PORTLAND, Ore. -- The 142nd Wing operates the F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft, the undisputed champion of modern jet air combat with over 100 aerial victories credited and no losses in conflicts since the 1980s. The 142nd Wing is equipped with the combat-proven F-15C Eagle fighter designed for air superiority. The new F-15EX Eagle II the wing started receiving last year will continue this heritage. With air-to-air in mind, how many aerial victories does the 142nd Wing have credit for since the wing was first activated on 15 Jul 1943?
World War II
Looking back in the wing’s history to its earliest years when it was designated the 371st Fighter Group, fighter pilots in the unit achieved numerous aerial victories. In aerial combat 1944-1945, from two days after D-Day (D+2) the group claimed 71 aerial victories in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), even though the unit’s primary tasking then was air-to-ground work, interdiction and close support for US Army ground forces like General Patton and his Third Army.
Still, there were many clashes with German Luftwaffe fighters in the war-torn skies over northwestern Europe. Read about the group’s first, sharp introduction to air combat with the Luftwaffe on June 8, 1944 (D+2) in “First Blood in the Air,” here.
According to the official USAF record of World War II aerial victory credits maintained by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, the following pilots of the 371st Fighter Group, its Headquarters and three fighter squadrons (404th , 405th, and 406th) are officially credited with a total of 65 aerial victories during the war:
No. Date Victor Unit Credit Type Enemy Aircraft
1 8 Jun 1944 Maj. Rockford V. Gray # HQ 1 FW-190
2 8 Jun 1944 Maj. Rockford V. Gray HQ 1 FW-190
3 8 Jun 1944 Maj. Rockford V. Gray HQ 1 FW-190
4 8 Jun 1944 Capt. George D. Pieck # 404 1 Me-109
5 8 Jun 1944 Capt. Uno A. Salmi # 406 1 FW-190
6 20 Jun 1944 Capt. Wm. A. McCormick, Jr. 405 1 Me-109
7 20 Jun 1944 2Lt. Thomas F. Barton 405 1 Me-109
8 20 Jun 1944 2Lt. Robert A. Mezzetti # 405 1 Me-109
9 20 Jun 1944 1Lt. John B. Sullivan 405 1 Me-109
10 28 Jul 1944 2Lt. Francis E. Madore 406 1 FW-190
11 31 Jul 1944 1Lt. Paul Tetrick 405 1 Me-109
12 19 Aug 1944 1Lt. James S. Green 404 0.5 FW-190
12 19 Aug 1944 2Lt. William R. Myles, Jr. 404 0.5 FW-190
13 19 Aug 1944 2Lt. William R. Myles, Jr. 404 1 FW-190
14 28 Sep 1944 1Lt. James V. Colley, Jr. 404 1 Me-109
15 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. Rudolph Augarten 406 1 Me-109
16 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. Rudolph Augarten 406 1 Me-109
17 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. Harry L. Bailey 406 1 Me-109
18 3 Oct 1944 1Lt. Lawrence D. Damewood 406 1 Me-109
19 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. William M. Daughton 406 1 Me-109
20 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. William M. Daughton 406 1 Me-109
21 3 Oct 1944 2Lt. Forrest A. Kilgore, Jr. 406 1 Me-109
22 17 Oct 1944 Capt. Eric E. Doorly 406 1 Me-109
23 17 Oct 1944 Capt. Eric E. Doorly 406 1 Me-109
24 17 Oct 1944 1Lt. Francis E. Madore 406 1 Me-109
25 17 Oct 1944 1Lt. Francis E. Madore 406 1 Me-109
26 20 Oct 1944 Capt. William T. Bales, Jr. 406 1 Me-109
27 20 Oct 1944 1Lt. Charles C. Borden 406 1 Me-109
28 20 Oct 1944 Capt. John O. Daniels 406 1 Me-109
29 20 Oct 1944 Maj. Sanders E. Delaney 406 1 Me-109
30 20 Oct 1944 Maj. Sanders E. Delaney 406 1 Me-109
31 20 Oct 1944 Capt. Eric E. Doorly 406 1 Me-109
32 20 Oct 1944 1Lt. Francis E. Madore 406 1 Me-109
33 12 Dec 1944 1Lt. Francis T. Evans, Jr. 405 0.25 Me-109
33 12 Dec 1944 2Lt. Robert L. Griffith 405 0.25 Me-109
33 12 Dec 1944 FO Robert L. Marks 405 0.25 Me-109
33 12 Dec 1944 2Lt. Russell M. Martin 405 0.25 Me-109
34 23 Dec 1944 1Lt. Robert J. Miller 406 1 Me-109
35 2 Jan 1945 Lt. Col. Philip E. Bacon, Jr. HQ 1 FW-190
36 2 Jan 1945 2Lt. James M. Keir, Jr. 404 1 FW-190
37 2 Jan 1945 1Lt. Lowell G. Long 404 1 FW-190
38 2 Jan 1945 1Lt. Francis T. Evans, Jr. 405 1 Me-109
39 2 Jan 1945 1Lt. Charles B. Meyer 405 1 Me-109
40 2 Jan 1945 2Lt. Arden Williams 405 1 Me-109
41 5 Jan 1945 Capt. Thomas E. Cox 404 1 FW-190
42 5 Jan 1945 Maj. John W. Leonard # 405 1 FW-190
43 5 Jan 1945 Maj. John W. Leonard 405 0.5 FW-190
43 5 Jan 1945 1Lt. Curtis L. McGonigle 405 0.5 FW-190
44 5 Jan 1945 Capt. Alexander H. Tait 405 1 FW-190
45 14 Jan 1945 1Lt. William R. Lamb 404 1 Me-109
46 28 Feb 1945* 1Lt. Estell L. Stobaugh 404 1 Me-109
47 28 Feb 1945* 1Lt. Estell L. Stobaugh 404 1 Me-109
48 28 Feb 1945* 2Lt. Alfred Thalmann 404 1 Me-109
49 1 Mar 1945 Maj. John O. Daniels 406 1 Me-109
50 1 Mar 1945 Maj. John O. Daniels 406 1 Me-109
51 1 Mar 1945 1Lt. Edward R. Kirkland 406 1 Me-109
52 21 Mar 1945 2Lt. Charles E. Lindley 405 0.5 Me-109
52 21 Mar 1945 1Lt. Ray H. Sanders 405 0.5 Me-109
53 31 Mar 1945 1Lt. William T. Bales, Jr. HQ 1 Me-262
54 7 Apr 1945 1Lt. Errante Corina 404 1 Me-109
55 7 Apr 1945 1Lt Estell L. Stobaugh 404 1 Me-109
56 10 Apr 1945 1Lt. Earl R. Frantz 406 0.5 Me-109
56 10 Apr 1945 Capt. William T. Bales, Jr. HQ 0.5 Me-109
57 10 Apr 1945 1Lt. Robert L. Smith 406 0.5 Me-109
57 10 Apr 1945 Capt. Roscoe B. Woodruff 406 0.5 Me-109
58 13 Apr 1945 Lt. Col. Sanders E. Delaney 406 1 Me-110
59 13 Apr 1945 1Lt. Earl R. Frantz 406 1 Me-109
60 13 Apr 1945 2Lt. Lawrence A. Hess, Jr. 406 1 Me-109
61 16 Apr 1945 1Lt. William C. Benedict 406 0.5 FW-190
61 16 Apr 1945 2Lt. John J. Foley 406 0.5 FW-190
62 16 Apr 1945 1Lt. Delroy E. Spray 406 1 FW-190
63 16 Apr 1945 1Lt. Raymond B. Howe 406 1 FW-190
64 17 Apr 1945 1Lt. James A. Zweizig 404 1 Me-262
65 20 Apr 1945 2Lt. Joseph F. Butler 405 1 Me-109
Notes:
Pilots killed during the war: Lt Col Delaney was killed in a flying accident in June, 1945
Preliminary review of group records shows Lt. Col. Delaney made a claim for one Me-109 on 20 Oct 1944; aerial victory 30 may be a duplicate. Further research required.
* The 28 Feb 1945 victories by 1Lt. Stobaugh and 2Lt. Thalmann may have been over FW-190D aircraft, the long-nose, Jumo 213 V-12 liquid-cooled engine variant of the radial engine-powered FW-190. In the group’s OpRep for that day, it reported “Over target area Sq. was bounced by 20 plus clipped wing 109’s, blue noses white cowlings.”
Aerial victories by type enemy aircraft
Me-109: 46
FW-190: 16
Me-262: 2
Me-110: 1
Total: 65
Aerial victories by organization
HQ 371st Ftr Grp 5.5
404th Ftr Sqn 14
405th Ftr Sqn 14
406th Ftr Sqn 31.5
Total: 65
Other Victories
There were additional claims of aerial victories which the group submitted for validation to higher headquarters which were not approved for various reasons, like a lack of gun camera film footage, lack of a corroborating witness, duplicate claims for the same aircraft, and perhaps a bit of HQ mystery too.
Ongoing research in unit history shows that some pilots in the group achieved aerial victories in other units prior to joining the 371st Fighter Group. For example, one of the former Royal Air Force (RAF) Eagle Squadron pilots in the group, Lt Col William J. “Diamond Jim” Daley, Jr., deputy commander of the group and formerly of No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron, reportedly had aerial victories in 1942. Daley shot down two FW-190 fighters and shared 0.5 credit for the downing of a tri-motored Ju-52 transport (another source says it was a Ju W 34 single-engine transport) – one source indicates he achieved eight aerial victories in his time in the RAF, which could make him the top-scoring pilot assigned to the 371st Fighter Group, even though his victories were accomplished elsewhere.
Another Eagle Squadron veteran, Maj. Edwin “Jessie” Taylor, the 406th Fighter Squadron commander and formerly of RAF No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron may have had at least three aerial victories in 1942 whilst in RAF service. With the 371st Fighter Group he claimed an FW-190, an Me-109 and half of a FW-190 in an intense dogfight on 28 Jul 1944, but these claims were not upheld by higher headquarters.
The group had one other Eagle Squadron veteran, Capt. Eric E. Doorly of the 406th Fighter Squadron, formerly with RAF No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron, who may have achieved an aerial victory. We currently have an “enquiry” submitted to the Royal Air Force Museum in the United Kingdom, the answer to which will hopefully provide clarity on this matter of the unit’s Eagle Squadron veterans’ officially credited aerial victories.
And according to the American Fighter Aces Association, Maj. Rockford Vance “Rocky” Gray, who was assigned to 371st group staff on 5 Jun 1944, was credited with a total of 6.5 aerial victories while flying P-47 Thunderbolts in the 359th, 365th and 371st fighter groups in the ETO. He achieved ace pilot status on D+2 while assigned to the 371st Fighter Group. He made a claim for an Me-109 in a fight on 24 Jul 1944 which was not upheld by higher headquarters. The American Air Museum in Britain website’s picture of Maj. Gray credits him with 11 aerial victories, but it is not clear if these were claims filed in all the groups he flew in or officially confirmed and credited. More research is required.
Besides aerial victories, group pilots claimed 165 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. We don’t have any list at this time of official credits for destruction of these aircraft, but have documentation of claims, and further research is required.
In addition to aircraft destroyed in the air and on the ground, group pilots claimed another 32 enemy aircraft damaged in aerial combat, and 206 more damaged on the ground. Altogether the group claimed to have damaged or destroyed over 450 enemy aircraft in 13 months of combat in the ETO.
Korea
Although Oregon’s ANG units were not tasked with overseas service during the Korean War, nine 123rd Fighter Squadron pilots were called upon to serve on active duty with USAF combat squadrons in Korea. Most of them flew the F-51D Mustang and their work was largely air-to-ground in nature, but unit members claimed one enemy aircraft destroyed and two damaged according to a summary of their mission results in Korea. These were documented in the squadron’s “Report of Active Duty Accomplishments,” dated 9 Feb 1953, which was submitted to ANG headquarters.
The details behind these claims are not found in the document, nor in the wing history archive; perhaps they are in the records of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing or 35th Fighter-Interceptor Wing whom these pilots flew with. As far as we know, none of the nine Oregon 123rd Fighter Squadron pilots received credit for an aerial victory, per AFHRA and local review of the USAF’s Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft – Korean War. Were the claims for destruction/damage of enemy aircraft in the air which weren’t officially credited? Were they for destruction/damage of enemy aircraft on the ground? Further research is required.
Since Then
With responsibility for air defense of the Pacific Northwest under Aerospace Defense Command, the 142nd did not deploy to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. It was the same during the Gulf War of 1991 in Southwest Asia and the Balkans wars in the 1990s, although operating the F-15 Eagle since 1989, the Oregon ANG has long added air superiority to its mission capability.
The wing deployed F-15 Eagles twice to Southwest Asia after the Gulf War to enforce No-Fly Zones over Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, but Redhawk pilots did not encounter and fight any hostile aircraft. The wing deployed Eagles twice to eastern Europe in the period when all was relatively quiet before the Russo-Ukrainian war erupted in 2022.
Although the 142nd Wing hasn’t had the opportunity to show its prowess in combat with the F-15, one never knows when that time may come. Maintaining a high state of readiness is essential for the mission, as evidenced in local area and regional training, major exercises like Red Flag and competitions like William Tell as the wing lives up to its motto, Semper Vigilans, Always on Guard. And so, the wing trains like it will fight, so it can fight like it trains, ready to answer the call of duty for community, state and nation, 24/7 from here in the Pacific Northwest.
So, there it is, for the record, the officially credited, current status of the aerial victories of the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard. Fly, Fight, and Win!