Hero pilot who shot down at least FOUR Russian Migs in classified dogfight in 1952 to receive the Navy Cross: Captain took on seven jets alone and was shot 263 times - but was ordered not to tell anyone for fear of sparking war

UK Daily Mail ^ | January 18, 2023 | Alastair Talbot

[C19fan]

A hero pilot who shot down at least four Russian Migs in a classified dogfight at the height of the Cold War which saw his jet shot 263 times is to receive the Navy Cross.

Retired Navy Captain Royce Williams was sworn to secrecy for more than 50 years over fears that his battle against seven Soviet fighters could spark war with Russia.

Now the 97-year-old is free to tell his tale and is due to receive the Navy's second highest award for combat valor on Friday at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

[Alberta's Child]

The incident took place in November 1952. The article includes this line:

In the early 2000s, US records from the Korean War were finally declassified and Williams' story became well-known in military circles.

So he's been free to tell his story for years. The records were probably declassified about 50 years after the Korean War ended.

The friend was working on his behalf to get his award upgraded to the Navy Cross for some time.

[Alberta's Child]

Oh, would you grow up.

[NorthMountain]

This place is starting to look a little pink.

Code Pink.

[ansel12]

You have to be kidding, something happened to you to get you mocking American war heroes and our Korean war vets, and Korean war dead as mere pawns of the U.N.

[ansel12]

I meant my friend, who started working on this in 2014, trying to get him the MOH.

That is why I agree that the line in the article was odd about when the American war hero could start talking about it.

[Chainmail]

You are so right… our FreeRepublic has been taken over by flakey, perverted, and seriously unpatriotic folks.

Like you, Chickensoup.

[Spacetrucker]

A truly awe-inspiring fear and a truly awe-inspiring man. They really DID make them tougher back in the day.

[Grampa Dave]

Yes indeed:

[Grampa Dave]

https://www.sterett.net/the-sterett-ships/dlg-cg-31/dong-hoi-action/

[robowombat]

Yes, until the Soviet Union fell information on Soviet participation in the air war in Korea was treated as a big secret even though it was openly known in the AF and USN. In his next to last victory McConnell damaged a a MiG-15 piloted by Soviet ace Semyon Fedorets so badly that it made a crash landing on a north Korean recovery strip, however, his Sabre was also badly damaged and was forced to bail out after he nursed his aircraft out over the Sea of Japan. The part about Fedorets was censored until the 1990’s even though Fedorets described the engagement in his open source memoirs.The reason for these contortions was the cautious US approach to any reports of actual US Soviet armed clashes. The State Dept/White House philosophy was to avoid any direct US Soviet conflict. The same philosophy managed to keep the information that Migs flown apparently by Cubans did ambush the air cap of the Coral Sea or Philippine Sea off Cuba during the Bay of Pigs. Two USN jets were downed and the carrier strafed by the Migs. The White House knew if the news of these event got out an invasion of Cuba would have to occur.