Triumphant TRIUMVIRATE

Three aces duel the Luftwaffe

THE 2003 FLYING LEGENDS AIR SHOW at Duxford, England, brought together a magnificent group of American and European WW II aces. Flight Journal helped sponsor a large contingent of the Yanks and joined them as they revisited the bases from which they once flew and met with their British and German counterparts. All of the pilots had great success in combat, but all had their own style.

Maj. John Kirla, CoI. Robert Rankin and Group Capt. Billy Drake prove that aces come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. As different as they may be, however, these three have a common trait that is found in most successful fighter pilots-especially those who become aces. When presented with an opportunity for combat, they seize it.

Whether leading or supporting others, "Big John," "Shorty" and "Billy" all possessed the courage to go to a fight when a fight was at hand. Their stories paint a vivid picture of aerial combat and provide insight into the personalities of three men who faced air combat on every sortie and became aces.

Big John

"I was very confident and comfortable with the Mustang. There was never any hesitation; I never had fear the way some guys had it-none of that. I just thought, 'Gee, I have a job to do. Here they are. I'm going to down as many as I can.'"

Broad-shouldered and standing well above six feet, John Kirla is larger than your average fighter pilot-hence the nickname "Big John." The force with which he maneuvered his Mustang, Spook, earned him the distinction of being the first combat pilot to have a G-meter installed in his aircraft. "Occasionally, we ran into fighters, and I had the problem of bending the wings of my airplane in turns. I pulled 10.5G and bent my wings four times. Our operations officer, 'Kit' Carson [Leonard 'Kit' Carson-18.5 kills], installed the G-meter."

Notwithstanding his impressive physical presence, this native of Port Chester, New York, displays a quiet, gentle manner. The force of Kirla's personality as a fighter pilot didn't come solely from his brawn; it was a product of his outlook-the simple notion that he had to accomplish the task at hand as quickly and as efficiently as possible. He racked up 11.5 victories in nine months of aerial combat.

In June 1944, Kirla joined a very seasoned unit: the 362nd FS, 357th FG. The "Yoxford Boys" already boasted aces that included Carson, Bud Anderson and 362nd Squadron Commander John England (17.5 kills). Kirla was initially assigned a well-used P-51B and flew as a wingman with several flight leaders. On a memorable mission in late July 1944, he scored his first victories during which his will to fight became crystal clear.

Blue Flight Leader: 9,500 feet, 1200 hours, near Leipzig, Germany, July 1944

"We were on an escort mission in the middle of July. The Group was up, and we were escorting B-17s close to Leipzig. Whenever the B-17s finished dropping their bombs and turned for home, a squadron was always allowed to go down and look for targets of opportunity. The other two squadrons stayed with the bombers.

"We split the [362nd FS] squadron up. About eight of us were in one group and maybe four in the other. We went in slightly different directions. As we headed down, we spotted a bunch of Me 109s returning home to refuel after they had attacked the bombers. I was wingman to our flight leader. A fight started between the 109s and one of our Mustang flights, and my leader climbed above it and started to circle. He called and said that he was giving them top cover. He just didn't want to mix it up. He was covering his butt. The other flights were down there fighting. I looked down, and I saw that some of our guys had Me 109s on their tails and were going around and around. I just peeled off and dived down.

"It was the first time I'd ever seen 109s, and I had expected them to be larger. I found a 109 that was on one of our Mustang's tails and dived in behind him in a high-speed turn to the left. He fired his guns at the -51, but missed. Almost immediately, he climbed in a very steep turn, still following the Mustang. I was pulling 5 or 6G to stay with him. I guess he realized I had slipped in behind him, and he pulled nearly vertical, breaking off from the other airplane. That's when I got him. I fired a burst into his fuselage and wings. The pilot didn't get out. The aircraft turned over, and I followed it down to the ground. Boom! It was so quick.

"I turned and climbed back up, and they were still going around and around. I spotted one of our airplanes from another flight flown by my friend Otto Jenkins [8.5 kills]. I joined him, and we started to climb and head for home. Otto spotted a 109 at our nine o'clock and made a left turn into him. he got a burst into the 109, but it outturned him because it was going slowly. He lost the German, and I was in a better position just above and behind Otto. After doing a wingover to the left-almost inverted-I latched on to the 109. I got my plane's nose on him and put a burst into his fuselage, and he went down smoking. Otto and I shared that victory, so we each got half a kill.