Posted on 05/02/2014 9:29:29 AM PDT by Borges
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The sinking of the Athenia — an early victim in the Battle of the Atlantic — helped turn world opinion against Germany. For Mr. Goodson, it was the moment when he decided to do his “bit to stamp out Nazism.” He went on to become a leading Army Air Forces ace in the European theater, with 15 aerial kills and another 15 strafing kills of enemy aircraft on the ground.
His success brought him the nickname “King of the Strafers,” said Roy Heidicker, an Air Force historian.
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(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Article says his wife passed last month. Happens often with long time couples. RIP Col.
Ping
My Mom’s first husband - A twice shot down Fortress pilot knew “Goody” in POW circumstances. She herslf enlisted and served in the War Dept processing films coming back from the bombing runs - she’s 92 too. I’ll mention his passing. “Goody” was good on the guns for sure.
'Combat Command' by Adm. F. Sherman, 'The First and the Last', Adolph Galland, and 'Stuka Pilot' Hans-Erich Rudel all strike the same theme. It is far easier to rack up kills if you are on the winning side late in a war. Winners have lots of resources and time to expend in training, losers are scraping the bottom of the barrel. So if you are comparing kill numbers, it is logical to also look at time periods.
As an aside, unquestionably the greatest combat pilot in history was Rudel. The most decorated pilot in history, he had over 2,500 combat missions (most on Eastern Front), and was shot down over 30 times (all by ground fire). He was back flying combat within a month after having a leg shot off. Quite a guy.
RIP.
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