James Howard: The One Man Air Force

Let's start with an article from We Are The Mighty. The ‘One Man Air Force’ took on dozens of enemy fighters even after his guns ran dry

James Howard started his World War II combat career before the United States ever entered the war. He would end the war with a Medal of Honor and the nickname: the “One Man Air Force.” He was a naval aviator who flew with the Flying Tigers, then joined the Army Air Forces, where he became an ace in two different aircraft in two different theaters. He would eventually retire as a Brigadier General—quite an impressive bucket list.

James Howard had been a pilot in the US Navy. But he left to join the Flying Tigers to fight in China before America joined the war. He as going to rejoin the navy, but a bureaucrat, pissed off by his stint in the Flying Tigers, pissed off Howard in turn. So he joined the US Army Air Corps as a captain.

By January of 1944 he had been promoted to major.

On the day of the fight in question, which was January 11th, Howard had been separated from his unit, when he encountered a formation of bombers being attacked by German interceptors and fighters. He was alone. He attacked.

When asked about the decision to face that many planes, he answered...

I seen my duty and I done it.

This is a video about James Howard's flight on 11 January 1944. The Flying Killer That Made the Luftwaffe Look Like a Joke