USS Franklin, nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific War, earning four battle stars. In March 1945, while launching strikes against the Japanese mainland, she was badly damaged when a single Japanese dive bomber struck her with two bombs. The attack resulted in the loss of over 800 of her crew and Franklin became the most heavily damaged United States aircraft carrier to survive the war. The complement of Franklin suffered 924 killed in action during the war, the worst for any surviving U.S. warship and second only to that of USS Arizona.
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII is a flight combat video game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. It was developed by Ubisoft Bucharest during the second fiscal quarter of 2006 for both the North American and European regions. The game features 46 different World War II fighter planes and allows the player or players to take part in several World War II events as a fictional squadron. Online support allows 16 players to take part in head-to-head and co-operative battles.
Alexander Vraciu was a United States Navy fighter ace, Navy Cross recipient, and Medal of Honor nominee during World War II. At the end of the war, Vraciu ranked fourth among the U.S. Navy's flying aces, with 19 enemy planes downed during flight and 21 destroyed on the ground. After the war, he served as a test pilot and was instrumental in forming the post-war Naval and Marine Air Reserve program. From 1956 to 1958 Vraciu led his own fighter squadron, VF-51, for twenty-two months. He retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of commander on December 31, 1963. Vraciu later moved to Danville, California, and worked for Wells Fargo.
John David Magrath was a soldier in the U.S. Army who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions and sacrifice of life during World War II for actions occurring in Italy on April 14, 1945. He served in the 10th Mountain Division. The Shea-Magrath Sports Complex at Norwalk High School in Connecticut is named for him. In June 1995, Fort Drum, New York renamed its Soldiers Sports Complex the Magrath Sports Complex. A plaque and portrait are in display Magrath Gym to honor his memory. In August 2013 the dedication of a monument and plaque in his honor was placed at the location of the battle by residents of Castel d'Aiano.
John Rankin Rathbone was a British Conservative Party politician.
Quentin C. Aanenson was a World War II veteran fighter pilot and former captain of the 391st Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, Army Air Forces. He flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in the Normandy D-Day invasion and subsequent European campaign.
Les Ventes is a commune in the Eure department in the Normandy region in Northern France. In 2018, it had a population of 1,036.
Raymond Lee Knight was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
David Richard Kingsley was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
James Bruce Morehead was an American fighter pilot and flying ace of World War II. He flew combat missions over a three-year span of the war with a total of eight aerial victories. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and sixteen Air Medals
Roland "Bud" Wolfe, was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on 30 November 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland.
VH-3 was one of six dedicated VH rescue squadrons of the U.S. Navy during WW II. Prior to their creation, the rescue function was performed as an additional "spur of the moment" duty by regularly operating patrol squadrons. The Fleet Commanders made clear "that the men who risked their lives to rocket, bomb, and strafe the enemy wherever and whenever possible, should under no circumstances, be left to fend for themselves when disaster struck them." After the war the Japanese related that they could not understand why so much was risked to save airmen. This was a tremendous morale builder for the flyers, but there was a cold calculated logic behind this as well. It meant that very expensively trained and experienced aviators could be rescued from a watery grave or brutal captivity and put back into the fight. American aircrews captured after being shot down over the Japanese home islands faced a grim fate. VH-3 squadron members related "how intense, intense every crew member became .. over this business of saving lives", "the marvelous feeling of reward when saving a downed pilot's life", and "nose-thumbing at the Japanese military .. when we swiped near-prisoners under their eye".
Jerome "Jerry" Yellin was a United States Army Air Forces World War II fighter pilot who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima and who flew 19 Very Long Range (VLR) combat missions over Japan. He has been credited with flying the final combat mission of World War II in a North American P-51 Mustang against a military airfield near Tokyo on August 14, 1945. In his later years, he became well known for his reconciliation with the Japanese and for his work in helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was the author of four books, including Jerry's Last Mission, an autobiography. On January 29, 2014, Texas Governor Rick Perry honored Yellin's military service and commitment to help veterans by making him an honorary Texan. A documentary of his life, Jerry's Last Mission, was released in 2021.
Stanley Winfield "Swede" Vejtasa was a United States Navy career officer and World War II flying ace. During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, he was credited with downing seven Japanese aircraft in one mission, becoming an "ace in a day".
Bill Harris was a United States Army Air Force fighter ace who was credited with shooting down 16 aircraft during World War II.
Walter P. Manning was an American fighter pilot of the primarily African American Tuskegee Airmen. He flew 50 missions, and was awarded the Air Medal for heroism six times. After being shot down in 1945, he was captured in Austria and subsequently lynched by a mob. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 along with all other Tuskegee Airmen. Manning is the only known black man to have been lynched in Austria during World War II.
Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. is a retired U.S. Army Air Forces officer, a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient and a combat fighter pilots within the 332nd Fighter Group, best known as the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen.
Charles Blakesly "Buster" Hall was an American combat fighter pilot and U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails".
Robert William Deiz was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer, prominent combat fighter pilot, and Flight A leader with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.
Dean Caswell was a United States Marine Corps flying ace during World War II. He accrued seven victories in the war. He retired from military service in 1968 at the rank of colonel. He was the last living Marine Corps flying ace of World War II.
