[John E. Purdy oral history interview (Part 1 of 2)]

In this two-part oral history, fighter ace John E. Purdy discusses his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. In part one, he describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time in the South Pacific Theater with the 475th Fighter Group. Special focus on a search-and-rescue mission over Leyte on December 11, 1944 in which Purdy and his flight scored several aerial victories and helped to rout a Japanese convoy.

John E. Purdy was born on June 17, 1919 in Wyandotte, Michigan. He was drafted into the United States Army in June 1941 and initially served with a cavalry unit before entering the Aviation Cadet program. Completing his flight training in 1943, Purdy was deployed to the South Pacific Theater, where he joined the 433rd Fighter Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group. In January 1945, during a bombing mission over Luzon, he crash-landed behind enemy lines and spent 16 days with Filipino guerrillas before being located by a PBY rescue plane. Purdy left the military after the war and went on to found the Dayton Showcase Company and the American Fighter Aces Museum Foundation. He also served on the board of the National Aviation Hall of Fame and as president of the American Fighter Aces Association. Purdy passed away in 2003.