiously, causing him to realize that the plane's engine had died. Despite this experience, Landry was committed to flying. At the age of 19, Landry was transferred to Sioux City, Iowa, where he trained as a copilot on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. In 1944, Landry got his orders, and from Sioux City he went to Liverpool, England, where he was assigned to the Eighth Air Force, in Ipswich.. Landry earned his wings and a commission as a Second Lieutenant at Lubbock Army Air Field, and was assigned to the 493d Bombardment Group at RAF Debach, England, in the 860th Bombardment Squadron. From November 1944 to April 1945, he completed a combat tour of 26 missions, (his entire crew went on 29 missions and Landry did not go on 3 of them), he also survived a crash landing in Belgium after his bomber ran out of fuel.

He returned to his studies at the University of Texas in the fall of 1946. On the football team, he played fullback and defensive back on the Texas Longhorns' bowl game winners on New Year's Day of 1948 and 1949. At UT, he was a member of the Texas Cowboys and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Omega Chi chapter). He received his bachelor's degree from UT in 1949. In 1952, he ear a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston.
Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League

11/30/2025

11/28/2025

Hans Dammers adalah jagoan udara Luftwaffe dengan 113 kemenangan udara (ditambah 23 kemenangan lain yang tak terkonfirmasi!). Dalam begitu banyak misi serang udara-ke-darat yang dijalaninya, dia telah berhasil membabat habis 11 pesawat yang sedang terparkir di landasan, 8 gerbong kereta api, 39 kereta kuda, 34 truk, 3 lokasi senjata anti serangan udara, dan 1 kendaraan lapis baja pengangkut personil! Atas prestasinya tersebut dia dianugerahi Ritterkreuz pada tanggal 23 Agustus 1942 sebagai Feldwebel dan Flugzeugführer 9.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52. Pada tanggal 13 Maret 1944, pesawat Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162) yang dipiloti Dammers terkena pecahan ledakan Lavochkin La-5 Rusia yang ditembak jatuhnya. Dammers bail-out tapi parasutnya tersangkut di sayap pesawat. Dia gugur di rumah sakit Stanislau akibat luka-luka parah yang dideritanya pada tanggal 17 Maret 1944, dan kemudian dipromosikan secara anumerta menjadi Leutnant.

Hans Dammers is the Luftwaffe aerial champion with 113 aerial victories (plus 23 other unconfirmed victories!) In so many air-to-ground missions he has undergone, he has successfully taken out 11 parked aircraft on the runway, 8 train wagons, 39 horse-drawn carriages, 34 trucks, 3 anti-air assault weapons locations, and 1 armored personnel transporter vehicle! For this achievement he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on August 23, 1942 as Feldwebel and Flugzeugführer 9. Relay/Hunt Squad 52 On March 13, 1944, Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162) piloted by Dammers hit a Russian Lavochkin La-5 explosion shot down. Dammers bail-out but his parachute got stuck on the wing of the plane. He collapsed at Stanislau hospital from the severe injuries he sustained on March 17, 1944, and was later posthumously promoted to Lieutenant.
Hans Dammers (8 August 1913 – 17 March 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 113 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. During his numerous ground attack missions he destroyed eleven aircraft, eight locomotives, 39 horse-drawn wagons, 34 trucks, three anti-aircraft emplacements and one armored reconnaissance vehicle.

Born in Scherpenberg near Moers, Dammers was trained as a fighter pilot and was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in 1941. Fighting on the Eastern Front, he claimed his first aerial victory on 31 August 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. On 23 August 1942, Dammers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 58 aerial victories claimed. He was credited with his 100th aerial victory on 5 May 1943. He then served as an instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a supplementary fighter pilot training unit. In January 1944, he was posted to 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of JG 52. Dammers died on 17 March 1944 in a hospital at Stanislau from wounds sustained in a mid-air collision.

Dammers was born on 8 December 1913 in Scherpenberg, present-day a borough of Moers, at the time in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. Following flight training as a fighter pilot, he was posted to the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 52, in the summer of 1941.

Following its brief deployment in the Balkan Campaign, III. Gruppe was ordered to Bucharest by mid-June. There, the unit was subordinated to the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) and reequipped with the new, more powerful Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 model. On 21 June 1941, the Gruppe was ordered to Mizil in preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to provide fighter protection for the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești. Prior to the invasion, Major Gotthard Handrick was replaced by Major Albert Blumensaat as commander of III. Gruppe. Blumensaat was then replaced by Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin on 1 October. At the time, von Bonin was still in convalescence so that Hauptmann Franz Höring, the commander of 9. Staffel, was also made the acting Gruppenkommandeur (group commander). On 27 August, III. Gruppe had reached an airfield named Stschastliwaja located approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) east-southeast of Oleksandriia.[6] There, Dammers claimed his first aerial victory on 31 August over a Polikarpov I-16 fighter aircraft. The following day, he was credited with another I-16 fighter shot down.

On 24 September, III. Gruppe moved to the Poltava Air Base, supporting the 17th Army in the First Battle of Kharkov. On 14 October, Dammers claimed his third aerial victory over another I-16 fighter. Three days later, he claimed an I-26 fighter, an early Luftwaffe designation for a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter. On 23 October, III. Gruppe moved from Poltava to Chaplynka. The following day, he claimed a Polikarpov I-15 fighter aircraft near Ishun. On 2 November, the Gruppe moved to Taganrog where they stayed until 1 January 1942. During this period, Dammers claimed two I-16 fighters on 6 December, another I-16 fighter on 9 December, and his last claim in 1941, a further I-16 fighter, on 27 December.

On 29 April, III. Gruppe had relocated to Zürichtal, a small village at the Inhul in the former German settlement west of Feodosia in the Crimea during the Crimean campaign. On 1 May, the Gruppe was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps and was supporting the 11th Army in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula and the Siege of Sevastopol. That day, he claimed his first aerial victory of 1942 and tenth in total when he shot down a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter. Operating from Zürichtal, Dammers claimed eight further aerial victories, increasing his total to 18 victories claimed. On 12 May III. Gruppe relocated again and was ordered to an airfield named Kharkov-Rogan, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of Kharkov where they participated in the Second Battle of Kharkov. The next day, Dammers claimed three aerial victories over MiG-1 fighters in the combat area of Staryi Saltiv on the Donets. Over the next weeks, III. Gruppe was moved several times. On 19 May, the Gruppe moved to Barvinkove where they stayed until 12 June mostly fighting over the encircled Soviet forces in the Izium salient. Here, Dammers claimed an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and three Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers on 26 May.

The Grupp was then ordered to Belgorod and to Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk, on 22 June. That day, Dammers became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time when shot down five Soviet fighter aircraft. On 28 June, German forces had launched Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia. On 7 July, Army Group A began their advance towards the oil fields in the Caucasus. On 10 July, Dammers was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold). Three days later, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Luhanske. There on 17 July, Dammers (flying Bf 109 G-2 Werknummer 13435—factory number) and his wingman Unteroffizier Kurt Keser jumped Soviet Yak-1 fighter pilot (then Starshiy Leytenant) Aleksandr Pokryshkin, but the future second highest scoring Soviet ace managed to shoot both down. Keser was killed and Dammers bailed out.

On 19 July, III. Gruppe moved to Taganrog, staying there until 29 July. Dammers continued his successes, shooting down two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3s on 28 July, and on 6 August 1942 he claimed an Polikarpov I-153 biplane fighter and two LaGG-3s. Dammers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 23 August 1942, nominated after 51 aerial victories. The presentation was made by Hermann Graf. On 27 August, III. Gruppe reached an airfield named Gonschtakowka located north-northeast of Mozdok on the Terek. There Dammers became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time on 5 September over five Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters which took his total to 63 aerial victories claimed. On 19 September, III. Gruppe reached an airfield named Soldatskaya, west of Mozdok. The Gruppe would remain here until 1 January 1943 but would also use airfields at Mozdok and Digora. Operating from Soldatskaya, Dammers increased his number of aerial victories to 75 by 18 September.[30] By the end of 1942, his total number of aerial victories had increased to 89, making him the fourth most successful fighter pilot of III. Gruppe.

On 15 March 1943, Dammers' 7. Staffel was placed under the command of Oberleutnant Walter Krupinski. The Gruppe was moved to the combat area of the Kuban bridgehead on 1 April 1943 where it was based at an airfield at Taman. Operating from Taman until 2 July, III. Gruppe also flew missions from Kerch on 12 May, from Sarabuz and Saky on 14 May, Zürichtal, present-day Solote Pole, a village near the urban settlement Kirovske on 23 May, and Yevpatoria on 25/26 June. On 5 May 1943, Dammers was credited with his 100th aerial victory, claiming two LaGG fighters that day. He was the 39th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

In May 1943, Dammers transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. On 23 July, he was severely injured in a ground accident when his Bf 109 overturned at Laleu Airfield. Following his recovery, he was transferred to 9. Staffel of JG 52, also known as the Karaya-Staffel, of JG 52 in January 1944. At the time, 9. Staffel was under the command of Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann.[36] This Staffel was also subordinated to III. Gruppe of JG 52. Its commanding officer von Bonin had been replaced by Hauptmann Günther Rall on 5 July 1943.

III. Gruppe was based at Mala Vyska in early January 1944. On night of 9/10 January, the airfield was overrun by Soviet T-34 tanks and had to be abandoned in a hurry. The Gruppe then moved to an airfield at Novokrasne located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Pervomaisk. The Gruppe stayed in Mala Vyska until 22 February when it withdrew to Uman. On 6 March, II. Gruppe headed to Kalynivka and to Vinnytsia on 8 March and then to Proskuriv on 12 March. There, Dammers claimed his last two aerial victories, a LaGG fighter on 12 March and another the following day.

Dammers' Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162—factory number) "yellow 9" was struck on 13 March 1944 by debris from a shot down Lavochkin La-5 near Oleschyn.[40][41] Dammers bailed out but his parachute got caught on his wing. Dammers succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on 17 March 1944 in Stanislau, present-day Ivano-Frankivsk. He was posthumously promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant). Dammers was married to Gertrud Dammers, née Falkenburg. The couple had two sons, Manfred and Hans-Joachim.

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Dammers was credited with 113 aerial victories. Authors Obermaier and S***k also list Dammers with 113 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions, plus further 23 unwitnessed claims. In numerous ground attack missions, he destroyed eleven aircraft, eight locomotives, 39 horse-drawn wagons, 34 trucks, three anti-aircraft emplacements and one armored reconnaissance vehicle.
Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 103 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

11/10/2025

Donald McPherson, a World War II veteran considered the nation's last surviving "ace" pilot from the conflict, has died at the age of 103 in Nebraska.

While serving as a Navy pilot of F6F Hellcat fighters aboard the USS Essex in the Pacific theater, McPherson shot down five Japanese planes — the minimum number required to be considered an "ace" pilot, The Associated Press reported.

Both the American Fighter Aces Association and the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum have recognized McPherson as the last surviving American ace pilot from the war, according to AP.

His service during World War II earned him the Congressional Gold Medal — awarded to those who have made a significant impact on U.S. history and culture — as well as three Distinguished Flying Crosses, according to AP.

"When it’s all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for… his first thing would be that he’s a man of faith," McPherson's daughter Beth Delabar told the Beatrice Daily Sun, which first reported his death on Aug. 14.

In 1942, McPherson enlisted in the Navy at 18 years old. Two years later, after completing the flight program, he married his wife Thelma, according to AP.

McPherson's daughter, Donna Mulder, said her father reflected on moments in the war that left him feeling like, "Maybe God is not done with me."

After the war, McPherson returned home to Adams, Nebraska, and worked as a letter carrier. He helped establish youth baseball and softball leagues and served as a scoutmaster, as well as in several community leadership roles.

He is survived by his daughters Beth and Donna, a son, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the National WWII Museum.Last WWII Ace Dies
Rep. Adrian Smith greets Congressional Gold Medal recipient Donald McPherson in 2015. (Beatrice Daily Sun via AP)
Last WWII Ace Dies
Rep. Adrian Smith greets Congressional Gold Medal recipient Donald McPherson in 2015. (Beatrice Daily Sun via AP)