In two sorties during the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” Navy Lt. Cmdr. David McCampell, flying a Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat nicknamed Minsi III, shoots down seven Japanese aircraft, five Yokosuka D4Y (Allied code name “Judy'” bombers in the morning and two Mitsubishi A6M Zero (“˜Zeke’) fighters in the afternoon. Campbell will become the Navy’s all-time leading ace, with 34 victories.
A fresh National Guard squadron of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets is rotating into the Middle East, seven months into the U.S. conflict with Iran. The high operational tempo of fighter units is prompting the Air Force to address concerns about extended deployments in the Middle East and their implications for…
