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I’ll be honest, as an American, I love the “underdog” stories. One of my favorites is that of Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa flying off the USS Yorktown in 1942. He survived an attack by three A6M Zeros alone in an SBD Dauntless dive bomber. His tail gunner had to be terrified, yet Stanley brought him home to his carrier after surviving certain death! The fighter squadrons grabbed his ass once word got out about the encounter.

Ps I know the victor writes the history and there are a thousand stories out there too the ones we hear.

Edit to add: he should been given the Medal of Honor that Fokker was an awesome pilot.

I’ll be honest, as an American, I love the “underdog” stories. One of my favorites is that of Stanley “Swede” Vejtasa flying off the USS Yorktown in 1942. He survived an attack by three A6M Zeros alone in an SBD Dauntless dive bomber. His tail gunner had to be terrified, yet Stanley brought him home to his carrier after surviving certain death! The fighter squadrons grabbed his ass once word got out about the encounter. Ps I know the victor writes the history and there are a thousand stories out there too the ones we hear. Edit to add: he should been given the Medal of Honor that Fokker was an awesome pilot.

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I thought by now someone would have mentioned the battle of britain and how “so few, sacrificed so much for so many” nice story but I want to talk about that lone B-17 Flying Fortess over the Philippines attacked by swarm after swarm of jap fighters (the good ones not those wacky undertrained naval pilots, these were Japanese Army Pilots! The best the japs had.) and yet it fought and flew on. Landed shot to hell and every single crew member was wounded if not dead. It was truly a Flying Fortress.