[Besby F. Holmes oral history interview]

Fighter ace Besby F. Holmes is interviewed about his military service with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He describes his experiences as a fighter pilot and his time with the 47th Pursuit Squadron while stationed in Hawaii in 1941. Special focus on his experiences during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Topics discussed include his visit to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on the evening of December 6th, his rush to return to base when Japanese forces attacked the next morning, and his brief flight in a Curtiss P-36 Hawk to defend against attackers.

The interview is conducted by an unidentified interviewer, possibly a friend or relative of Holmes.

Besby F. Holmes was born on December 5, 1917 in San Francisco, California. He joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1940 and graduated from flight training in November 1941. Assigned to the 47th Pursuit Squadron, Holmes was stationed in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Afterwards, he joined the 67th Fighter Squadron and served at Henderson Field during the Guadalcanal Campaign. On April 18, 1943, he participated in the shoot-down of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s plane, known as Operation Vengeance. Holmes remained in the military after World War II and went on to command the 41st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron during the Korean War. He also served in a number of command and staff positions. Holmes retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1968 and passed away in 2006.