The Aviation Medals of Honor

Latest Episodes:

S2E4: Marines over Guadalcanal, WW2: Part 4 - Captain Joe Foss (continued), USMC, F4F Wildcat pilot Apr 24, 2021

Show notes

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

S2E3: Marines over Guadalcanal, WW2: Part 3 Captain Joe Foss, USMC, F4F Wildcat pilot Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

On October 9th, 1942, VMF-121 arrived on Guadalcanal in the midst of a major Japanese offensive to take back the island. Over the next two weeks, Captain Joe Foss would rack up 16 of his eventual 26 aerial victories while surviving 2 shootdowns, a near death hypoxia event, and a battleship bombardment. This episode is Part 1 of 2 on Captain Foss and covers the October Japanese land, sea, and air effort to take back the island. Also introduced are future Medal of Honor winner LtCol Joe Bauer and his squadron, VMF-212. 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 can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com Feedback and reviews appreciated! Semper Fi, Kelly "Beavis" Ramshur

S2E2: Marines over Guadalcanal, WW2: Part 2 Captain Marion Carl, USMC, F4F Wildcat pilot Oct 03, 2020

Show notes

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

S2E1: Marines over Guadalcanal, WW2: Part 1 - Major John L. Smith, USMC, F4F Wildcat pilot Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

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!

S1E6: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW 2: Part 6 - BGen Frederick Castle, USAAF, B-17 Flying Fortress pilot, 8th Air Force, World War 2 Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Part 4 of 4 on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the 8th Air Force. Brigadier General Frederick Castle was the commanding general of the 4th Combat Bomb Wing. On 24 December 1944 he led the 8th Air Force's largest strike of the war in support of ground forces fighting the Battle of the Bulge. Hit by enemy fighters, he would stay at the controls of the wounded bird to give the crew time to bail out. Picking up where Lt Lawley's episode concludes with The Big Week, this episode covers the remainder of the war as well as the conclusions of the US Strategic Bombing Survey. Selected readings: The United States Strategic Bombing Survey The Mighty Eighth series by Roger Freeman I can be reached at aviationmoh@gmail.com. Feedback and reviews appreciated!

S1E5: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW 2: Part 5 - Maj James Howard, USAAF, P-51B Mustang Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

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!

S1E4: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW2: Part 4 - Thunderbolt! The P-47 and 8th Air Force Fighter Command 1943 Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

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!

S1E3: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW2: Part 3 - 1st Lt William Lawley, USAAF, B-17 Flying Fortress pilot Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

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.

S1E2: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW2: Part 2 - 1st Lt Jack Mathis, USAAF, B-17 Flying Fortress bombardier Jan 13, 2019

Show notes

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!

S1E1: 8th Air Force in Europe, WW2: Part 1 - SSgt Maynard Smith, USAAF, B-17 Flying Fortress gunner Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

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