What would you do if 21 enemy fighters suddenly flooded the sky around you and you were completely alone? On January 30th, 1944,  a single Marine pilot flying an F4U Corsair dove straight into a swarm of Japanese aircraft over Rabaul, outnumbered, outgunned, and running out of time. What happened next didn’t justify combat doctrine.

It sent shockwaves across the Pacific. Today, we reveal the truth behind a battle that will leave you stunned. At 6:15 a.m. on January 30th, 1944,  the sky over P North airfield was still stained with the last shadows of night when First Lieutenant Robert Hanson strapped into his F4U-1 Corsair. The engine roared awake beneath him as 18 Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers rolled into position ahead.

They were heading for Rabaul, the fortress guarding Simpson Harbor, the most heavily defended target in the Pacific. Japanese intelligence counted 70 fighters stationed there. Eight Marine Corsairs would escort 18 slow torpedo bombers straight into that hornet’s nest. 43 Marine pilots had already been lost over Rabaul since November.

Radar crowned every hill. Anti-aircraft guns ringed the harbor. The enemy knew  every approach. And sitting in that cockpit was a 23-year-old pilot with 21 confirmed kills in just 16 days and 1 week  left before he was scheduled to ship home. Hanson had arrived in the South Pacific in June 1943 with Marine Fighting Squadron 214, the Black Sheep.

The India-born son of Methodist missionaries, a former wrestling champion in Lucknow, he wasn’t loud or flashy. He was quiet, calculating. His first kill came August 4th, a Kawasaki Ki-61. Tony over Lavella. By the end of that month, he had two victories, solid but not legendary. Then came November 1st at Empress Augusta Bay during the Bougainville landings.

 Six Japanese torpedo bombers bore down on American troops. Hanson attacked alone. He forced three to drop their bombs short of the beach and shot down three more. A rear gunner’s burst ripped through his Corsair, shredding the fuel tank. Flames followed. He ditched into the ocean and drifted 6 hours in a rubber raft before the USS Segoinee pulled him from the darkness.

Many would have taken that as a warning. Hanson took it as proof he still had work to do. By early January 1944, after transferring to Marine Fighting Squadron 215, his total stood at five confirmed kills. Then something changed. On January 14th over Simpson Harbor, he was separated from his squadron during a bomber escort and found himself alone above a formation of Japanese fighters climbing to intercept American bombers.

Most pilots would have regrouped. Hanson dove straight into the middle of them. In 12 minutes, five Mitsubishi A6M zeros fell from the sky. He landed with 14 bullet holes in his aircraft and only 3 gallons of fuel remaining. The nickname spread quickly, Butcher Bob. It was half admiration, half disbelief. The pattern continued.

January 20th, one zero destroyed. January 22nd, two zeros and a Tony. January 24th, cut off again over Simpson Harbor. He fought alone and shot down four more zeros. The Medal of Honor citation would later describe a lone and gallant battle striking with devastating fury. Those who flew beside him said it more simply, >>  >> he hunted.

When enemy formations appeared, others held formation. Hanson broke away >>  >> and dove headfirst into combat. Cold, mathematical, fearless. Major Robert Owens tried twice to ground him, reminding him that February 10th meant a transport ship home. Just one more week. But January 30th was different. Intelligence reported a major Japanese convoy near Rabaul.

Every available bomber would strike Simpson Harbor. Every available fighter would escort them. Engines thundered down the coral runway. 18 Avengers, eight Corsairs, 70 enemy fighters waiting. One week from safety, Robert  Butcher Bob Hanson pushed the throttle forward and climbed into a sky that had already swallowed 43 Marines.

Over Rabaul that morning, the hunt would reach its final chapter. And what unfolded there would seal his name into the unforgiving history of the Pacific War. If Robert Butcher Bob Hanson’s final climb into the skies over Rabaul kept you on edge, imagine what the rest of his story reveals. Hit the like button to help keep these forgotten World War II legends alive and subscribe to the channel so you never miss the next dramatic  chapter waiting to be uncovered.

Back to Hanson. Inside the dim glow of the briefing tent, the operations officer dragged a red grease pencil across the map. Approach from the southeast. Bombers at 12,000  ft. Fighters high cover at 15,000. Expected  enemy response, massive. No one needed clarification. Massive meant swarms climbing out of Rabaul.

It meant anti-aircraft fire thick enough to walk on. It meant some of those empty bunks back at P North  would stay empty. Before sunrise, Hanson crossed the coral runway toward his Corsair Bureau number 56039. The same inverted gull-wing fighter that had carried him through six consecutive strikes over the most heavily defended target in the Pacific.

He climbed in, pulled the canopy down, and signaled. The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp caught on the third blade, then erupted into that deep rolling thunder only a Corsair made.  2,000 horsepower, 417 mph at full throttle. Power, if he could keep his speed. At 06:48, he taxied into position. One Corsair lifted off ahead of him.

Then Hanson pushed the throttle forward. The runway disappeared. The Pacific opened beneath his wings. By 7:30, the formation crossed the northern coast of Bougainville.  Simpson Harbor was 90 miles ahead. He checked his weapons. 6.50  caliber Brownings, 400 rounds per gun, 2,400 rounds total, enough to shred aluminum and ignite fuel tanks, or vanish in seconds.

Over the radio, the bomber leader calmly called the approach vector. The Corsair pilots acknowledged. Then a voice cut through the static, enemy fighters climbing out of Rabaul. 21 of them. 17 Mitsubishi A6M zeros, four Nakajima Ki-44 Tojos. The zeros rose through 9,000 ft, climbing fast. For 2 years, they had ruled the Pacific sky.

Tight turning radius, brutal cannons. In a turning fight, they could outmaneuver almost anything American. The Corsair had advantages, 86 mph faster in level flight, heavier armor, devastating firepower, but every Marine pilot knew the rule, never turn with a zero. Dive, strike, climb away, never get slow. Hanson had broken that rule 16 times in 17 days.

Doctrine said stay in formation, protect the bombers, let the enemy come to you. The other seven Corsairs held tight above the Avengers. Hanson did not. He rolled inverted and dove straight toward the climbing Japanese formation. The others had seen this before. He would slash through them, scatter the attack, force them to chase him instead  of the vulnerable torpedo bombers below.

Tactically daring, statistically fatal. 21 fighters against one. The cold arithmetic of air combat suggested a pilot in that position had perhaps 90  seconds to live. Hansen was already halfway down. The Corsair screamed through the dive. The airspeed needle surging past 400 mph. Hansen locked onto the lead Zero.

Standard tactic. Kill the leader, break the spine of the formation. At 800 yd, the Japanese pilot finally saw him. The formation began to bank. Too late. Hansen had altitude. He had speed. The Zero swelled in his gun sight, 600 yd. 500, 400 turning hard left, trying to slip away. Hansen squeezed  the trigger.

All six .50 caliber Brownings erupted at once. His guns were set to converge at 300 yd. Six streams of fire intersecting at a single lethal point. Tracers stitched into the Zero’s fuselage. The engine cowling tore apart. Black smoke gushed out. The fighter rolled over and dropped  into a spin. One down.

20 to go. Hansen pulled out at 5,000 ft. His speed carrying him straight through the stunned Japanese formation before they could react. He reversed  and climbed. Behind him, the sky fractured. 15 fighters broke off to pursue him. Six continued toward the bombers. Mission accomplished. The bombers had breathing room.

But now 15 Japanese fighters were clawing after a single Corsair. The nearest Zero was 400 yd back and closing. In level flight, the Corsair was faster, but Hansen was climbing. The Zero climbed better. The gap shrank. 350 yd. 300. At 280, the Zero opened fire. Tracers sliced past his canopy. One round punched through the vertical stabilizer.

Another ripped into the wing root. Not critical yet. Hansen shoved the throttle to the stop. The Pratt & Whitney howled. Still climbing. Still losing distance. At 240 yd, he snap rolled right. The Zero tried to follow. >>  >> Couldn’t match the Corsair’s roll rate. Hansen completed the roll and dove again.

Geometry shifted. The pursuer was no longer in a clean firing position. Speed built fast. 260 yd, 300.  At 3,000 ft, he leveled and yanked back hard into a vertical climb. 4,000. 5,000. 6,000. Airspeed bled away. 300, 200. 80, 260. At the top, he rolled inverted and looked down. 14 Japanese fighters scattered below, stretched  across 5,000 ft of sky, searching.

Their discipline had collapsed. They were no longer a formation. They were individuals hunting shadows. Hansen held the one currency that mattered most in aerial combat, altitude. 7,000 ft above the lowest group. Altitude meant choice. He rolled and dove again, slipping into a Zero’s blind spot from high 6:00.

The Japanese pilot never saw him. At 300 yd, Hansen fired. The six Brownings spat 4,800 rounds per minute. 80 rounds per second concentrated >>  >> into a space smaller than a bathtub. The Zero disintegrated. Its right wing  folded upward. The fuselage snapped in half. No parachute appeared. Two down.

Now every enemy pilot knew exactly where he was. Tracers converged from three directions. Hansen hauled left. The G-forces crushing him into the seat. 4 Gs, 5. The edges of his vision faded gray. Three Zeros pursued. He leveled and accelerated 400, 410 mph. The distance opened. But four more were climbing ahead anticipating his escape vector.

A classic pincer. Three behind, four ahead. Seven fighters converging on one Corsair. Hansen pitched vertical again. Below 10,000 ft, the Corsair could outclimb a Zero if it kept its speed. The altimeter unwound 8,000,  9,000, 10,000. The four ahead were still climbing. 700 yd. 600. 500. At 450 yd, both sides opened fire.

Tracers filled the sky between them. Hansen’s burst struck the lead Zero square in the engine. It rolled away trailing smoke. Three down.  But return fire hammered his Corsair. A round punched through the instrument panel glass, exploded into the cockpit. Another tore a 2-ft hole in the right control surface.

A third slammed into the armor plate behind his seat. The plate held. Hansen rolled inverted and dove once more. The remaining Zeros couldn’t match his roll rate. He leveled out southbound at 390 mph. Below, the Japanese regrouped. 15 fighters drawing into a defensive circle, >>  >> the classic mutual support ring.

Any attacker diving on one would be met with crossfire from the others. Hansen climbed to 12,000 ft and began to circle at a distance, studying them, calculating. Below and beyond, the bomber strike on Simpson Harbor was finished. The Avengers were already heading back toward Bougainville. The other seven Corsairs stayed with them. Hansen was alone.

 Above 15 enemy fighters, wounded aircraft, shattered instruments and ammunition steadily ticking down, circling a trap that most pilots would never dare test. Before we dive back into the chaos over Rabaul, tell us in the comments, are you watching from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, or somewhere else in the world? Let us know your country and join this global squadron.

The mission was accomplished. The bombers were clear of Simpson Harbor and heading back toward Bougainville. Doctrine said Hansen should disengage. Now rejoin the formation, escort  them home, survive. He had already shot down three enemy fighters, shattered their first attack, and bought the strike force the time it needed.

But 15 Japanese fighters were still airborne, still armed, still dangerous. Hansen checked his ammunition counter. Around 800 rounds expended. Roughly 1,600 remaining. Enough for two more hard engagements  if every burst counted. He rolled the Corsair over and dove straight at the Japanese defensive circle.

Below him, at 8,000 ft, 15 fighters rotated counterclockwise, spaced about 200 yd apart. The Imperial Navy’s perfected tactic, the Lufbery circle. Attack one aircraft and the next in line would have a clean shot at you. The math was merciless. Commit to a kill and someone else kills you. Hansen didn’t aim for a single plane.

He aimed for the geometry itself. From 12,000 ft, he dove with 4,000 ft of altitude in hand speed building past 420 mph. At 1,000 yd out, he adjusted his angle entering on a tangent, aligning with the circle’s rotation >>  >> instead of cutting across it. The relative closure rate dropped. He was flowing with them now, not colliding head-on.

At 600 yd, the Japanese pilot spotted him. The circle began to break. Too late. Hansen opened fire. 6.50 caliber Brownings tore into the nearest Zero. The cockpit erupted. The fighter flipped inverted and fell away. Four down. He pulled out of the dive inside the circle and instead of climbing, leveled off and accelerated along the same rotational path.

For a few crucial seconds, the geometry inverted completely. The Zeros behind him couldn’t fire without hitting their own aircraft. The ones ahead couldn’t reverse without risking collision. Hansen had perhaps 3 seconds before the chaos  consumed them. He selected the Zero 200 yd ahead and fired a tight 2-second burst.

The left wing ripped free. The aircraft snap rolled into a flat spin. Five down. The circle shattered. Fighters broke in every direction. Three rolled left, four right, the rest scattered vertically. Mutual support dissolved  into a furball. Two zeros locked onto Hanson’s tail at 400 yards. He rolled inverted, pulled through, rolled upright again, a high-speed split S with minimal altitude loss.

The distance held around 350 yards. Another zero crossed ahead unaware. Hanson fired from 500 yards. Three rounds struck the tail. The vertical stabilizer tore away. The fighter yawed violently and dove toward the sea. Six down. But five more Japanese fighters converged behind  him tightening their discipline.

The lead zero at 300 yards opened fire. Tracers walked up Hanson’s left side. One round hit the canopy rail. Another punched through the fuselage behind the cockpit. A third struck the landing gear door. The Corsair shuddered. Hydraulic fluid streamed along the fuselage. He pushed the throttle to maximum continuous power, not war emergency yet.

The engine temperature was already climbing. The cooling system had taken damage. Altitude read 7,000 feet and dropping. The zeros were forcing him down toward 4,000 feet, their optimal fighting altitude where their maneuverability would dominate. The lead zero fired again. Hanson snapped hard right.

 Six G’s, seven. His vision tunneled gray. The burst missed, but another zero slid into firing position at 280 yards. The ammunition counter read 900 rounds remaining. 18 rounds flashed past >>  >> as Hanson rolled left. The tracers cutting through empty  sky where he had been a second earlier. He reversed and pulled into a climbing turn.

The five zeros followed coordinated now rotating the attack keeping constant pressure. Classic pursuit tactics, bleed his energy, reduce his speed, strip away his altitude until there were no options left. And with each passing second, Hanson’s margin for survival grew thinner. Hanson understood the geometry.

He had studied Japanese tactics, fought them 21 times in 17 days. The answer wasn’t evasion anymore. It was aggression. He pulled the Corsair into a vertical climb. Airspeed bled away 310, 290, 270 miles per hour. The zeros climbed with him. They were lighter climbing faster. The distance tightened  400 yards, 300, 250, 300.

At the apex, Hanson rolled inverted and kicked through a hammerhead turn. The Corsair hung for half a second, nose pointed skyward, then dropped. He was diving straight down at the five climbing zeros. Head-on. Closure rate nearly 700 miles per hour. Three seconds to firing range. The Japanese pilots scattered.

Two broke left, two right. One stayed committed trusting his maneuverability after the merge. Hanson fired at 400 yards calculating deflection in a split-second lead angle, gravity drop rate of climb. 20 slammed into the zeros engine. The cowling exploded. Oil sprayed across the windscreen.

 The fighter rolled inverted and plunged away trailing smoke. Seven down. But the pass cost Hanson altitude and speed. He leveled out at 5,000 feet and barely 260 miles per hour. Four zeros regrouped. Two more joined them. Six fighters now in disciplined pursuit. He pushed the throttle forward. The temperature gauge crept into yellow.

Coolant streamed in a red mist behind the cowling. At 320 miles per hour, he began a shallow 30° climb preserving energy. The zeros matched him two leading, four trailing in support. At 8,000 feet, Hanson rolled right and dove not to escape, but to reposition. Down 1,000 feet, then level, then a hard reversal.

He charged straight back at them. Another head-on pass, but now the zeros were stacked vertically, two at 8,000, two at 7,500, two at 7,000. Hanson leveled at 7,000 and accelerated targeting the lowest pair. At 600 yards, both sides opened fire. Tracers filled the sky. Closure rate 680 miles per hour.

  Two seconds to impact. His rounds tore through the right-hand zeros wing root. The wing folded. The aircraft cartwheeled  apart. Eight down. Return fire struck hard. Three hits ripped across Hanson’s right wing. Fabric shredded. Metal twisted. The aileron control cable snapped. Rolling right became sluggish, delayed half its former speed.

The five remaining zeros saw the damage, saw the coolant leak, and pressed harder. Ammunition read 640 rounds. Enough for one more extended fight. The temperature gauge slid into red. The engine was overheating. He could reduce throttle and let them close or keep power in and risk seizure. He chose power. At 9,000 feet, he rolled left and dove toward the ocean.

The zeros followed at 400 yards and closing. Hanson leveled at 2,000 feet over dark blue water streaked with whitecaps. Maximum speed had fallen from 417 to 390 miles per hour. The zeros were faster now. At 300 yards, the lead fighter fired a long burst. Hanson rolled left, the only direction the damaged aileron answered cleanly.

The tracers missed, but his speed dropped to 360. The zeros tightened to 280 yards. He entered a climbing defensive spiral trying to force an overshoot. They followed with altitude, speed, and numbers in their favor. At 4,000 feet, Hanson reversed sharply rolling left again. The damaged controls groaned.

 Two zeros overshot and flashed across his nose. He fired a one-second burst, 50 rounds. The nearest zero’s tail section  shredded. The aircraft snapped into a flat spin. Nine down. Ammunition dropped to 590 rounds. The gun camera captured it all, but without witnesses kills risked  becoming probable, and probable didn’t count.

The remaining four zeros reformed instantly, two to his left, two to his right. Bracket formation, a classic trap closing in. As this battle hangs in the balance, take a moment and tell us in the comments, did anyone in your family serve in World War II? Which country did they fight for and what branch were they in? Army, Navy, Marines, Army Air Forces.

 Share their story so their legacy lives on. If he turned left, the pair on his right would fire. If he turned right, the pair on his left would cut him apart. If he flew straight, both sides would close in and finish it. The trap was airtight. Hanson chose the only direction they didn’t own up. He pulled vertical  once more.

Airspeed drained away. 300, 280, 260 miles per hour. The Corsair felt heavy, sluggish. The damaged right aileron dulled his control. At the top of the climb, he rolled inverted and tipped forward, but this time he didn’t dive back into the zeros. He dove southeast away from Rabaul, away from the fight. The decision was made.

 The aircraft was too damaged,  the engine failing, ammunition nearly gone. Continuing meant certain death. The four zeros followed at first, 400 yards back, then 450, then 500. Hanson’s dive built separation. At 600 yards, the Japanese broke off and turned home. Doctrine did not favor long pursuits. Fuel was limited.

 Their base lay behind them. Chasing a wounded Corsair 80 miles into open ocean made no tactical sense. Hansen held his southeast heading. Airspeed 340 mph. Altitude 3,000 ft. Distance to Bougainville 87 mi. Roughly 15 minutes if the engine survived. The temperature gauge  was pinned in the red. Oil pressure dropped 70 lb per square inch.

 65 60 normal was 85. At 55 seizure became likely. He eased the throttle back slightly. Temperature fell 2°. Oil pressure steadied >>  >> at 58. Barely holding. Airspeed dropped to 310. Flight time stretched to 17 minutes. Below him the Pacific was empty. No ships, no friendly aircraft. If the engine failed he would ditch alone.

Fuel was not the problem. 90 gallons remained more than enough. The engine was the ticking clock. 10 mi from Bougainville oil pressure slipped again. 58 56 54. Bearings grinding dry. Ahead green jungle and white beaches came into view. Piva North airfield appeared beyond them a thin strip of safety. Oil pressure hit 50.

The engine began to knock deep and rhythmic. 5 mi out Hansen transmitted a brief emergency call. Aircraft damaged engine failing request priority landing. The tower acknowledged instantly. Fire trucks rolled. Oil pressure 42. The engine shook violently. He pulled the emergency gear extension handle hydraulics long gone.

Three green lights confirmed the gear was down. He crossed the coast at 1,000 ft. 2 mi to runway. Oil pressure 38. The engine seized. The propeller froze. Silence. The Corsair became a glider. Altitude 900 ft. 1 mi to go. Descent rate 800  ft per minute. He adjusted his glide carefully too steep and he’d undershoot too shallow >>  >> and he’d overshoot.

At 500 ft he was aligned with center line. Airspeed 110 mph. Stall speed 87. At 100 ft he flared gently. The main gear  touched down 140 ft past the threshold. Perfect. The tail settled. The Corsair rolled 800 ft and stopped as fire crews surrounded him. The aircraft looked shredded 47 bullet holes. Right aileron hanging by cables.

Fabric torn from the left wing engine. Cowling blackened and cracked oil coating the fuselage. Ground crews marked each impact with chalk photographing everything.  The intelligence officer arrived with a clipboard. How many enemy aircraft destroyed Hansen? Reported nine. But claims required confirmation.

Gun camera footage showed three clear kills. Witness statements and radio intercepts added one more. Final tally four confirmed victories two zeros, two Tojos. Five others downgraded to probables. On paper four. In the sky over Rabaul it had felt like a war fought alone. Four confirmed victories pushed Hansen’s total to 25.

He was now tied for the highest score among active Marine Corps pilots in the Pacific just one behind Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I record of 26. War correspondents flooded the airstrip that evening. They wanted interviews, photographs. The story of the lone Corsair pilot who dove into 21 Japanese fighters and survived.

The Associated Press filed its piece. United Press sent another. By the next morning Robert Hansen’s name appeared in newspapers across the United States. That night the squadron held a quiet celebration. 25 kills in 6 months. The hottest fighter pilot in the Allied South Pacific. Major Owens handed him an unofficial certificate naming him the top scoring  Corsair pilot in theater then pulled him aside and reminded him 9 days.

February 10th transport to Pearl  Harbor. Tour complete. No more combat. Time to go home. Hansen acknowledged the order. Thanked him. Walked back to his tent. 3 days later February 3rd, 1944  he volunteered for another mission to Rabaul. The morning sky over Bougainville was clear. The briefing was routine eight F4U Corsairs escorting 18 TBF Avengers to Tobera airfield near Rabaul.

Strike the runway. Destroy the parked aircraft. Return. Hansen wasn’t scheduled to fly. He was supposed to be packing processing out preparing for the transport ship leaving in 7 days. But one of the assigned pilots was incapacitated with severe food poisoning. The squadron needed a replacement. Hansen stepped forward.

Bureau number 56039 had been repaired.  Engine replaced. Aileron fixed. Bullet holes patched. At 7:20 the formation departed Piva North. The route was familiar northeast across Bougainville Strait north past New Ireland final approach from the southeast. At 900 the Avengers struck Tobera airfield. Bombs tore across the runway.

Secondary explosions signaled fuel storage hits. The Corsair escort engaged 15 Japanese fighters. Three enemy aircraft were shot down. No American losses. The formation turned southeast for home. The return path carried them over Cape St. George the southern tip of New Ireland. A white lighthouse with a black cap stood prominently on the cape more than a beacon.

It served as a Japanese observation post surrounded by anti-aircraft batteries and radar installations. As the formation passed over Kabanga  Bay Hansen broke formation. He rolled and dove toward the lighthouse. The other pilots called out over the radio. Hansen did not respond. At 1,000 ft he opened fire.

6.50 caliber machine guns raked the tower. Stone splintered. Windows shattered. Japanese anti-aircraft guns >>  >> answered instantly 25 mm and 40 mm fire filling the sky with tracers. Hansen pulled up from the strafing run. His right wing struck the water. The impact tore the wing from the fuselage. The Corsair cartwheeled violently.

For a brief moment  the remaining wing generated lift and the aircraft climbed 50 ft 100. Then fuel from the separated wing ignited. A fireball engulfed the aircraft. The canopy shattered. The fuselage twisted midair. For a second it seemed possible he might level out for a controlled water landing. Then the Corsair inverted and slammed into the ocean at 140 mph.

The aircraft disintegrated on impact. Debris scattered across 200 yd of water. The fuselage sank immediately. No parachute appeared. No life raft deployed. No radio call was heard. Major Owens circled the crash site for 15 minutes. He saw only floating wreckage and a widening oil slick across the Pacific. The VMF-2 15 war diary entry for February 3rd was only a single cold sentence.

Lieutenant Hansen did not return from this hop. Robert Murray Hansen was 23 years old one day shy of his 24th birthday 7 days away from sailing home to the United States. He was promoted to captain posthumously and awarded the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross and the Air Medal. His name was inscribed on the wall of the missing at the Manila American Cemetery.

In 1945 the destroyer USS Hansen was commissioned  in his honor. In 1968 the Marine Corps Aviation Association created the Robert M. Hansen Award presented each year to the finest Marine fighter attack squadron and it continues to this day. What is known is this on January 30th 1944 one Marine pilot in a single F4U Corsair attacked 21 Japanese fighters over Rabaul.

He scattered their formation, protected 18 torpedo  bombers, destroyed at least four enemy aircraft, and brought a dying  bullet-riddled airplane home. Four days later, he was dead. If this story moved you, take a moment to press like. Every click helps keep stories like this alive.

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