Neel Kearby
| Neel Ernest Kearby | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Born |
June 5, 1911 Wichita Falls, Texas |
| Died | March 5, 1944 (aged 32) |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1936–1944 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 348th Fighter Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (4) Purple Heart Air Medal (5) |
Neel Ernest Kearby (June 5, 1911 – March 5, 1944) was a U.S. Army Air Corps Colonel and P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in World War II who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat.
Kearby was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, graduated from Arlington High School in 1928, and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1936 (known then as North Texas Agricultural College). He received flight training at Randolph and Kelly Air Force bases.
At the beginning of World War II, Kearby was assigned to Panama where he flew P-39s. He was transferred in October 1942 to Westover Field in Massachusetts to take command of the new 348th Fighter Group with the rank of major. In June 1943, now a lieutenant colonel, Kearby would arrive in Australia with his fighter group after months of training on the P-47.
The 348th used the P-47's flight characteristics to their advantage. They used their turbo supercharged engines to fly at high altitude to the target and dove on the Japanese planes before firing their eight .50-caliber machine guns on the lightly armored enemy aircraft.
In November 1943, with 12 victories to his credit, Kearby was transferred to the headquarters of the 5th Air Force Fighter Command. Despite his assignment to administrative duties, Kearby still wanted to be in combat. He flew missions whenever he could, and his victory tally continued to rise. For a time Kearby was in competition with Richard Bong to be the leading Army ace of the pacific theater. Like Kearby, Bong wasn't assigned to a combat unit at the time and flew in addition to his assigned duty of instructor in order to stay in combat.
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