World War II Chronicle: January 16, 1944
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On the front page: Ninth Air Force is investigating which fighter pilot single-handedly engaged a formation of 30 Luftwaffe fighters. Considered one of the bravest fighter attacks of the war, officials have narrowed down the culprits to two 354th Fighter Group officers: Maj. James H. Howard (Commanding Officer of 356th Fighter Squadron) and 1st Lt. Jack T. Bradley (353rd Fighter Squadron). Maj. Howard earned his pilot wings when he was in the Navy before the war, but left the service to fly for the Flying Tigers. Howard earned six victories with the American Volunteer Group before returning to United States service with the Army Air Force.
Howard now has 10 kills, making him a double ace. Bradley will finish the war with 16. One of those victories will be shared with wingman Wau Kau Kong, the first Chinese-American fighter pilot. Kong graduated from the University of Hawaii with a chemistry degree — with honors — and was working towards his master’s degree when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Kong’s Army Air Force entrance exam scores were the highest in the nation and he was accepted into the aviation cadet program. When he was interviewed by an Army public relations officer in 1943 Kong said, “You could announce that Kong is without question the handsomest pilot in the ETO [European Theater of Operations].”
Kong is shot down and killed over Blomberg, Germany on his 14th combat mission on Feb. 22, 1944. Originally buried by the Germans, he was re-interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu…
Page three reports that a Lt. Cmdr. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. has earned the Silver Star for gallantry. Fairbanks was a leading man in Hollywood before accepting a reserve officer’s commission. His father Douglas Sr. was the original “King of Hollywood” before Clark Gable took over, playing Zorro and Robin Hood in the early 1920s. Interestingly, Alan Hale Sr. played Robin Hood’s sidekick “Little John,” and he is the the father of Alan Hale Jr. — “The Skipper” from Gilligan’s Island, who is currently serving in the Coast Guard. But back to Commander Fairbanks: he was assigned as a liaison officer to the British Commandos during the early days of the war. He trained and conducted raids with the Commandos and brought back experience and ideas back to the States, where he pitched the idea of an American commando outfit named the Beach Jumpers. This force carried out false landing operations to deceive Axis forces as to the true site of Allied invasions, which proves to be quite successful. His Silver Star was for leading a landing party ashore under fire during the seizure of an Italian island west of Naples…
A story on page seven announces that one out of every three British pilots are now receiving their training in the United States… George Fielding Eliot discusses the Eastern Front on page six… Sports begin on page 21… This week in the war — America’s 110th — is summarized on page 42 and page 50 has more war news… “Chips” the war dog is featured on page 73.
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 16 January 1944. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-01-16/ed-1/