Philip Cochran

Infobox Military Person
name = Philip Gerald Cochran


caption = Colonel Philip Cochran, USAAF, in 1944.
born = birth date|1910|1|29
died = death date and age|1979|8|26|1910|1|29
placeofbirth = Erie, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath = Geneseo, New York
nickname =
allegiance = flag|United States
branch = U.S. Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
U.S. Army Air Forces (1941–1945)
serviceyears = 1935—1945
rank = Colonel
unit =
commands = 1st Air Commando Group
battles = World War II
*North African Campaign
*Burma Campaign
awards = Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Order (UK) Distinguished Flying Cross
Croix de Guerre (France)
relations =
laterwork =

Philip Cochran (January 29, 1910 – August 26, 1979) was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Cochran developed many tactical air combat, air transport, and air assault techniques during the war, particularly in Burma during operations as commander of the 1st Air Commando Group. [cite book|last=Busch |first=Briton Cooper |title=Bunker Hill to Bastogne: Elite Forces and American Society |year=2006 |publisher=Brassey's |pages=176 |isbn=1574887750 |accessdate=2008-06-08] Cochran was the inspiration behind characters in the "Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon" by Milton Caniff.

Early life

After earning a business degree from Ohio State University in 1935. Cochran enlisted as a pilot in the Army Air Corps because "it looked like a good way to make an easy living."cite web| title=Col. Philip Cochran |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |year=2003 |url=http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=958 |accessdate=2008-06-08]

Cochran had known Milton Caniff at Ohio State and approached him in 1941 to design an insignia for his 65th Fighter Squadron. [ [http://www.specialoperations.net/CochranLtr.htm Letter from Col Cochran] ] After watching Cochran's squadron, Caniff thought Cochran and his squadron had potential as characters for comics. Cochran became famous during the war as the model for the character Flip Corkin, a character in the comic strip "Terry and the Pirates". [cite journal| journal=Time |date=1947-01-13 |title=Escape Artist |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855598-3,00.html |accessdate=2008-06-08] Later on in life, Cochran became the model for another character in the Caniff comic strip "Steve Canyon". Cochran's character was named General Philerie; a combination of his first name, Phil, and his hometown, Erie.

World War II

North Africa

Major Cochran led a group of replacement fighter planes and pilots to the North African campaign that he organised into the "Joker Squadron" named because the squadron had no number or official status. His Deputy Commander called him “a colorful individual, a natural leader. "He was aggressive, but not ambitiously so". Cochran soon found himself mentioned in press reports. [cite news |last=Maeder |first=Jay |title=Flip Corkin, 1943 Fighting Heart |date=1998-06-15 |journal=Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1998/06/15/1998-06-15_flip_corkin__1943_fighting_h.html |accessdate=2008-06-08] One example was when flying his P-40, Cochran dropped a 500 pound bomb that skipped directly into the German headquarters at the Hotel Splendida, Kairouan, Tunisia. [cite journal |last=O'Leary |first=Michael |title=We Fought With What We Had |journal=Air Classics |date=October 2003 |issn=0002-2241] He destroyed telegraph wires by flying over them with a lead weight on the end of a wire attached to the wing of his pursuit plane, a tactic he would employ later in Burma. By the end of hostilities in the theater, he had shot down two German fighter planes. [cite web |last=Weber |first=Mark |title=Colonel Philip G. Cochran, USAAF |publisher=Erie Hall of Fame |year=2008 |url=http://www.eriehalloffame.org/nominees/philip_cochran.asp |accessdate=2008-06-08]

Though a fighter pilot, Cochran flew the lead C-47 on Christmas Eve 1942 airdropping paratroopers of the 509th Infantry Regiment to destroy the El Djem Bridge in Tunisia as he knew the area. [ [http://members.aol.com/SamBlu82/sof.html Special Operations Airlift ] ]

Cochran developed a reputation for 'getting the job done', and had little respect for those he believed were needlessly obstructing him, regardless of rank. On one occasion, Cochran clashed with General Henri Giraud, commander of all French forces in North Africa. French ground forces, for whom Phil’s squadron was flying air support, had been badly mauled by army units under the command of General Erwin Rommel. In a meeting between Cochran and Giraud after the battle, Giraud shouted at Cochran, "There should be more planes, hundreds more!" Cochran retorted, "You’ve got to fight on the ground! You can’t hide behind a rock and have planes do the whole job." A few days later, Cochran received a letter from General Giraud, conceding that the former was correct. Not long after, Col. Cochran was awarded the "Croix de Guerre" medal by the French government.cite book |last=Allison |first=John |title=Phil Cochran: The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met |url=http://www.specialoperations.net/ColCochran.htm]

Burma

Cochran, by now a Lieutenant Colonel, and former deputy commander of the 75th Fighter Squadron John Alison were picked by General Hap Arnold as commander and deputy commander respectively of the 1st USAAF Air Commando Group. [cite journal |title=The All-American Airman |journal=Air Force Magazine |date=March 2000 |volume=83 |issue=3 |url=http://www.afa.org/magazine/march2000/0300alison.asp |issn=0730-6784 |accessdate=2008-06-08] The 1st Air Commando, among other missions, was assigned the task of supporting Allied Long Range Penetration Groups invading Japanese-held Burma. Some of these forces were designated to fly in by towed gliders; all required resupply by regular airdrops during their missions, as well as air support. Under Cochran's command, the 1st Air Commando's C-47 pilots perfected the tactic of snatching loaded gliders from small areas of ground cleared of jungle vegetation into the air using stretchable nylon ropes, all while flying at 15 to 30 feet using breaks in the jungle canopy.Masters, 1979, p. 197–198.] Upon witnessing one of these demonstrations, the Allied theater commander, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten exclaimed, "Jesus Christ All Bloody Mighty!"

Col. Cochran ordered the 1st Air Commando to support ground troops without reservation: his sense of humor, aggressiveness, and willingness to risk his planes and pilots in daring support missions soon won the admiration of many officers and men of the Indian Army, who had up to that point had experienced only lackluster support from hard-pressed Royal Air Force squadrons. [Masters, 1979, p. 146–148.] In particular, the news that Cochran would make light planes and gliders (snatched from the ground by low-flying C-47s) available to evacuate wounded men from combat greatly increased the morale of the long-range jungle penetration forces. One British commander summed up the change by stating, "The commanders' hopes and the soldiers' morale rose sky-high. Now, if we got hit in the middle of Burma, we would not be left under a bush to die." [Masters, 1979, p. 146.] Cochran’s infectious confidence and unstinting support for Allied operations in Burma caused Admiral Mountbatten to remark to Cochran "My boy, you are the only ray of sunshine we have had in this theatre this year."

1st Air Commando was also called upon to perform ground support missions for the Long Range brigades, including bombing and strafing attacks. In one incident, where the group's P-51 Mustangs failed to down a single telephone line on wooden poles using bombs, the P-51's used a more daring tactic: "The lead plane swooped and banked...his lower wing tip ripped momentarily across an open space in the jungle, perhaps three feet above the ground...the second plane swerved...straight at us out of the land in a tight turn, wing tip brushing the ground... [We saw] telephone wire hanging around in festoons at the edge of the jungle." [Masters, 1979, p. 198–199.]

Postwar

Cochran was director of aerial scenes in the Howard Hughes film "Jet Pilot" starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh.

Col. Cochran eventually retired from the USAAF, returning home to Erie, Pennsylvania USA. There he joined his brother John's company, Lyons Transportation Lines, where he would eventually become Chairman of the Board.

Cochran also became active in charitable organizations such as the Pennsylvania Heart Association. He was a consistent supporter for Erie's Gannon University, and attended many USAAF reunions. Cochran died of a heart attack while fox hunting in Geneseo, New York in 1979. [cite news |title=Col. Philip G. Cochran, War Hero and Model for 2 Cartoon Figures |date=August 27, 1979 |work=The New York Times |page=D7]

Notes

References

*cite book |last=Masters |first=John |title=The Road Past Mandalay |publisher=Bantam Books |year=1979 |isbn=0553126628