William R. Dunn

William R. Dunn (1916-1995) was the first American ace of World War II. Joining the Canadian Army at the outbreak of war in September 1939, he was an infantryman until he transferred to the Royal Air Force in late 1940. After service in the Eagle Squadron, he joined the United States Army Air Force in 1943.

Biography

William R. Dunn was born in Minneapolis on 16 November 1916. In 1934 at the age of 17 he joined the US Army, although he was discharged in 1936. In 1939 he joined the Canadian Army and was assigned to the Seaforth Highlanders, a Scottish infantry regiment of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division.Posted to the Uk in April 1940, he became an AA gunner with this unit and on 16 August claimed -with other gunners- 2 Junkers Ju 87's shot down of a force attacking Borden army camp.

Soon after, he was transferred to the Royal Air Force, starting training in December 1940. He was assigned in April 1941 to the American volunteer No. 71 'Eagle' Squadron based at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich, flying the Hawker Hurricane.

He was the first pilot in the Eagle Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft, on 2 July 1941, and later became the first American ace of the war. After 3 claims, the squadron converted to the Spitfire. Two claims on 27 August made Dunn the first American 5-kill 'ace', although he was wounded in the right leg during the same action. After recovery, he instruced at various units in the UK and the USA, and in late 1942 he served briefly with No 130 Squadron, RCAF.

After joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 15 June 1943, he saw service with the 53rd Fighter Group (as Gunnery Officer), and then from October 1943 with the 406th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force. Participating in the Normandy invasion and in Patton’s sweep across France, he claimed 2 more kills up until October 1944. Unusually, he claimed a Bf 110 shot down with a salvo of .5 inch RP rockets on 18 June 1944. By the end of the war he had claimed 8.5 kilss, another 4 unconfirmed, 3 probables and 4 damaged, with 12 more destroyed on the ground, flying 234 operational sorties.

Immediately after the war he fought in the Chinese Civil War on the side of the Nationalists. He later helped trained the Iranian Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force.

His final overseas duty was in Vietnam during 1967, with HQ, 7th US Air Force, flying 62 missions evaluationg infra red location equipment. Lt. Col. Dunn, a veteran of 38 years of military service and 378 combat missions, retired from the U.S.A.F. in 1973.

In addition to his autobiography (Fighter Pilot: The First American Ace of World War II), he also wrote War Drum Echoes and other works on the Indian wars of North America.

References

*Fighter Pilot: The First American Ace of World War Two
*Aces High: Shores & Williams (grub street, 1994), page 240.