Pt #1 of 2 F6F Hellcat Marianas Turkey Shoot MATZ

Rudy Matz Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight Against enemy Japanese aerial forces during the First Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 19, 1944. Encountering strong enemy forces enroute to attack his Task Force in the vicinity of the Marianas Islands, U.S.S. YORKTOWN, during operations against enemy Japanes forces in the vicinity of the Marianas and Bonin Islands from June 25 to July 9, 1944

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• Marianas
• U.S.S.
• YORKTOWN
• F6F
• Matz
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[Enid2Sacramento]

I would love to sit down with one of these heroes and listen to the stories they have to tell. When they're gone, it will be a sad loss indeed.

[galoon]

@eakgeebk The Japanese pilots in the "Turkey Shoot" were mostly inexperienced and had been rushed through training. The last of their best naval pilots, the ones they started the war with, had actually been lost at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942. The really inexperienced pilots were the ones we fought in the Philippines campaign; they'd been instructed to land at Manila after taking off from their carriers because most of them couldn't even land on a carrier!

[vexviper]

I don't know but I must be old because he looks realy young for fighting during 1942.

[eakgeebk]

@TheFunkhouser Actually, this battle was one of the ones that cleaned out all the good pilots. They were used to fighting the wildcat, and the hellcat was superior to it.

[Vermiliontea]

Lot's of Avenger, Wildcat, Corsair and Helldiver video shootage, unrelated to Marianas Turkey Shoot, illustrating this accont from a Hellcat pilot.

[agwhitaker]

.....Untied States Naval Service.

Wuzzat ? America already starting to unravel ?

[TheFunkhouser]

By then there was probably no "decent" Japanese pilots left... bit one sided imo.

[TheAle89515]

@seedasites Now that's SOME irony...

[seedasites]

It is amazing to hear my uncle's voice and see him here. As a child some of my fondest memories were spent listening to his stories. He is a great and heroic man and I really appreciate this tribute to him. Ironically, my brother-in-law's father was flying one of the attacking Japanese planes at Midway. PM Tokyo