rockyp77: Only a handful of American pilots were able to get airborne and engage their Japanese atta
rockyp77: Only a handful of American pilots were able to get airborne and engage their Japanese attackers at Pearl Harbor—George Welch and Kenneth Taylor were two of them. Caught off guard after an all-night party at an officers’ club, Welch and Taylor sped some 10 miles to the airfield where their P-40 pursuit planes were parked and took off under enemy fire. When they ran out of ammunition, they landed, reloaded and took off again. Vastly outnumbered by Japanese bombers in the skies over Oahu, Welch and Taylor shot down at least six enemy planes and damaged several more. For their actions on December 7, 1941, they became the first recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross in World War II. Take a look back at the astonishing heroism displayed by these two young men on that dark day nearly 75 years ago.United States Army Air Corps. -- source link