Herschel Green | |
---|---|
Col. Green with his P-51 Mustang, c. 1944 | |
Nickname(s) | "Herky" |
Born | (1920-07-03)July 3, 1920 Mayfield, Kentucky |
Died | August 16, 2006(2006-08-16) (aged 86) Torrance, California |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1941–1964 |
Rank | Colonel |
Commands | 4756th Air Defense Group 4th Fighter Group |
Battles / wars | World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Purple Heart Air Medal (26) Croix de guerre (France) |
Herschel Harper "Herky" Green (July 3, 1920 – August 16, 2006) was a World War II flying ace in the United States Army Air Forces. Green was the leading ace of the Fifteenth Air Force, shooting down 18 enemy aircraft and destroying 10 more on the ground.
Green was born in Mayfield, Kentucky.
325th Fighter Group
Green flew in 1943 and 1944 in the North Africa and Italian campaigns with the 325th Fighter Group. By the end of 1944, he had flown 100 missions and received the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Memoir
He published his memoir Herky!: the Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace in 1996. The "Checkertail" refers to the group's recognition markings. The tail of each aircraft was painted yellow with black squares. He died in Torrance, California, aged 86.
Notes
- "Green, Herschel Harper, Col". Togetherweserved.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
- "Herschel Harper Green". Military Times. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
- "World War II fighter ace Herschel Green dies at 86". The Mercury News. August 18, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
- Herschel H. Green (1996). Herky!: The Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace. Schiffer Pub. ISBN 978-0-7643-0073-8.
- Air Age Publishing June 2000 Review of Herky!: the Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace
References
- Green, Herschel H. Herky! The Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1996 (republished in 2000). ISBN 0-7643-0073-3.
- McDowell, Ernest R. Checkertails: The 325th Fighter Group in the Second World War. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1994. ISBN 0-89747-316-7.
- McDowell, Ernest R. and William N. Hess. Checkertail Clan: The 325th Fighter Group in North Africa and Italy. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1969.
External links
Portals: Categories:- 1920 births
- 2006 deaths
- American World War II flying aces
- Aviators from Kentucky
- Military personnel from Kentucky
- People from Mayfield, Kentucky
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Silver Star
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- United States Army Air Forces officers
- Writers from Kentucky