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Saturday, February 20, 2016
America's first WWII Ace
On this day in 1942, Edward O'Hare became the first American ace of World War II. He was also the first Navy man to receive the Medal of Honor. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named after him.
It'd be interesting to know how many other planes, such as O'Hare's, simply disappeared in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Other's at least saw O'Hare disappear in the darkness.
There are cenotaphs to the missing in both Hawaii and the Philippines. O'Hare is listed in Hawaii. My mother's cousin, who disappeared during a flight over Bougainville in 1943, is listed in Manila.
The "official" death dates for those gone missing can be rather odd. The cousin, for example, "died" in 1946 despite disappearing in November 1943.
Butch's old man, "Fast" Eddie O'Hare, was a business associate of Al Capone's. He dimed Al out to the G because Butch wanted to go to the Naval Academy, which wouldn't happen if his dad was in Federal prison. In 1939, after Capone went to prison, Eddie was stopped at a traffic light on Ogden Avenue in Chicago when two people in the truck beside him had two simultaneous serious shotgun accidents, which unfortunately blew Eddie's head off. But Butch got to go to Annapolis, and the rest is history.
Aurictech is correct. Butch made his bones in a Wildcat (Hellcats didn't exist yet), and he was killed in a Hellcat. I was referring, of course, to the Wildcat on display at O'Hare airport. Incidentally, the Wildcat on display had no actual connection to Butch O'Hare, but it does have its own story. It was recovered almost intact from the bottom of Lake Michigan. Because both coast were vulnerable to espionage and torpedoes, the Navy had at least one training aircraft carrier in the Great Lakes to train pilots in carrier takeoffs and landings in a safer environment. Of course, carrier operations are by their very nature dangerous offenses against the laws of physics, so there are quite a few Wildcats, Avengers, and Dauntlesses at the bottom of the lakes. The display Wildcat was repainted in the colors the plane O'Hare flew during his history-making mission.
It'd be interesting to know how many other planes, such as O'Hare's, simply disappeared in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Other's at least saw O'Hare disappear in the darkness.
ReplyDeleteThere are cenotaphs to the missing in both Hawaii and the Philippines. O'Hare is listed in Hawaii. My mother's cousin, who disappeared during a flight over Bougainville in 1943, is listed in Manila.
The "official" death dates for those gone missing can be rather odd. The cousin, for example, "died" in 1946 despite disappearing in November 1943.
Butch's old man, "Fast" Eddie O'Hare, was a business associate of Al Capone's. He dimed Al out to the G because Butch wanted to go to the Naval Academy, which wouldn't happen if his dad was in Federal prison.
ReplyDeleteIn 1939, after Capone went to prison, Eddie was stopped at a traffic light on Ogden Avenue in Chicago when two people in the truck beside him had two simultaneous serious shotgun accidents, which unfortunately blew Eddie's head off.
But Butch got to go to Annapolis, and the rest is history.
Sorry. Lt. Edward O'Hare,jr., was known as Butch. I didn't notice that you didn't mention that until I had posted the above comment.
ReplyDeleteThe Hellcat on display at ORD has a nice write up on O'Hare...
ReplyDeleteHate to sound pedantic, but I remembered it as a Wildcat, not a Hellcat. I just looked it up, and it is in fact an F4F-3 Wildcat.
ReplyDeleteO'Hare flew a Wildcat when he made ace in a single mission. When he was lost in action, he was flying a Hellcat.
ReplyDeleteBoth planes contributed to the reputation that "Grumman Iron Works" had of building rugged aircraft for the Navy.
That Wildcat is about the only redeeming quality ORD has, for my money. :-)
ReplyDeleteAurictech is correct. Butch made his bones in a Wildcat (Hellcats didn't exist yet), and he was killed in a Hellcat.
ReplyDeleteI was referring, of course, to the Wildcat on display at O'Hare airport.
Incidentally, the Wildcat on display had no actual connection to Butch O'Hare, but it does have its own story. It was recovered almost intact from the bottom of Lake Michigan. Because both coast were vulnerable to espionage and torpedoes, the Navy had at least one training aircraft carrier in the Great Lakes to train pilots in carrier takeoffs and landings in a safer environment. Of course, carrier operations are by their very nature dangerous offenses against the laws of physics, so there are quite a few Wildcats, Avengers, and Dauntlesses at the bottom of the lakes.
The display Wildcat was repainted in the colors the plane O'Hare flew during his history-making mission.
Interestingly enough, those two training carriers were coal fired paddle wheel steamers, the Wolverine and the Sable.
ReplyDelete