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Warbirds
History Quiz - Keep Our History Alive! |
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WHO IS THIS PILOT ??
Who is this pilot and what is he best known for?
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Welcome to the Warbirds monthly "History Quiz " section.
Our Pilot last month can't get much more famous. He is none other than Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Our winner is Christopher Marino of Massapequa. Thanks to Bob Brown for his description. He is also our runner up. Good luck this month and keep reading your history!
In the interest of preserving the history of the original pilots and crews of
the warbirds, we are adding another contest to the website. It is a trivia question
section. With the internet it should be easy for you all to find the information,
but it is important to remember the sacrifices as well as the exploits of our
veterans. So in this section we will ask questions that will hopefully make you
want to find out more about the history behind the pilots and aircrews in the
second world war.
Send in your answer to thor@warbirdsoverlongisland.com and we will pick a winner for an authentic Warbirds
Over Long Island patch with the velcro the same
as our pilots wear on their flight-suits.
Good luck and have fun and learn the history!
The winner will be announced on this page at the
end of every month.
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Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, commander of VMF-214, better known as the Black Sheep Squadron. However, the picture shows him in the plane flown by Lt. Robert W. McClurg (No. 883). Pappy's plane was No. 86, a.k.a. "Lulubelle". He was a Medal of Honor recipient. Here's the text of the citation:
"For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of Marine Fighting Squadron TWO FOURTEEN in action against enemy Japanese forces in Central Solomons Area from September 12, 1943 to January 3, 1944. Consistently outnumbered throughout successive hazardous flights over heavily defended hostile territory, Major Boyington struck at the enemy with daring and courageous persistence, leading his squadron into combat with devastating results to Japanese shipping, shore installations and aerial forces. Resolute in his efforts to inflict crippling damage on the enemy, Major Boyington led a formation of twenty-four fighters over Kahili on October 17, and, persistently circling the airdrome where sixty hostile aircraft were grounded, boldly challenged the Japanese to send up planes. Under his brilliant command, our fighters shot down twenty enemy craft in the ensuing action without the loss of a single ship. A superb airman and determined fighter against overwhelming odds, Major Boyington personally destroyed 26 of the many Japanese planes shot down by his squadron and by his forceful leadership developed the combat readiness in his command which was a distinctive factor in the Allied aerial achievements in this vitally strategic area.
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