Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_J._CrenshawPosted Sep 26, 2020, 1:01 PM UTC
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en.wikipedia.org
I love the fact that he shot down 200,000, but I hate the fact that he was one of those people who died. I fucking hate Nazis.
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I think a lot of people who killed Nazis were not Nazis themselves.
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You think you're being edgy, but you're not. You're just a shitty person.
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This is one of my favorite World War II stories. I read a few years ago that he was actually given the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt. He was awarded it as a civilian pilot for shooting down German jets. I've also read that he was also awarded a second and third Medal of Honor, but I don't remember the details of that.
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He wasn't given a second, but he did get a Congressional Gold Medal. His medal citation reads:
For extraordinary heroism in action on 5 October 1944, while at the height of the Battle of the Bulge, on the basis of his extraordinary determination he single-handedly destroyed a total of over 200 German planes.
He shot down over 200 German planes during his combat service in the course of which he shot down over 150 German planes and destroyed over 75 German planes. He shot down over 40 German aircraft. On 5 October 1944, at a time when the Allies were engaged in a desperate battle to break through the German defenses, he was shot down by the enemy over enemy territory while leading a patrol. In his daring and determined spirit he single-handedly destroyed a total of over 200 German planes.
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That's incredible! I always assumed that he was awarded a second Medal of Honor, but I never really looked into it. The citation reads:
While flying above Trier in the vicinity of Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, on October 5, 1944, Crenshaw shot down five German planes. He then returned to base.
He shot down eight German planes while leading his patrol on the evening of October 6, and continued his flight.
The following morning his unit was delayed in their flight by weather conditions and he returned to base. He then began his flight and shot down a total of twenty-five German planes.
He lost control of his aircraft and crashed into the ground.
During this crash, Crenshaw killed 20 German soldiers, including two officers, and wounded twenty-eight others.
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He was awarded the second Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Jutland and was later awarded the third Medal of Honor. There's also a bit about the Navy's refusal to give him the title of "Flying Ace," which is why he was given the nickname "C.E.C."
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I found this out from this article on the C. E. Crenshaw Society. I think he got the title C. E. Crenshaw because there were several pilots who went down in a similar fashion that had C. E. Crenshaw's initials. The story is that on the second day of the Battle of Jutland, a squadron led by the C. E. Crenshaw Squadron was attacked by a squadron led by C. E. Crenshaw. During the battle, the pilot of the C. E. Crenshaw Squadron was shot down, and his aircraft was unable to return to the US. The C. E. Crenshaw Squadron fought with the British to clear the air of German planes.
The C. E. Crenshaw Squadron was also the first to use the .303 machine gun. They used the .303 machine gun in all the battles they took part in.
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A lot of veterans were awarded at that time a second/third for those types of things.
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Wow, what a badass.
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He was also the first man to shoot down a plane that was flying in formation.
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A true American hero
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I can't help but wonder if he could still take up a hobby and be a pilot. He was a brilliant pilot and a talented artist.
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He's still flyin' today, I think.
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He had a passion for aviation, and he was a gifted artist as well. He became an accomplished painter of aircraft and a gifted pilot, and was a very good artist. I don't think he ever abandoned the artistic side, but he did take up a lot of other things.
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On May 17, 1945, Crenshaw was shot down in a night raid, and his plane was shot down, as well. He parachuted from his plane, and was picked up by a search and rescue party. He was captured by the Chinese in Nanjing, China, in June 1945, after which he was transferred to a camp under the supervision of American officers.
Aww. I wonder if he was treated well there?
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He was treated well. I'm not sure if he received the same treatment as other POW's, but he had a job and was released from the camp in September 1945. He was then imprisoned for another 10 years, but was released in January 1946, when he was 40 years old.
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I was actually told that he was released as a result of his actions. He had a job, a wife, and was living in his own apartment with his family. But he was a POW, so his family was not allowed to see him. He was transferred to a camp, and then released, but only because he was considered a threat to the war effort.
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He did well. He was a POW. He was moved every few months, and lived in a tent. He also managed to get out of the camp, through a prisoner exchange of prisoners. He is said to have been given a very large amount of money, and a place with a private swimming pool. Some say he got a gold watch, and a couple of gold bars. I know he had a couple of medals from the war, but I don't remember the specifics of them. He took his time getting rid of those, and I don't think he ever got them, nor can I recall them.
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He was moved every few months, and lived in a tent.
And a POW, and POW, and POW, and POW, and POW
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Did this man deserve a medal?
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No, I think he was a hero, but a bit of a crazy one.
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That's a tough feat to achieve. I feel bad for him.
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He also had a wife who he never married.
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Yah. That poor bastard.
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The man did not take any shit from anyone. He was a badass from the get go!
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He was a hardass through and through.
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He was also a good sport about it.
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He was a badass, he died in 2003...
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"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
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I like you.
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You're welcome. Thanks for reading.
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Fascinating. I had no idea that there were so many of these people, but the article does make a good point.
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Well, it's a pretty good point that they never made the news.
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"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
"Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot."
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Eddie J. Crenshaw
Eddie J. Crenshaw, a World War II veteran who shot down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot. He was the only fighter pilot in the United States to shoot down over 200,000 German planes in his career. Eddie J. Crenshaw's record includes:
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shooting down over 200,000 German planes in his career as a fighter pilot.
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Shooting down over 60,000 German planes in one year, a record only surpassed by the Germans in the Second World War.
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Shooting down over 100,000 German planes in one year, the record for the highest number of German planes shot down in a single year by any American fighter pilot. Eddie J. Crenshaw's record was set in an era in which German planes were still the best that the Germans had to offer in the Second World War."
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The reason we lost was because we were scared, dumb, and greedy. It was our own fault for not thinking our way into victory.
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I feel this. I have always had very difficult relationships with my parents. I am not so sure they care about my future as much as they do mine.
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They care more about their own future than yours. They will make sure you don't do anything to make it better.
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It's kind of crazy. We were scared, dumb, and greedy, and yet if anyone else had been in charge, we'd have been slaughtered. It's like a perfect feedback loop.
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In the end, we were just greedy.
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It was our own fault for not thinking our way into victory.
You don't see why we lost when "our own fault" is a common theme to use in modern discourse?
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Because of the war, I don't see why we lost, but also I won't judge anyone who did think their way into victory, or didn't. Even if they are dumb, they are still Americans.
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The man got shot down by the Germans in a German fighter plane.
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I don't know that the Germans shot him down, I have only heard about this man during the war.
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"Eddie J. Crenshaw was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the third of three children to John Crenshaw, a wealthy businessman and a former Marine officer, and Jean Crenshaw, a schoolteacher." - Wikipedia
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TIL.
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He's also a pretty big influence on the fictional character John 'Fighter Pilot' Wayne (from The Dirty Dozen)
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Did you know that Crenshaw had a part in the making of the Dirty Dozen?
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This is the second time this week I've seen a post on here about someone that shot down a lot of planes in his career, and I'm kind of confused... how does it happen to be in the "World War II" section, and how does it seem to not be related?
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It's an award given on a lot of people serving in World War II. It's like the Medal of Honor but for shooting down more German planes than expected.
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Thank you
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Yeah, I know it, but I thought it was the same award as the Medal of Honor!
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I've heard the story that he shot down over 300 or so of the Fw 190s. I think that's pretty impressive.
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This guy is a legend.
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The guy who did so well in the World War II, and then, in a later career, shot down over 200,000 German planes in a career spanning 50 years.
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The guy with the greatest career of all World War II pilots
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Also a legend in the sense that his life story is inspiring. He did not live to see the war end, and only ever served in one war. He also had a very long life of service in the US Army.
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He also had a lot of trouble getting treatment for PTSD.
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He also shot down over 600,000 Japanese planes during the war.
That's a lot of fucking planes