Cross War Kill Markings?

[John Dupre]

Does anyone know of any pilot that carried kill markings from a previous war while flying in another war? For example any number of pilots scored kills in WW2 and flew in Korea and a few in Vietnam, of course a number from Korea flew in Vietnam as well. I figure most pilots wouldn't have cared. Each war was different in tactics, equipment, opportunity etc. but there had to be some pilots that wanted to exhibit thier records regardless.

[famvburg]

ISTR reading somewhere that the reason many WWII German pilots had so many kills is that many of their kills were carried over from WWI.

Does anyone know of any pilot that carried kill markings from a previous war while flying in another war? For example any number of pilots scored kills in WW2 and flew in Korea and a few in Vietnam, of course a number from Korea flew in Vietnam as well. I figure most pilots wouldn't have cared. Each war was different in tactics, equipment, opportunity etc. but there had to be some pilots that wanted to exhibit thier records regardless.

[viking73]

The only one I can think of right off the top of my head was Col. Paul Douglas (commander of the 388 TFW Korat in 1968) whose F-105D carried his 8 German kill marks from WWII. He flew P-47s in Europe. His Thud even carried the same art as his P-47 - "Arkansas Traveler"...

[lestweforget]

I think I remember seeing a Thud with swastika kill markings. Might be mistaken, but will do a bit of digging about, unless someone else knows.

[JDK]

ISTR reading somewhere that the reason many WWII German pilots had so many kills is that many of their kills were carried over from WWI.

Not as far as I know. There were other good reasons for the 300+ kills Experten. There were a couple(?) of Luftwaffe aces with a handful of kills in one or other war that went onto combat in W.W.II. But the only examples I can think of in answer to the question would be US from W.W.II to Korea / Vietnam. I don't know if we have records of Russian or Chinese equivalents yet.

[Steve Nelson]

I'm not well versed on post-WWII aircraft, but I seems to recall once seeing an F-4 Phantom in Vietnam-era markings carrying swastika kill marks from the pilot's WWII service.

Wasn't the Thud that was destroyed in the YAF fire the one with swastika kills on it?


SN

[Jack Cook]

Col Harold Comstock carried his 56th FG P-47 kills on his F-100 in S. Viet Nam.

[lestweforget]

Here's one. Perhaps someone has a close up http://www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5790

[Dan K]

ISTR reading somewhere that the reason many WWII German pilots had so many kills is that many of their kills were carried over from WWI.

This simply isn't accurate. The Luftwaffe wasn't allowing more than a handful of 40-somethings into fighter cockpits.

The only German ace of WWII that I can think of also having kills in WWI was Erich Mix.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Mix

I certainly wouldn't mind being proven wrong though.

[Jack Cook]

Thro Osterkamp scored 32 in WWI and 6 in WWII.

[Ian Quinn]

Maybe Republican 'kill's by Condor Legion pilots...

and I seem to recall a photo of Albert J. Baumler's P-40 in China with a kill[s] marking from the SCW

Wonder if kills by the AVG who then joined the 14thAAF would be considered from 'another' war?

[John Dupre]

[quote="famvburg"]ISTR reading somewhere that the reason many WWII German pilots had so many kills is that many of their kills were carried over from WWI./quote]

Most ace lists show only a handful of German pilots with kills in WW1 and WW2. Most notably Theo Osterkampf who was the Imperial German Naval Air Service high scorer in WW1 and scored 6 for the Luftwaffe in WW2 prior to the Battle of Britain. A WW1 pilot would have been at best in his late 30s by 1939 and more likely in his 40s. Osterkampf lived into his 80s and like Yeager and Olds and others seems to have been remarkably young for his age he was given rides in Luftwaffe F-4 Phantoms in his 80s. The Germans seem to have kept anyone with combat experience in positions of combat command as long as possible until the youngsters started proving themselves.

[Dan K]

Thro Osterkamp scored 32 in WWI and 6 in WWII.

Doh! How did I forget Grandpa Theo?! I'm blaming it on Monday morning.

Makes one wonder if Goering had only been 200 lbs lighter...

[mustangdriver]

The only one I can think of right off the top of my head was Col. Paul Douglas (commander of the 388 TFW Korat in 1968) whose F-105D carried his 8 German kill marks from WWII. He flew P-47s in Europe. His Thud even carried the same art as his P-47 - "Arkansas Traveler"...

THat is true he carried all of his kill markings on his P-47, F-105, and even on to his F-4

[jet1]

in the museum dedicated to him and has both the "kill" markings on it. Now if they would just drag it out and service and FLY it everyone would get a chance to see it!