Posted on 05/27/2024 6:59:51 AM PDT by ransomnote
SNIP
On Mar. 31, 1943, the Pandaveswar based (northwest of Calcutta) 7th Bomb Group (BG)’s 9th Bomb Squadron was dispatched to destroy a railroad bridge at Pyinmana, about halfway between Rangoon and Mandalay and near two active enemy fighter bases. The formation was led by Col. Conrad F. Necrason, 7th BG commander. The B-24 on his right wing was piloted by 1st Lt. Lloyd Jensen whose copilot was 2d Lt. Owen J. Baggett. On that mission, Baggett was to earn a distinction believed to be unique in Air Force history.
Before reaching the target, the B-24s were attacked by Zero fighters.
Baggett’s plane was hit in the fuel tanks and caught fire, forcing the crew to bail out. As they descended with parachutes, the Zeroes continued to attack, killing two of the crew and wounding Baggett in the left arm.
Feigning death, Baggett watched as a curious Zero pilot approached him, performing an astonishing bit of aerobatics to get a closer look at the wounded American. At just the right moment, Baggett drew his service pistol, a Colt .45, and fired four shots, hitting the Japanese pilot in the head and causing the Zero to crash.
Baggett was captured and taken to a POW camp, where he was surprisingly received and feted as a hero by the Japanese camp commander, a colonel, for his fine shooting at the Zero. This is an example of the Japanese military’s peculiar Bushido code, which placed great emphasis on honor and valor in battle.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaviationgeekclub.com ...
Good call. Just like the popular misconception that General Claire Chennault and the American Volunteer Group warned the US about the Zero before Pearl Harbor.
a. The AFV did not engage Zeroes over Burma and China.
b. The AFV did not start operations until after Pearl Harbor.
Thanks for posting.
Add this to my long list of things I wish were taught in public schools.
My Dad was a bombardier on a B-24 in WWII in the Pacific Theater and he was issued a Colt .45 1911. I still have it.
Amen
Had never seen this story before. Fascinating.
Wondering who took that photo.
Lots of US pilots reported dogfights with Zeros in places in Southwest Asia where no Japanese Navy Zeros were based within 2000 miles. The Oscar caused a lot of confusion.
And a very hospitable and generous man. We saw him at Oshkosh signing his book, and he chatted with three of us for about a half hour as if he were our next door neighbor!
And his story about stealing that FW is insane!
Incredible!
Do TPTB tell these stories to new recruits? Doubt it. The little snowflakes would pee their pants.
That’s what you call “presence of mind”. Fulfilling your duty, while moving in a blur. Not shaken or stirred by a parachute drop.
Wow.
Amazin’
Is that fair play? Hmmm.
We get angry when the enemy planes machine gun the parachutists. Is that not considered a war crime.
But if the parachutists can be considered a deadly threat, perhaps it is not so out of bounds after all.
So there’s “Never bring a knife to a gun fight” - then what about “Never bring a revolver to an aerial dogfight?”
But you certainly make a good point - strafing somebody in a parachute sure seems unjustifiable, but maybe that’s because nobody thinks sometimes they might shoot back.
This is a Veteran’s Day story, NOT a Memorial Day story.
Delete it!
This story detracts from those who gave all and who are being honored today.
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Super good story; I’m sharing it with a lot of other folks.
Sometimes i think that the wwii guys are equivalent to the special forces today.
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