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[Rex T. Barber oral history interview]

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[Rex T. Barber oral history interview]

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[Rex T. Barber oral history interview]

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Identifier2002-02-13-1139_AV_013SourceThe American Fighter Aces Association Oral Interviews (2002-02-13-1139)CreatorAmerican Fighter Aces AssociationIntervieweeBarber, Rex T.InterviewerPorter, BruceDescriptionAudio recording of an oral history with fighter ace Rex T. Barber, November 9, 1995.

Text on label: "'Rex Barber. 11/9/95. Same."AbstractFighter ace Rex T. Barber is interviewed by historian Bruce T. Porter about his military service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Barber describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot and his time with the 449th Fighter Squadron in the China-India-Burma Theater. Special focus on an incident in April 1944 in which Barber was injured during a bailout and spent several weeks evading Japanese troops with the help of Chinese guerillas.BiographyRex T. Barber was born on May 6, 1917 in Culver, Oregon. He joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1940 and graduated from flight school the following year. Barber served two tours of duty during World War II, one in the Pacific Theater with the 70th Fighter Squadron and 339th Fighter Squadron and one in the China-India-Burma Theater with the 449th Fighter Squadron. During his first tour, he participated in the shoot-down of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s plane on April 18, 1943, known as Operation Vengeance. Barber remained in the military after the war and commanded the 29th Fighter Squadron and 27th Fighter Squadron. He retired as a colonel in 1961 and passed away in 2001.

Biographical information courtesy of: Boyce, Ward J., ed., American fighter aces album. Mesa, Ariz: American Fighter Aces Association, 1996.Creation Date1995-11-09SubjectAces (Fighter pilots)Air pilots, MilitaryFighter pilotsUnited States. Marine CorpsWorld War, 1939-1945March Air Force Base (Calif.)Naval Station Norfolk (Va.)Westover Air Force Base (Mass.)Barber, Rex T.Chennault, Claire Lee, 1893-1958Chiang, Kai-shek, 1887-1975Dunning, JohnChinese American Composite WingUnited States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 29thUnited States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 339thUnited States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 449thCurtiss P-40 Warhawk FamilyDouglas C-47 SkytrainLockheed F-80 Shooting Star FamilyLockheed P-38 Lightning FamilyMitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter) Zeke (Ben, Ray) FamilyNorth American B-25 MitchellRepublic P-47 (F-47) Thunderbolt FamilyPlaceCaliforniaChinaIndiaKarachi (Pakistan)MassachusettsPakistanSan Francisco (Calif.)VirginiaYangtze River (China)Extent1 sound cassette (51 min., 48 sec.) : analog ; 4 x 2.5 inOriginal Formatoral histories (literary works)audiocassettesBibliographic CitationThe American Fighter Aces Association Materials/The Museum of FlightRightsIn copyrightTranscription[Rex T. Barber oral history interview]

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Collection AreaArchivesOral Histories[Rex T. Barber oral history interview]