Gregory “Pappy” Boyington (December 4, 1912 â January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with the Pacific fleet in 1941, Boyington joined the “Flying Tigers” (1st American Volunteer Group) of the Republic of China Air Force and saw combat in Burma in late 1941 and 1942 during the military conflict between China and Japan.
On January 3, 1944, he tied World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26 enemy planes destroyed, before he was shot down. On that mission, 48 American fighters, including 4 planes from the Black Sheep Squadron, were sent on a sweep over Rabaul. Boyington was tactical commander of the flight and arrived over the target at 8:00 AM. He was seen to shoot down his 26th plane, but he then became mixed in the general melee of dogfighting planes and was not seen or heard from during the battle, nor did he return with his squadron. Boyington’s wingman, Captain George Ashmun, was killed in action. In later years, Masajiro “Mike” Kawato claimed to have been the pilot who shot down Boyington. He described the combat in two books and numerous public appearances (often with Boyington), but this claim was eventually “disproven,” though Kawato repeated his story until his death. Kawato was present during the action in which Boyington was shot down, as one of 70 Japanese fighters which engaged about 30 American fighters.
Following a determined but futile search, Boyington was declared missing in action (MIA). He had been picked up on 3 January 1944 by the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-181 and taken to Rabaul, becoming a prisoner of war. (I-181 was sunk 13 days after picking him up.[14]) According to Boyington’s autobiography, he was never accorded official P.O.W. status by the Japanese, and his captivity was not reported to the Red Cross.
He spent the rest of the war, some 20 months, in Japanese prison camps. After being held temporarily at Rabaul and then Truk, where he survived the massive U.S. Navy raid known as “Operation Hailstone”, he was transported first to Åfuna and finally to Åmori Prison Camp near Tokyo. During that time he was selected for temporary promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel. A fellow American prisoner of war was Medal of Honor recipient submarine Captain Richard O’Kane. At Åfuna, Boyington was interned with the former Olympic distance runner and downed aviator Lieutenant Louis Zamperini.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
#SEMPERFI
