Record-Breaking WWII Fighter Pilot Dean Laird Dies At Age 101, According To Family

The only known World War II Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese enemy aircraft died Aug. 10, according to the veteran’s family.

Retired Navy Commander Dean “Diz” Laird died in Walnut Creek, California, with family by his side just weeks after embarking on his final flight, CNN reported. The 101-year-old former pilot was joined on a Dream Flights flight by another fighter pilot, Clarence “Bud” Anderson.

Laird’s storied career as a Navy aviator includes 5.75 confirmed planes shot down, according to his obituary on legacy.com. He was also the only Navy ace to down both German and Japanese planes, which earned him the title of “Quintessential Fighter Pilot,” according to a news release from the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

A young Laird joined the Navy in January, 1942, just after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the San Diego Air And Space Museum noted. In his 29 years of service, the Navy ace logged more than 8,000 hours of flight time “in 3,662 jets, 4,623 propeller aircraft, and 520 carrier landings,” according to the museum’s website. Laird also flew in the Korean War and Vietnam War, making 32 trans-Pacific flights, Laird’s daughter told CNN. Laird was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his achievements, according to the museum’s press release.

“He truly embodied the spirt of aviation and space exploration which earned him an honored place in the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame,” said President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum Jim Kidrick. “He proudly served our country in a time of its greatest need, and continued his service for nearly three decades, flying every type of aircraft in the Navy’s ever-evolving arsenal.”

Just guessing but in the Pacific he might have had a tail gunner. If he set up a shot for him he might have been awarded 3/4.

I was at Pearl when Tora-— was made. Might have rubbed elbows with him. It was absolutely fascinating to watch those guys fly between the buildings in the industrial area. Yeah, they actually let them do that. Some of us watched from the roof of our nuke office. One of the portal crane operators who had been operating a crane Dec. 7 was still there and they let him take a few swings with his crane boom.

From wiki-hahahaha-pedia:

Two of his kills were German planes: A Ju-88 and a He-115 in October 1943 near Norway. The other kills were Japanese planes so Laird has the distinction of being the only Navy ace to have scored air victories against both Germany and Japan.[6] He flew F4F Wildcat and then F6Fs and was assigned from November 1942 to March 1943, to the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4). November 1944 to March 1945 he was assigned to the USS Essex (CV-9).

https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/Recent/Article-View/Article/3131339/in-memoriam-world-war-ii-ace-commander-dean-s-allard-usn-ret/

…Following flight training at Naval Air Station Miami, he was designated a naval aviator on 21 October 1942. The next month, he reported to Fighter Squadron FOUR (VF-4) “Red Rippers” embarked on carrier
USS Ranger (CV-4), flying the F4F Wildcat fighter.

On 4 October 1943, Ranger executed Operation Leader, a surprise strike on German shipping along the coast of German-occupied Norway, near the Arctic Circle. At least five German (or German-controlled) ships, including a large tanker and a troopship, were sunk or beached, with German casualties estimated as high as 350 going down with the ships. The raid severely disrupted shipment of critical iron ore from northern Norway to Germany for several months. Four of Ranger’s aircraft were lost, three to anti-aircraft fire and one to accident. The pilot and gunner of one downed SBD Dauntless were killed, and the pilot and gunner of another SBD were captured. One TBF Avenger was downed and only the pilot survived.

At around 1400 on 4 October 1943, radar detected three German aircraft approaching Ranger. By then, the unlimited visibility of the morning had given way to extensive cloud cover. Two pairs of Ranger VF-4 fighters played cat and mouse with the German aircraft in the clouds. Finally, Lieutenant (j.g.) Diz Laird and his flight leader located a Ju-88D twin-engine bomber and took turns shooting it full of holes—unlike the lightly constructed Japanese bombers, German aircraft did not immediately burst into flame when hit—before the plane finally crashed in the ocean. Laird subsequently sighted an He-115B twin-engine float plane flying at very low altitude and hit it. The float plane attempted to land on the water, but one of the float pylons collapsed and it cartwheeled into the sea. These were the first German aircraft shot down by U.S. Navy aircraft in World War II. (See H-Gram 022 for an overview of Operation Leader, and attachment H-022-3 for full detail.)

After Ranger returned to the States, VF-4 transitioned to the new F6F Hellcat fighter. Flying from USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), Laird shot down two Japanese Kawasaki “Tony” fighters near Manila on 25 November 1944.

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