[David L. "Tex" Hill oral history interview]

In this brief oral history, fighter ace David L. “Tex” Hill is interviewed about his military service with the United States Armed Forces during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time with the American Volunteer Group in China and his time with the 412th Fighter Group, the first American unit to fly jets. Topics discussed include aerial combat tactics, a combat mission over Hengyang, and Hill’s flight in a captured Japanese “Zeke” fighter plane.

The interview is conducted by Eugene A. Valencia during an unspecified event, likely a Naval Aviators’ reunion. During the interview, Hill refers to Valencia as “Henry.”

The son of Presbyterian missionaries, David L. “Tex” Hill was born on July 13, 1915 in Kwangju, Korea. He joined the United States Navy in 1938 but resigned his commission in 1941 to join the American Volunteer Group, also known as the Flying Tigers. After the Flying Tigers disbanded in July 1942, Hill continued to serve in China with the group’s successor, the 23rd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. In 1944, he took command of the 412th Fighter Group, the first American unit to fly jets. Hill left the Army Air Forces after World War II and joined the Texas Air National Guard, which he served with during the Korean War. He later joined the Air Force Reserve and retired as a brigadier general in 1968. Hill passed away in 2007.