William R. Dunn
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William R. Dunn (1916-1995) was the first American ace of World War II. Joining the Canadian Army at the outbreak of war in September 1939, he was an infantryman until he transferred to the Royal Air Force in late 1940. After service in the Eagle Squadron, he joined the United States Army Air Force in 1943.
[edit] Biography
At the age of twelve, American William R. Dunn decided to become a fighter pilot. In 1939 he joined the Canadian Army and was assigned to the Seaforth Highlanders, a Scottish infantry regiment of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. Soon after, he was transferred to the Royal Air Force. He was assigned to the famous American volunteer No. 71 Eagle Squadron based at Martlesham Heath Airfield near Ipswich, Suffolk on England's east coast.He was the first pilot in the Eagle Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft and later became the first American ace of the war. After joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943, he saw action in the Normandy invasion and in Patton’s sweep across France. Immediately after the war he fought in the Chinese Civil War on the side of the Nationalists. He later helped trained the Iranian Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force.
His final overseas duty was in Vietnam. Dunn keenly conveys the fighter pilot’s experience of war—the tension of combat, the harsh grip of fear, the love of aircraft, the elation of victory, the boisterous comradeship and competition of the pilot brotherhood. Fighter Pilot is both a gripping story and a unique historical document.
Lt. Col. William R. Dunn, a veteran of 38 years of military service and 378 combat missions in fighter aircraft, retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1973. In addition to his autobiography (Fighter Pilot: The First American Ace of World War II), he also wrote War Drum Echoes and other works on the Indian wars of North America.
[edit] References
- Fighter Pilot: The First American Ace of World War Two
