Sometime before February of 1944, the Eighth Air Force decided to credit strafing kills as the equivalent of an air-to-air victory in order to help inspire their pilots to strafe German airfields. (This was ultimately reversed or, not recognized as legit at the end of the war.) According to Freeman in the book Zemke's Wolfpack, Zemke himself was the first pilot so credited on Feb. 11, 1944.
What I can't seem to locate in any of my books is a record of when Doolittle cut the orders for this ultimately controversial strafing credit system. Does anyone know the date? It's not in Doolittle's memoir. At least I couldn't find it there.
I guess this isn't really a story. I should have put it somewhere else. My bad. Delete it if you want to.
What I can't seem to locate in any of my books is a record of when Doolittle cut the orders for this ultimately controversial strafing credit system. Does anyone know the date? It's not in Doolittle's memoir. At least I couldn't find it there.
I guess this isn't really a story. I should have put it somewhere else. My bad. Delete it if you want to.
Last edited:
