Robert Little (Flying Tiger)
| Robert Little | |
|---|---|
| Died |
May 22, 1942 Salween River, China |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Corps |
| Unit |
8th Pursuit Group Flying Tigers (1st American Volunteer Group) |
| Awards |
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) |
Robert L. "Bob" Little (died May 22, 1942, Salween River, China[1]) was an American fighter pilot and double ace with the Flying Tigers, credited with 10,[2] 10.5[3] or 10.55[4][5] victories.
He was a native of Spokane, Washington, and attended North Central High School in 1935 and 1936.[6]
Little resigned from the United States Army Air Corps 8th Pursuit Group to join the Flying Tigers in the days before the United States entered World War II.[4] He was one of the few Flying Tigers with prior experience with the Curtiss P-40 fighter, having logged 375 hours.[4] In 1942, he was credited with downing Nakajima Ki-27 fighters on January 29 and February 6, 25 and 26, as well as a Nakajima Ki-43 fighter on April 8.[4]
He was killed while on a ground attack mission at the Salween River Gorge south of Paoshan.[3][4] Wingman R. H. Smith reported that Little was diving at the target when, at 1,000 feet (300 m) Smith heard an explosion, then saw flames and smoke coming from Little's left wing.[3] With half the wing gone, the airplane went into a tight spin and struck the ground.[3] Smith noted that he had seen no flak;[3] Little may have been the unlucky victim of small arms fire from the ground triggering the premature detonation of one of his own bombs. Squadron leader Robert Neale stated, "Bob flew more missions over enemy territory than anybody else in the outfit. He never turned down a chance to fight. Bob was one of the most aggressive pilots in the AVG and a helluva good guy."[4]
Little was awarded a British Distinguished Flying Cross[1] and an American Distinguished Flying Cross.[7]
References
- 1 2 "D. F. C. on Son's Behalf Will Go to Bob Little's Mother". Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 27, 1943.
- ↑ "American Volunteer Group Aces, World War II, 1939-1945". American Fighter Aces Association (americanfighteraces.org). Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Samson, Jack (December 20, 2011). Flying Tiger: The True Story of General Claire Chennault and the U.S. 14th Air Force in China. Lyons Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780762795437. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clements, Terrill J.; Laurier, Jim (February 20, 2013). American Volunteer Group 'Flying Tigers' Aces. Osprey Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 9781472800596. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ↑ Olynyk, Frank J. AVG & USAAF (China-Burma-India Theater) Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft in Air to Air Combat, World War 2. Aurora, Ohio: Privately published, 1986. Figures obtained from warbirdforum.com.
- ↑ "Boyhood Chum of Bob Little Tells of Hero's Activities". Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 18, 1942.
- ↑ Tracy Ellig (September 6, 2000). "Tale of heroism is finally told". The Spokesman-Review.