I’ve read one interesting observation about US pilots, from both Japanese and German aces. Starting as early as the Flying Tigers, they were often amazed to see a single US plane, or just a few, turn into vastly superior numbers of enemy planes and fight against bad odds. They said the US pilots were fearless.
I think the Great Depression played a part in making that generation tough. Whatever it was they were brave, capable, and effective.
Torpedo Squadron 8 had no air cover and their slow lumbering planes while carrying torpedoes were a sitting duck yet they went in and tried losing every man but one. None of their torpedoes made a hit but the Japanese fighters having been drawn down to just about the waves could do nothing as the dive bombers attacked and within a few minutes either 3 or 4 of their carriers were in flames.
The Japanese and Germans of that era were also extremely capable and brave. In other words we were not fighting a bunch of pansies but some of the best in the world.
I recall another tid bit from Saburo Sakai’s book. They were stationed at Lae on New Guinea when he got word that American Marines had landed at “Buna?” or somewhere. The message was that the Americans were fighting like demonic beings and they could not hold against them.
I would say the U.S. Marines had the respect of the Japanese.