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Before Neel Kearby, a native of [[Texas]], joined the war with the 348th FG, he was assigned to the [[Panama Canal]] Zone, flying patrols in [[P-39 Airacobra|P-39 fighters]].  He was one of the first pilots of the group to be checked out in the P-47 Thunderbolt, and was immediately impressed with it, convinced that the large and powerful fighter was superior to any [[Axis]] plane.  He, along with the rest of the fighter group, arrived in [[Australia]] in June 1943.  The [[P-38 Lightning]] had been the premier Allied fighter in the area for close to a year, and the Lightning pilots looked down on the stubby, heavy Thunderbolt.  The story goes that Kearby himself proved the P-47’s fighting prowess in a mock dogfight with a P-38.  Operationally, however, the P-47s were still handicapped by their relatively short range, though this was alleviated partially by new external tanks.

Before Neel Kearby, a native of [[Texas]], joined the war with the 348th FG, he was assigned to the [[Panama Canal]] Zone, flying patrols in [[P-39 Airacobra|P-39 fighters]].  He was one of the first pilots of the group to be checked out in the P-47 Thunderbolt, and was immediately impressed with it, convinced that the large and powerful fighter was superior to any [[Axis]] plane.  He, along with the rest of the fighter group, arrived in [[Australia]] in June 1943.  The [[P-38 Lightning]] had been the premier Allied fighter in the area for close to a year, and the Lightning pilots looked down on the stubby, heavy Thunderbolt.  The story goes that Kearby himself proved the P-47’s fighting prowess in a mock dogfight with a P-38.  Operationally, however, the P-47s were still handicapped by their relatively short range, though this was alleviated partially by new external tanks.

Kearby opened his score on September 4, 1943 with a [[Mitsubishi G4M|G4M “Betty” bomber]] and a [[Nakajima Ki-43|Ki-43 “Oscar”]], and followed this up ten days later by shooting down another twin-engined bomber, a [[Mitsubishi Ki-46|Ki-46 “Dinah”]].  On September 23, he was promoted to full colonel, but October 11 turned out to be Kearby’s biggest day ever.  Kearby led four P-47s on a fighter sweep over the Japanese base at [[Wewak]], [[New Guinea]], and ran into 40 Japanese Army fighters.  The ensuing combat lasted close to an hour, and when it was over, Colonel Kearby had shot down six fighters (four Oscars and two Ki-61 “Tonys”).  Two other pilots had downed three Tonys between them for a total of nine Japanese fighters splashed without so much as a scratch on any of the Thunderbolts.  This made Kearby the first P-47 ace of the Pacific Theater, and set an Army Air Corps record for most victories in a single mission (The American record is nine, set a year later by Navy ace [[David McCampbell]]).  Upon hearing of this one-sided victory, General [[George Kenney]], head of American Army air forces in the Pacific, recommended Neel Kearby for the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by General [[Douglas MacArthur]] himself in January of 1944.  It was the first time in World War II that the MOH had been awarded to an Army Air Corps fighter pilot.

Kearby opened his score on September 4, 1943 with a [[Mitsubishi G4M|G4M “Betty” bomber]] and a [[Nakajima Ki-43|Ki-43 “Oscar”]], and followed this up ten days later by shooting down another twin-engined bomber, a [[Mitsubishi Ki-46|Ki-46 “Dinah”]].  On September 23, he was promoted to full colonel, but October 11 turned out to be Kearby’s biggest day ever.  Kearby led four P-47s on a fighter sweep over the Japanese base at [[Wewak]], [[New Guinea]], and ran into 40 Japanese Army fighters.  The ensuing combat lasted close to an hour, and when it was over, Colonel Kearby had shot down six fighters (four Oscars and two Ki-61 “Tonys”).  Two other pilots had downed three Tonys between them for a total of nine Japanese fighters splashed without so much as a scratch on any of the Thunderbolts.  This made Kearby the first P-47 [[Flying ace|ace]] of the Pacific Theater, and set an Army Air Corps record for most victories in a single mission (The American record is nine, set a year later by Navy ace [[David McCampbell]]).  Upon hearing of this one-sided victory, General [[George Kenney]], head of American Army air forces in the Pacific, recommended Neel Kearby for the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by General [[Douglas MacArthur]] himself in January of 1944.  It was the first time in World War II that the MOH had been awarded to an Army Air Corps fighter pilot.

{{quotebox|Despite its weight, its clumsiness at low altitudes, and its slow rate of climb, the Thunderbolt  could be deadly when tactically deployed.  Kearby would leave it to lighter, more nimble fighters to dog-fight at low altitudes.  Proper use of the Thunderbolt  meant free-roving flights at high altitude, where they were designed to fly, and where they could track enemy formations unseen.  When the moment came for combat the Thunderbolt's unequalled diving speed would put its guns within range of destroying that formation, long before the enemy even knew American pilots had spotted them. [http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part2/11_kearby.html ]}}

{{quotebox|Despite its weight, its clumsiness at low altitudes, and its slow rate of climb, the Thunderbolt  could be deadly when tactically deployed.  Kearby would leave it to lighter, more nimble fighters to dog-fight at low altitudes.  Proper use of the Thunderbolt  meant free-roving flights at high altitude, where they were designed to fly, and where they could track enemy formations unseen.  When the moment came for combat the Thunderbolt's unequalled diving speed would put its guns within range of destroying that formation, long before the enemy even knew American pilots had spotted them. [http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part2/11_kearby.html ]}}