Eagle Biography
David McCampbell
Captain David McCampbell is the US Navy's "ace of aces." Born in 1910, the
Alabama native graduated from Annapolis in the midst of Navy manpower cutbacks during
the Depression and was honorably discharged in 1933. Called back to active duty 1 year
later, he eventually went to naval flight training and served his first tour as a fighter
pilot on the carrier USS Ranger. In 1940, he became a landing signal officer
(LSO) and served aboard the aircraft carrier Wasp until Japanese submarines sank
the ship in September 1942. For the next year, McCampbell served as an LSO instructor in
Florida, after which he was appointed as a fighter squadron commander with Air Group 15.
In February 1944, he assumed command of the entire Air Group, which was then assigned to
the USS Essex.
For the next 6 1/2 months, Air Group 15 saw almost continuous
action and participated in attacks on Marcus and Wake Islands, the Marianas, the
Philippines, Iwo Jima, Formosa, and Okinawa, as well as the two key air/sea battles of
the Pacific Campaign--the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf. During this
period, McCampbell achieved 34 aerial victories--the record number for an American pilot
on a single tour of duty--and destroyed 21 additional aircraft on the ground. Under his
leadership, Air Group 15 became known as "The Fabled Fifteen," and they
established a Navy record for the most enemy airplanes shot down (318), the most aircraft
destroyed on the ground (348), and the most aircraft destroyed in a day (68).
His unit
also sank a record 296,500 tons of enemy shipping, including 1 battleship, 3 aircraft
carriers, 9 cruisers, and 19 destroyers. For his nine victories during the Marianas
"Turkey Shoot" in June 1944 and his incredible combat performance at Leyte Gulf
5 months later, Commander McCampbell was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the war, he
served as commander of the attack carrier USS Bon Homme Richard and in other
key high-level staff positions. An inductee into the Carrier Aviation Hall of Fame,
Captain McCampbell retired from the Navy in 1964, after 31 years of service.
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| More About The Eagle: |
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| Honored as an Eagle In: |
| 1984
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1985
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| See the Lithograph: |
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On 24 October 1944, the first day of the Battle for Leyte Gulf, Commander
McCampbell's F6F-5 Hellcat was only partially fueled when a large
formation of approaching Japanese aircraft was spotted on radar moving in to
attack the task force's four aircraft carriers. Scrambling from the Essex
with only six other fighters, McCampbell directed five of his pilots to
attack 20 Japanese bombers while he and his wingman moved to intercept the 40
enemy fighter escorts. During the savage 90-minute air battle that followed,
McCampbell destroyed nine enemy aircraft while his wingman shot down an
additional six. The ferocity and skill of the seven Navy pilots from the
Essex resulted in the destruction of 27 enemy planes and the complete
rout of the remaining aircraft. Not a single enemy fighter or bomber got
through to attack the fleet. Furthermore, Commander McCampbell's nine aerial
victories on that day established the American record for the most aircraft
shot down by a pilot on a single mission.
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