James P. Busha - Gunslingers

G UNSLINGERS

Allied Fighter Boys of WWII

J AMES P. B USHA

Guilford, Connecticut

An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of

The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200

Lanham, MD 20706

www.rowman.com

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2022 by James P. Busha

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Busha, James P., author.

Title: Gunslingers : Allied fighter boys of WWII / James P. Busha.

Other titles: Allied fighter boys of WWII

Description: Guilford, Connecticut : Lyons Press, [2022] | Includes index. | Summary: This book focuses on the young men who answered the call to duty and were transformed from farm boys to fighter pilots. It offers a rare glimpse of what it was like to fly a variety of frontline fighters in World War II, including P-39 Airacobras, P-40 Warhawks, P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-51 Mustangs, among many others Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021043283 (print) | LCCN 2021043284 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493063697 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781493063703 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: United States. Army Air ForcesBiography. | Fighter pilotsUnited StatesInterviews. | Fighter pilotsGreat BritainInterviews. | Fighter planesUnited StatesHistory20th centuryAnecdotes. | Fighter planesGreat BritainHistory20th centuryAnecdotes. | Great Britain. Royal Air ForceBiography. | World War, 1939-1945Aerial operations, American. | World War, 1939-1945Aerial operations, British. | World War, 1939-1945Personal narratives, American. | World War, 1939-1945Personal narratives, British.

Classification: LCC D790.2 .B87 2022 (print) | LCC D790.2 (ebook) | DDC 940.54/490922 [B]dc23/eng/20211012

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021043283

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021043284

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

CONTENTS

Guide

When I began interviewing pilots from World War II in 1999, I always ended the conversation with, I wish I would have called you twenty years earlier. There was always a long pause, and the gentleman I had just spent the last several hours with would say, I wouldnt have talked to you then. The only reason Im telling you all of this now is so my grandchildren, or great-grandchildren, know what their grandfather did in the war.

Each of the more than 350 pilots I interviewed, from all branches of the service, made one fact very clear: They were not the heroes. In their minds, they had simply answered their countrys call of duty and service. They were just doing their jobs to preserve freedom for the entire world. To them, the real heroes were the guys who gave the ultimate sacrifice and didnt make it back. These combat veterans all have a common bond, as they all flew and fought in World War II as fighter pilots. Their stories give you the unique perspective seldom heard as they place you center stage inside the various cockpits with the brave airmen who flew these harrowing missions. Their fears, humor, and sadness will help you understand what it must have been like living on a razors edge during aerial combat.

Unfortunately, the era of the World War II generation is drawing to a close. Almost every pilot depicted in this book has since Gone West. Remember this when you read about their exploits, the dangers they faced, and the sacrifices they made as they laid their lives on the line so future generations could enjoy the freedoms we share today. Tell others about this book, and books like it, for we shall be indebted to these brave men forever. We must never, ever forget what our brave soldiers, past and present, have done for our countries. They did more than their fair share. In my mind, they are all heroes.

Jim Busha, 2020

To the neutral observer in 1940especially those individuals living comfortably and relatively free thousands of miles away inside the safe confines of the United States of Americathe war in Europe resembled a rather large chess game played out on a much grander scale. The black king, queen, rooks, knights, bishops, and pawnsalso known as the Naziswere having a field day as they blitzkrieged across Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and, finally, France. It seemed that no countryno army, air force, or navycould stop the German war machine as it set its sights on the island nation of Great Britain.

By all accounts, the lone white knight known as England stood firm and stoic as the early summer of 1940 brought with it much uncertainty and growing apprehension. The situation looked rather grim, with the capture and occupation of the country seemingly inevitable. The German High Command with its well-trained Luftwaffe, held at bay on a very short leash, were watching from across the English Channel. They enjoyed the spoils of French cuisine and wine as they waited for England to drop to her knees and beg for mercy.

But the Germans in their infinite ignorance failed to take into account the undying spirit and never-ending will of the free people living and breathing just a stones throw away across the Channel, resolved to fight to the last man.

The final stage had been set as the curtain slowly opened on the greatest air battle known to man. The Battle of Britain was about to take place between the highly trained Luftwaffe fighters and bombers and the vastly outnumbered but equally nimble Hurricane and Spitfire fighters of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

When German commander Hermann Gring finally unleashed his hounds of the Luftwaffe in July of 1940, he had at his disposal over 1,200 bombers, 300 dive-bombers, and almost 1,100 fighters ready to swarm over England at will and annihilate the British aircraft industry and massive ground infrastructure. Gring, along with his superior, Adolf Hitler, believed that if they caused a panic among the British people through intimidation and terror, they would be able to force England into an unconditional surrender. What Hitler and his cohorts didnt count on was the 2,440 British RAF and more than 500 pilots from various free and occupied countries joining together as one to form an impenetrable wall of RAF fighter aircraft.

As the rest of the free world watched and held out hope, praying for the island nation, swirling dogfights between Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Bf 109s took place in the skies over England as wretched black contrails poured from the burning, twisted aircraft. Fighters and bombers fell from the English sky in great numbers as losses of men and aircraft on both sides began to mount. In a speech given during the height of the battle, in August of 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said of these brave men, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

Here are stories from some of these courageous few who fought over the fields of England and Australia, far away from their homelands, sacrificing personal dreams, hopes, and aspirations, all in the name of freedom.

S PITFIRE M K I

Pilot/Officer Ludwig Martel