Roy Rushing spotted a squadron of 60 Japanese aircraft . During the more than 20,000 hours of air combat operations before it returned to the United States for a rest period, Air Group 15 destroyed more enemy planes (315 airborne and 348 on the ground) and sank more enemy shipping than any other Air Group in the Pacific War. Naval Academy in depression-era 1933, he was rewarded with an honorable discharge from a Navy without funds. Captain McCampbell was related by marriage to movie star Wayne Morris, who also became a VF-15 ace. All graduated from the United States Naval Academy (USNA), and for their collective heroic efforts during the war, Time Magazine dubbed the brothers the "Indestructibles" in January, Noel Arthur Meredyth Gayler (1914-2011) served as director of the National Security Agency (NSA) from 1969 to 1972 and as chief of the U.S. Pacific Command from 1972 to 1976. Graduating from the U.S. Place and Date: First and second battles of the Philippine Sea, June 19, 1944. 2) Nate can out-climb F6F at 110-120 knots airspeed. Place and Date: First and second battles of the Philippine Sea, 19 June 1944 McCampbell was born in Bessemer, Jefferson County, on January 16, 1910, to Andrew Jackson McCampbell of Tennessee and Elizabeth LaValle Perry of Alabama; he had an older sister. McCampbell and his wingman attacked a Japanese force of 60 aircraft. Appointed to the Naval Academy from Florida, he graduated in June 1933. http://ww2gravestone.com/people/mccampbell-david/. He died in 1996 and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Medal of Honor Monday: Navy Capt. David McCampbell As of 1920, the family was residing in Bessemer, according to U.S. Census records, although public records show that by 1922 they had moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. Following World War II, McCampbell had several postings, including command of the carrier USS Bon Homme Richard from 1959 to 1960. Landing Signal Officer David McCampbell Navy Capt. The two Hellcat pilots dived back down on their quarry for another pass; McCampbell blew up a second Zero. McCampbell also was awarded the Navy Cross for coordinating an air attack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf that helped sink the Japanese battleship Musashi (one of the two largest such ships ever built), as well as a light carrier and numerous smaller warships. His final assignment was as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations to the Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command, where he served from September 1962 until his retirement from the navy on July 1, 1964. He returned to the United States, was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and was stationed at Naval Air Station Melbourne, Florida as LSO Instructor until August 1943. David McCampbell, 86, the Navy's all-time leading ace with 34 aerial victories during World War II and medals including the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, died June 30 in a . He graduated from the academy in 1933 with a degree in marine engineering. DAVID MCCAMPBELL DIES - The Washington Post On his next firing pass, gunfire coming from behind forced McCampbell to break off his attack and pull up. We use cookies to enhance your personalized experience for ads, analytics, and more. For gallantry during these battles, McCampbell was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in January 1945. On Oct. 24, 1944, during the infamous Battle of Leyte Gulf, McCampbell and a fellow pilot, Ensign Roy Rushing, took on 60 hostile Japanese aircraft that were approaching U.S. ships. The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. His spirit and leadership are what made his air group one of the war's most decorated, and theyearned him the Medal of Honor. The next one was an Oscar. Sir Duncan's second son, Black Colin of Glenorchy founded the Campbells of Breadalbane. After Korea, he worked as the Planning Officer on the Staff of Commander Aircraft Atlantic for a year and served as the Commanding Officer, Naval Air Technical Training Center Jacksonville at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, from July 1953 to July 1954. Join Facebook to connect with David McCampbell and others you may know. Incredibly, there was no reaction from the Japs as they climbed back up to regain altitude. Seeing over 40 Japanese fighters, McCampbell radioed back to the carrier for help. David Taylor McCampbell's Geni Profile. England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936 Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 86 years old? Researchers suggest a joint progenitor of both the Campbells and the MacArthurs. Rushing also got one on this first pass. Roy Rushing got out in front of the other Hellcats, putting on all speed to intercept the Japs, then only 22 miles away. David McCampbell | Military Wiki | Fandom In spring 1942 the Wasp ferried much-needed aircraft to besieged British forces on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. Son of Andrew Jackson McCampbell and Elizabeth LaValle McCampbell He returned to Alabama to work in construction and at an aircraft assembly plant for a year before finally receiving orders in June 1934 to report for active duty. In his early teens McCampbell left home to attend the Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia; he graduated in 1928. The Five Deadliest Fighter Pilots in US Military History McCampbell's decorations and awards include:[5], Rank and Organization: Commander, United States Navy, Air Group 15 Among the major combat ships sunk was the Japanese battleship Musashi, three carriers and a heavy cruiser. McCampbell was born Jan. 16, 1910, in Bessemer, Alabama, to parents . Tags: Admiral Sherman, Air Group 15, attacks on Iwo Jima, Battle of Leyte Gulf, Carrier Task Force, Ens. He died in Florida after a lengthy illness on June 30, 1996. Now the gaggle of Zeros, Tonys, Hamps, and Oscars reacted by going into a Lufbery! McCampbell served aboard the cruiser USS Portland (CA-33) and later attended flight training at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida. Apparently low on fuel, the Japanese planes doggedly flew on, maintaining formation. However, economy measures resulting from the Great. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. McCampbell entered combat on May 14 and flew at least four Grumman F6F Hellcats while aboard the Essex: an F6F-3 named Monsoon Maiden (damaged by AA, removed from service on 20 May 1944), an F6F-3 named The Minsi (.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}10+12 kills), an F6F-5 named Minsi II, and an F6F-5 named Minsi III (Bureau Number 70143), in which he scored the last 23+12 of his 34 kills. McCampbell was born in Bessemer, Jefferson County, on January 16, 1910, to Andrew Jackson McCampbell of Tennessee and Elizabeth LaValle Perry of Alabama; he had an older sister. McCampbell and the Essex airmen were involved in numerous actions in the Pacific theater of operations, including strikes against the Japanese islands of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guam. He attended the Staunton Military Academy and one year at the Georgia School of Technology before his appointment to the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with the class of 1933. "When I got over the ship, I found they had a flight deck full of planes, and I knew that to launch all those planes would take a good 20 minutes, and I didn't have that much gas left," he said. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McCampbell#Aerial_victories. The term has, Alabama's five Crommelin brothersJohn, Henry, Richard, Charles, and Quentin served in some of World War II's most famous battles in the Pacific theater. David Taylor McCampbell (1823 - 1902) - Genealogy He turned towards the plane and fired three bursts. His plane crew hurried to fuel Minsi III, which had not been scheduled to fly that day. Air Group 15s attacks on the Japanese in the Marianas and at Iwo Jima, Taiwan, and Okinawa were key to the success of the island hopping campaign. David McCampbell - Captain, United States Navy Again, his six fifties roared and blasted the Oscars wing root. The surname McCampbell was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dl Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute. He commanded Fighter Squadron 15 (VF-15) and then was given command of Carrier Air Group 15, which included fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo planes; it was known as the Fabled Fifteen. He ended his career at the Pentagon as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations to the Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command, retiring in 1964. It was McCampbells seventh for the day and his ninth in eight days of combat. When he was about 12, the family moved him and his older sister, Frances, to West Palm Beach, Florida. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and served as Chief of Staff to the Commander Fleet Air at NAS Norfolk, Virginia, until January 1947. TogetherWeServed.com Inc. All Rights Reserved | Not a U.S. Government Website. Striking fiercely in valiant defense of our surface force, he personally destroyed seven hostile planes during this single engagement in which the outnumbering attack force was utterly routed and virtually annihilated. eBay item number: 166062196143. He also set a United States single mission aerial combat record of shooting down nine enemy planes in one mission, on October 24, 1944, at the beginning of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in the Philippines. McCampbell commanded the entire Essex air group bombers, fighters, and torpedo planes. Man your planes! boomed the squawk box in Essex ready room. During the September 12th-13th strikes on the Philippines, He shot down five more planes, and learned about the capabilities of the Nate a small, open-cockpit monoplane, slow and lightly armed, but highly maneuverable, advanced trainer.