The Frank Luke Of The Pacific

[Jack Cook]

2Lt Johnny Roehm of the 44th FS by his P-38H after downing a Zero over Rabaul on Jan 16, 1944. John Roehm was a cool dude! Always pulling crazy stuffs like stealing Col Tyer's (18th FG CO) P-40M and putting on a low level acrobatic display gear down over Ftr 2 then retracting the gear and bellying it in in front of Tyer and Gen. Strother CO of the 13th Fighter Command. On another occassion he made numerous inverted low passes over flight 2 airstrip in a P-38 only to land when he ran out of gas. He completed his tour has a Lt flight leader with 3 kills and 117 missions. This photo has been used repeatidly in ads for 1911 .45ACP commerative pistols.

[Robbie Roberts]

How many Jiap-anese ballons did he bust?

Robbie

[muddyboots]

how the hell did he get away with it?

[tom d. friedman]

he looks like b movie actor buster crabbe

[Chicoartist]

how the heck did he get away with it?

I would guess 'wartime' conditions + maybe his CO's saw something in him that they needed in the combat theatre. In peacetime he would have been crucified without a doubt.

The "Frank Luke" of the AAF in the ETO was without a doubt Ralph K. Hofer. Hofer's antics were the stuff of movies, but you wouldn't believe it if it appeared on the big screen. They simply don't build men - nor will there ever be conditions - like that anymore. Commenting upon his death (in a blaze of glory, of course), Don Blakeslee said "We gave that guy every chance in the world, but in the end he got what he deserved". Hard to argue with a guy like Blakeslee, who had been there and done that, in spades ...

Regarding Hofer, Troy White's book is an excellent look at a troubled young man who tore up the skies back in the day -

http://www.amazon.com/Kidd-Hofer-last-S ... 953&sr=1-1

Wade

Last edited by Chicoartist on Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Chicoartist]

How many Jiap-anese ballons did he bust?

There's a brand new book on Luke that turns the tables on everything we thought we knew about the man and the conditions of his death -

http://www.amazon.com/STAND-Final-Fligh ... 823&sr=8-1

Wade

[Jack Cook]

Roehm was just a cool guy who was fun loving and full of life who bucked the system at every oppturnity and had a real distaim for authority. He was a superior combat pilot, very cool under fire and dead shot. He and Bob Westbrook the CO got along well. The next CO Mathis hated Roehm and vice versa. But he put up with him because he was that good a combat pilot! Roehm's partner in crime was Booby Corbett who was cut from the same mold. They shared the same P-38 #408 "Seattle Slugger"/'Eleanor" and the same attitude about life in general. Corbett hated Mathis so bad he taunted him by radio when Mathis was crashing in his P-38!! Roehm died about 7 years ago but Bobby is well in S. Carolina has a Brig. General USAF retired!! We trade emails all the time. I could probably get him to show up here on the board and field some questions.

[old iron]

I agree with Robbie; this guy has to do more than shoot down 3 Zeros in 117 sorties to be compared with Frank Luke. Luke shot down circa 18 in ten flights over three weeks.

Luke also died behind enemy lines, refusing to surrender to enemy ground forces (recent research shows that he died of a wound sustained while in the air, not by enemy fire while on the ground).

If there is a need to find a Pacific War analog to Frank Luke, the best candidate might be Pappy Boyington, who was similarly independent of military discipline but shot down many more enemy aircraft, and like Luke, was shot down himself behind enemy lines.

Kevin

[Mgawa]

Papi Boyington is one of my favorite US ace

[Jack Cook]

Are we going to start another Pappy thread? Downgrading someone for only downing 3 planes in HS. I'm talking more attitude and antics not kills. BTW PB didn't down 28 and he didn't go down in a blaze of glory he ditched out of gas and was on the R/T calling dumbo for pick-up. In a earlier mission he was so hung over he caused 2 pilots to get shot down with one being killed.

[Mgawa]

I did not know about Papy Don't be angry Jack, every of your post is very interesting. Without you I will never know for the pilot above and thanks to you we have informed about many of unsung heroes.

Cheers

[mustangdriver]

The men we speak of above, are heroes. They fought for our country and should be honored for it, just as Pappy Boyington did.

[tom d. friedman]

i knew the killer bees would start swarming sooner or later!!

[Robbie Roberts]

I agree with Robbie; this guy has to do more than shoot down 3 Zeros in 117 sorties to be compared with Frank Luke. Luke shot down circa 18 in ten flights over three weeks.

Luke also died behind enemy lines, refusing to surrender to enemy ground forces (recent research shows that he died of a wound sustained while in the air, not by enemy fire while on the ground).

If there is a need to find a Pacific War analog to Frank Luke, the best candidate might be Pappy Boyington, who was similarly independent of military discipline but shot down many more enemy aircraft, and like Luke, was shot down himself behind enemy lines.

Kevin

I just meant did he shoot down any balloons? That's what Frank Luke was famous for, more than the hijinks, I'm sure! They don't name air force bases after guys who goof around a lot- Otherwise there may be a Doolittle AFB somewhere! (My favorite is his story about sitting on the airfoil between the landing gear of an inter-war fixed wing aircraft when it took off & landed and thinking he got away with it- only to be discovered when his boss watched the days films taken of the aircraft in question for a movie! lol)

Robbie

[muddyboots]

Are we going to start another Pappy thread? Downgrading someone for only downing 3 planes in HS. I'm talking more attitude and antics not kills. BTW PB didn't down 28 and he didn't go down in a blaze of glory he ditched out of gas and was on the R/T calling dumbo for pick-up. In a earlier mission he was so hung over he caused 2 pilots to get shot down with one being killed.

you know, Jack, I'm starting to think you don't like Pappy Boyington.