Us Official Photographs
These P-38 Lightning Pilots In Two Days Action; July 21 And 23, 1943
1943-07-21
These P-38 Lightning pilots in two days action, July 21 and 23, 1943, lived up to the words of the placard ("Through these portals pass the hottest pilots in the world") over the entrance to the officers' club of their unit in New Guinea. Their unit bagged 17 Jap fighters in two aerial combats within three days. 2nd Lt. Robert H. Adams (left), of Pomeroy, Wash., shot down two enemy planes on each interception, as did 1st Lt. John L. Jones (center), of RFD No. 1, Patterson, N. J. 2nd Lt. Jess E. Gidley (right), of Richmond, California, was credited with a probable victory in the first encounter.
