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Thumpalumpacus
Major
HONOLULU (AP) — Harry Chandler, a Navy medic who helped pull injured sailors from the oily waters of Pearl Harbor after the 1941 Japanese attack on the naval base, has died. He was 103.
Chandler died Monday at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida, according to Ron Mahaffee, the husband of his granddaughter Kelli Fahey. Chandler had congestive heart failure, but Mahaffee said doctors and nurses noted his advanced age when giving a cause of death.
The third Pearl Harbor survivor to die in the past few weeks, Chandler was a hospital corpsman 3rd class on Dec. 7, 1941, when waves of Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs and fired machine guns on battleships in the harbor and plunged the U.S. into World War II.
He told The Associated Press in 2023 that he saw the planes approach as he was raising the flag that morning at a mobile hospital in Aiea Heights, which is in the hills overlooking the base.
"I thought they were planes coming in from the states until I saw the bombs dropping," Chandler said. His first instinct was to take cover and "get the hell out of here."
"I was afraid that they'd start strafing," he said.
His unit rode trucks down to attend the injured. He said in a Pacific Historic Parks oral history interview that he boarded a boat to help pluck wounded sailors from the water.
The harbor was covered in oil from exploding ships, so Chandler washed the sailors off after lifting them out. He said he was too focused on his work to be afraid.
Chandler died Monday at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida, according to Ron Mahaffee, the husband of his granddaughter Kelli Fahey. Chandler had congestive heart failure, but Mahaffee said doctors and nurses noted his advanced age when giving a cause of death.
The third Pearl Harbor survivor to die in the past few weeks, Chandler was a hospital corpsman 3rd class on Dec. 7, 1941, when waves of Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs and fired machine guns on battleships in the harbor and plunged the U.S. into World War II.
He told The Associated Press in 2023 that he saw the planes approach as he was raising the flag that morning at a mobile hospital in Aiea Heights, which is in the hills overlooking the base.
"I thought they were planes coming in from the states until I saw the bombs dropping," Chandler said. His first instinct was to take cover and "get the hell out of here."
"I was afraid that they'd start strafing," he said.
His unit rode trucks down to attend the injured. He said in a Pacific Historic Parks oral history interview that he boarded a boat to help pluck wounded sailors from the water.
The harbor was covered in oil from exploding ships, so Chandler washed the sailors off after lifting them out. He said he was too focused on his work to be afraid.
fubar57
General
Viking1066
Chief Master Sergeant
Vic Balshaw
Major General
MiTasol
1st Lieutenant
Snautzer01
Honourably banned
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Airframes
Benevolens Magister
IMHO more appropriate here rather than Space section, as all of these men were exceptional aviators who pioneered our ventures and dreams out of the atmosphere and even on other worlds.
They carried our spirits with them, and they keep us alive and yearning.
Let's not forget Ingenuity, the autonomous helicopter, that made 72 flights on Mars from 2021 to 2024
They carried our spirits with them, and they keep us alive and yearning.
Let's not forget Ingenuity, the autonomous helicopter, that made 72 flights on Mars from 2021 to 2024
Last edited:
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
AMCKen
Senior Airman
Perry J. Dahl - Wikipedia
Viking1066
Chief Master Sergeant
Vic Balshaw
Major General
fubar57
General
Thumpalumpacus
Major
On Dec. 2, 2024, Perry Dahl, one of the last living American WWII aces who shot down five or more enemy aircraft, died after a storied 37-year career in the United States Army, Army Air Corps, U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force. He was 101 years old.
Dahl was born on Feb. 18, 1923, in North Battleford in Saskatchewan, Canada. Shortly after, his family moved to the United States, settling in Seattle.
After three years in high school, he enlisted in the Washington National Guard on June 17, 1940, and three months later, he entered service as a private with the 41st Infantry Division. On Sept. 26, 1942, Dahl enrolled in the Aviation Cadet Program, and on June 22, 1943, he qualified as a pilot and a second lieutenant.
After further training on the Lockheed P-38 Lighting, he was assigned to the 55th Fighter Group in Tumwater, Washington, before being reassigned to the 432nd Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group, based at north Borio Airfield, Dobodura, in Papua New Guinea, where he nicknamed his Lightning "Skidoo."
Dahl wasted little time getting underway.
While escorting North American B-25s on a bombing mission to Alexishafen, he was credited with shooting down a Zeke, the Allied codename for the Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero fighter.
The Japanese navy was not active in New Guinea at that time, however, and Dahl's victim was more likely a Nakajima Ki-43 fighter, known as an Oscar. The same could be said of the Zeke credited to him over Wewak on Dec. 22; that discrepancy seems to have been resolved a month later when Dahl was credited with shooting an Oscar over Wewak.
On Jan. 23, 1944, Dahl was wingman to Capt. John Loisel when he downed two Oscars over Cape Moem. Loisel then came under attack himself, but Dahl radioed a warning and then shot the Oscar off his tail.
A month later, Dahl's squadron departed Nadzab to escort B-25s and Douglas A-20s to the Japanese airbase at Momote, but bad weather forced them to abort. As he landed at Cape Gloucester, Dahl collided with a B-24 but survived.
On April 3, Dahl was credited with shooting down two Oscars of the 11 planes claimed by his group that day. The double victory made him an ace, and the month also saw him promoted to captain. On June 8, he downed another Oscar between Wakde airfield and Manokwari.
Five months later, Dahl was flying a new P-38L7 when he downed a Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony over San Pablo, Leyte, on Nov. 10. As he turned to make a second attack, however, his plane collided with his wingman, 2nd Lt. Grady Lasseter Jr., who was killed.
Dahl bailed out, only to be captured by a Japanese patrol and later rescued by Philippine Resistance fighters. He rejoined his squadron on Jan. 15, 1945, and on March 5, he shot down a Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber down near Formosa, now Taiwan.
On March 28, Loisel was leading 19 P-38Ls to meet and escort B-25s against Japanese shipping in the Ban Gai area off French Indochina. They failed to rendezvous with the bombers but found plenty of Japanese fighters, one of which Loisel sent crashing into the sea south of Tre Island for his 11th and final victory.
Dahl and his eight P-38s arrived early at the rendezvous point and spent the next 45 minutes searching for the enemy convoy. Once spotted, Dahl descended and circled it at the risk of being hit by AA fire. He then relayed its position to the B-25s.
"Shortly afterwards," Dahl's citation recounted, "he noticed that an accompanying flight of P-38s, their pilots apparently unaware of some 20 enemy [aircraft] above, was attacking a few hostile planes at low altitude. Unable to communicate with the endangered flight, he pulled up to intercept the enemy as they dived to attack it."
The 475th claimed a total of nine enemy aircraft in that 20-minute melee, including a Hamp, or a Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 32, credited to Dahl for his final victory.
As Dahl left the target area, he was attacked by six more Japanese fighters. After shaking them off, he discovered that his fuel was too low to reach his base, so he landed at another American airfield, with 10 to 20 gallons of fuel reserve left.
For his actions on March 28, Dahl was awarded the Silver Star.
www.airforcetimes.com
Dahl was born on Feb. 18, 1923, in North Battleford in Saskatchewan, Canada. Shortly after, his family moved to the United States, settling in Seattle.
After three years in high school, he enlisted in the Washington National Guard on June 17, 1940, and three months later, he entered service as a private with the 41st Infantry Division. On Sept. 26, 1942, Dahl enrolled in the Aviation Cadet Program, and on June 22, 1943, he qualified as a pilot and a second lieutenant.
After further training on the Lockheed P-38 Lighting, he was assigned to the 55th Fighter Group in Tumwater, Washington, before being reassigned to the 432nd Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group, based at north Borio Airfield, Dobodura, in Papua New Guinea, where he nicknamed his Lightning "Skidoo."
Dahl wasted little time getting underway.
While escorting North American B-25s on a bombing mission to Alexishafen, he was credited with shooting down a Zeke, the Allied codename for the Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero fighter.
The Japanese navy was not active in New Guinea at that time, however, and Dahl's victim was more likely a Nakajima Ki-43 fighter, known as an Oscar. The same could be said of the Zeke credited to him over Wewak on Dec. 22; that discrepancy seems to have been resolved a month later when Dahl was credited with shooting an Oscar over Wewak.
On Jan. 23, 1944, Dahl was wingman to Capt. John Loisel when he downed two Oscars over Cape Moem. Loisel then came under attack himself, but Dahl radioed a warning and then shot the Oscar off his tail.
A month later, Dahl's squadron departed Nadzab to escort B-25s and Douglas A-20s to the Japanese airbase at Momote, but bad weather forced them to abort. As he landed at Cape Gloucester, Dahl collided with a B-24 but survived.
On April 3, Dahl was credited with shooting down two Oscars of the 11 planes claimed by his group that day. The double victory made him an ace, and the month also saw him promoted to captain. On June 8, he downed another Oscar between Wakde airfield and Manokwari.
Five months later, Dahl was flying a new P-38L7 when he downed a Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony over San Pablo, Leyte, on Nov. 10. As he turned to make a second attack, however, his plane collided with his wingman, 2nd Lt. Grady Lasseter Jr., who was killed.
Dahl bailed out, only to be captured by a Japanese patrol and later rescued by Philippine Resistance fighters. He rejoined his squadron on Jan. 15, 1945, and on March 5, he shot down a Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber down near Formosa, now Taiwan.
On March 28, Loisel was leading 19 P-38Ls to meet and escort B-25s against Japanese shipping in the Ban Gai area off French Indochina. They failed to rendezvous with the bombers but found plenty of Japanese fighters, one of which Loisel sent crashing into the sea south of Tre Island for his 11th and final victory.
Dahl and his eight P-38s arrived early at the rendezvous point and spent the next 45 minutes searching for the enemy convoy. Once spotted, Dahl descended and circled it at the risk of being hit by AA fire. He then relayed its position to the B-25s.
"Shortly afterwards," Dahl's citation recounted, "he noticed that an accompanying flight of P-38s, their pilots apparently unaware of some 20 enemy [aircraft] above, was attacking a few hostile planes at low altitude. Unable to communicate with the endangered flight, he pulled up to intercept the enemy as they dived to attack it."
The 475th claimed a total of nine enemy aircraft in that 20-minute melee, including a Hamp, or a Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 32, credited to Dahl for his final victory.
As Dahl left the target area, he was attacked by six more Japanese fighters. After shaking them off, he discovered that his fuel was too low to reach his base, so he landed at another American airfield, with 10 to 20 gallons of fuel reserve left.
For his actions on March 28, Dahl was awarded the Silver Star.
Perry Dahl, one of the last living WWII fighter aces, dies at 101
Flying his P-38 Lightning, nicknamed Skidoo, Dahl shot down more than five enemy planes in the Pacific.
www.airforcetimes.com
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Vic Balshaw
Major General