"One-Man Air Force
By Rebecca Grant
For 30 minutes, James H. Howard single-handedly fought off marauding German fighters to defend the B-17s of 401st Bomb Group. For that, he received the Medal of Honor.
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 1944, was a rough day for the B-17Gs of the 401st Bomb Group. It was their 14th mission, but the first one on which they took heavy losses—four aircraft missing in action after bombing Me 110 fighter production plants at Oschersleben and Halberstadt, Germany.
Turning for home, they witnessed an amazing sight: A single P-51 stayed with them for an incredible 30 minutes on egress, chasing off German fighters attempting to hack away at the bombers. A "one-man Air Force," said Maj. Allison C. Brooks, group leader for the 401st's mission.
Extraordinary valor was needed in the skies over Germany, as Eighth Air Force began its long-range attacks on Nazi aircraft and fuel production. Devastating missions to targets such as Ploesti in Romania had already produced Medal of Honor recipients. Many were awarded posthumously, and nearly all went to bomber crewmen. Waist gunners, pilots, and navigators—all were carrying out heroic acts in the face of the enemy.
The lone P-51 pilot on this bombing run would, in fact, become the only fighter pilot awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II's European Theater. "With utter disregard for his own safety, he immediately pressed home determined attacks," the citation read in part.
In the teamwork environment of aerial combat, this was a rare example of one man braving enemy fire repeatedly to save others. "Who was that Mustang pilot who took on the German Air Force single-handedly, and saved our 401st Bomb Group from disaster?" wondered Col. Harold Bowman, the unit's commander.
Soon the bomber pilots knew—and so did those back home. "
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