Solr Search · The Museum of Flight

[Richard L. Cormier oral history interview (Part 3 of 3)] (Item)

In this three-part oral history, fighter ace Richard L. “Zeke” Cormier is interviewed by Eugene A. Valencia about his military service with the United States Navy. In part three, Cormier discusses his time with the Blue Angels, shares more stories from World War II, and reflects on his military career. He concludes the interview with his thoughts on fighter aces and fighter pilots.

[Thomas S. Harris oral history interview] (Item)

Fighter ace Thomas S. Harris discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time with Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) and Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17) in the Pacific Theater. Special focus on a combat mission on April 12, 1945 in which he downed a Kawanishi N1K-J “George” aircraft near Kikaishima,…

[Mayo A. "Mike" Hadden, Jr. oral history interview (Part 4 of 4)] (Item)

In this four-part oral history, fighter ace Mayo A. “Mike” Hadden, Jr. discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. Part four contains excerpts from Hadden’s collection of episodes of "The Front Line," a radio program that aired on WBBM in Chicago during the war. The excerpts, which were recorded circa 1942-1943, feature interviews with Fighting 9 (VF-9) members…

[Oscar I. Chenoweth, Adrian O. Van Wyen, and Hamilton McWhorter oral history interviews] (Item)

This recording contains one-on-one interviews with fighter aces Oscar I. Chenoweth and Hamilton McWhorter and with historian Adrian O. Van Wyen. Chenoweth and McWhorter discuss their military service with the United States Navy during World War II, including their time with Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17) and Fighting Squadron 9 (VF-9), respectively. Topics discussed include memorable combat…

[Richard L. Cormier oral history interview (Part 2 of 3)] (Item)

In this three-part oral history, fighter ace Richard L. “Zeke” Cormier is interviewed by Eugene A. Valencia about his military service with the United States Navy. In part two, Cormier continues to describe his experiences with Composite Squadron 1 (VC-1) and Fighting Squadron 80 (VF-80) during World War II. He also discusses his postwar assignments, including his time with the Blue Angels and his…

[American and German fighter pilots (Part 1 of 2)] (Item)

This two-part recording contains conversations between German and American fighter pilots regarding their military service during World War II. The conversations took place during a goodwill meeting between the American Fighter Aces Association and the Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots’ Association that was held in Germany in May 1961. Excerpts from these recordings were later used in a highlight reel…

[Stanley W. “Swede” Vejtasa oral history interview (Part 2 of 2)] (Item)

In this two-part oral history, fighter ace Stanley W. “Swede” Vejtasa discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. In part two, he continues to describe his wartime experiences with Fighting Squadron 10 (VF-10) and reflects on different aspects of aerial warfare. Topics discussed include notable events from his service in the Pacific Theater, pilot training…

[Armistead B. Smith, Jr. oral history interview] (Item)

Fighter ace Armistead B. Smith, Jr. discusses his military service with the United States Navy during World War II. He describes his wartime experiences as a fighter pilot, including his time with Fighting Squadron 9 (VF-9) in the Mediterranean and Pacific Theaters. Topics discussed include the comradery of VF-9 and a combat mission to Truk Lagoon.

[John W. Topliff oral history interview, via George N. Kirk] (Item)

This recording contains a humorous wartime story from fighter ace John W. Topliff, which he told to attendees at the 38th anniversary celebration for Fighting Squadron 8 (VF-8) in 1981. The story focuses on an incident from Topliff’s time as a replacement pilot with Fighting Squadron 26 (VF-26), prior to his assignment to VF-8 in 1943. While returning from a mission, he became separated from his…

[John Richard Rossi oral history interview (Part 1 of 6)] (Item)

In this six-part oral history, fighter ace John Richard Rossi discusses his military service with the American Volunteer Group during World War II. In part one, he describes his training with the United States Navy and his early experiences with the AVG in the China-Burma-India Theater. Topics discussed include his training history, his efforts to join the AVG, and his deployment to Burma. The…

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