Robert Lee Scott Jr. (12 April 1908 – 27 February 2006) was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft. Scott is best known for his memoir, ''God is My Co-Pilot'' (1943), about his exploits in World War II with the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

and the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in China and Burma. The book was adapted as a film of the same name, which was released in 1945.

Early years

Scott was born in Waynesboro, near

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

, the oldest of three children born to Ola and Robert Scott. As a youth, Scott was educated in Macon and became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

, earning the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.Townley 2006, pp. 20–30.
"Distinguished Eagle Scouts." ''Scouting.org.'' Retrieved: 4 November 2010. At the age of five, he witnessed the fatal aircraft crash of pioneer aviator

Eugene Ely Eugene Burton Ely (October 21, 1886 – October 19, 1911) was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft take off and landing. Background Ely was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, and raised in Davenport, Iowa. Having c ...

. He received endorsement to attend West Point.

Military career

Upon graduation from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point in 1932, Scott completed pilot training at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In October 1933, he was assigned to

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Scott flew

air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...

in 1934, commanded a pursuit squadron in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, and helped instruct other pilots at bases in Texas and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

World War II

After

began, Scott joined Task Force Aquila in February 1942 to fly a group of

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

bombers to the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officia ...

. Anxious to join the mission, which was to bomb Japan from China, he professed to be an experienced B-17 pilot. He learned to fly the plane en route to Africa. Upon arrival in India, he found the mission had been cancelled, so he became stuck in India. Wanting to be on the frontline in flying combat, within a month, he was assigned as executive and operations officer of the Assam-Burma-China (Ferry) Command. This was the forerunner of the famous

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

, which flew "

The Hump The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and t ...

" from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

to supply the Kuomintang government. When the commanding officer left for China on 17 June, Scott was assigned command of the operation for several days. Still anxious to get into combat and wishing to learn the

' tactics, he obtained the use of a Republic P-43 Lancer, assigned to the Flying Tigers by Claire Chennault. He flew at least one high–altitude mission over

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

, as he described in the opening pages of his 1943 memoir ''God Is My Co-Pilot''. Scott began flying missions with the Flying Tigers, piloting a P-40 as a single ship escort for the transports and on ground attack missions. During this period, he frequently repainted the propeller spinner in different colors to create the illusion of a much larger fighter force in the area than a single aircraft, becoming in effect a "one-man air force."Belden, Jack

"Chennault Fights to Hold the China Front." ''Life,'' 20 August 1942, p. 70. Retrieved: 19 November 2011. In July 1942, at the request of Generalissimo

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, Scott was named commander of the 23rd Fighter Group, newly formed by General Chennault when the Flying Tigers were incorporated into the

. Popular accounts said that Scott inherited command of the Flying Tigers, but that group had disbanded at the conclusion of the pilots' contracts on 30 June. The 23rd Fighter Group later became part of the

14th Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Scott flew 388 combat missions in 925 hours from July 1942 to October 1943, shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft, and is noted as one of America's earliest

s of the war. Scott was ordered back to the U.S. in October 1943 to become deputy for operations at the

Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics The Army Air Forces Tactical Center was a major command and military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It trained cadres from newly formed units in combat operations under simulated field condition ...

at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida. He had completed his memoir about his combat experience in the Far East, and his book, ''God Is My Co-Pilot'', was published in 1943. The book was adapted as a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

by the same name, released in 1945. He returned to China in 1944 to fly fighter aircraft equipped with experimental rockets directed against Japanese supply locomotives in eastern China. He was transferred to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

to direct the same type of strikes against enemy shipping as the war ended. Besides his book ''God Is My Co-Pilot'', he also published ''Damned to Glory'' in 1944, a collection of World War II yarns. One story was that of a pilot named Corn Sherrill who, after the fall of the Philippines in 1941, escaped to the island of Mindanao where he flew a rebuilt P-40 aircraft against the Japanese until he was shot down over China by members of the Flying Tigers. This particular tale was reprinted in ''Reader's Digest'' in January 1945 as "Ghost Ship." However, Scott himself admitted he and another pilot had made up the tale as a joke; despite this, it still occasionally turns up as a true story.

Postwar

Scott returned to the U.S. for staff duty in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and other stations until 1947, when he was given command of the Jet Fighter School at Williams Air Force Base,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. In 1951, he was reassigned to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

as commander of the

36th Fighter-Bomber Wing The United States Air Force's 36th Wing is the host wing for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It is part of Pacific Air Forces' Eleventh Air Force. The 36th Wing provides day-to-day mission support to more than 9,000 military, civilian, depende ...

at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base. Scott graduated from the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in 1954 and was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and then to the position of Director of Information under the Secretary of the Air Force. In October 1956, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as base commander.

Retirement

Scott retired from the United States Air Force as a brigadier general on 30 September 1957, and remained in Arizona until the 1980s. He lived in

Warner Robins, Georgia Warner Robins (typically ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in Houston and Peach counties in the central part of the state. It is currently Georgia's eleventh-largest incorporated city, with an estimated population of 80,308 in th ...

, until his death in 2006. In total, General Scott wrote about a dozen books including ''God Is My Co-Pilot'' and ''The Day I Owned the Sky''. Scott continued to be active well into his retirement. In 1980, he gained national attention by hiking the length of the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...

. He had seen portions of the Wall during his 1944 flights near Peking. By 1980 he obtained Chinese government permission to make the 1,900-mile (3050 km) trek, which took 94 days. In 1984, after passing a flight physical at Luke Air Force Base, Scott was taken up in a

General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successf ...

from the 310th TFTS. The F-16C was piloted by Col. Richard P. High (Squadron Commander of the 310th TFTS). Scott also flew a

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

. On his 89th birthday in 1997, Scott flew in a B-1B Lancer bomber. Scott died on February 28, 2006, at Warner Robins, Georgia; he was buried with full military honors at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Awards and honors

For his combat record in World War II, Scott received: During the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Scott carried the Olympic Flame along a section of

Georgia State Route 247 State Route 247 (SR 247) is a south–north state highway located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its routing is within portions of Pulaski, Houston, and Bibb counties. It originates in the northwestern part of Hawkinsvil ...

, which had been named in his honor. In 1989 he was in the first class of inductees to the

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the state of Georgia. The museum was created in 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris signing House Bill 110. The law called for a 15-member board to overse ...

Books written by Scott

* ''God is my Co-Pilot''. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1943. * ''Damned to Glory''. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1944. * ''Runway to the Sun''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1945. * ''Between the Elephant's Eyes''. New York: Dodd Mead, 1954. Reissued Ballantine Books, 1954. * ''Look of the Eagle''. New York: Dodd Mead, 1955. * ''Samburu the Elephant''. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1957. * ''Tiger in the Sky''. New York: Ballantine Books, 1959. * ''Boring a Hole in the Sky: Six Million Miles with a Fighter Pilot''. New York: Random House, 1961. * ''God is Still My Co-Pilot''. Garden City, N.Y., Blue Ribbon Books, 1947. Periodically reissued by other publishers. * ''Flying Tiger: Chennault of China''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1973. Previously issued in 1959 by Doubleday. * "To Walk the Great Wall". ''Reader's Digest,'' April 1983 * ''The Day I Owned the Sky''. New York: Bantam Books, 1989.

Images

File:20-02-268-scott.jpg, Plaque of Scott at the

File:21-11-001-scott.jpg, Painting of Scott at the Museum of Aviation File:General Robert L. Scott in 1997.jpg, Brigadier General Scott after his B-1 flight in 1997 File:Back Cover of God is my Co-pilot.jpg, Inscription and photo on the back cover of the God is My Co-Pilot and a photo of Bob Scott in his P-40 after his 11, 12, and 13 kills. File:Letter from Brig. Gen. Bob Scott.jpg, Letter of appreciation to Lt. Col. Richard High Squadron Commander of the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, after a flight in an F-16C on 19 July 1984. File:Inside Cover of God is my Co-pilot.jpg, Inscription on the inside cover of God is My Co-Pilot to Lt. Col. Richard High.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Loomis, Robert D. ''Great American Fighter Pilots of World War II.'' New York: Random House, 1961. * Scott, Robert Lee Jr. ''The Day I Owned the Sky''. New York: Bantam Books, 1989. * Scott, Robert Lee Jr. ''God is my Co-Pilot''. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1943. * Townley, Alvin. ''Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006. * Coram, Robert. ''Double Ace: The Life of Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales''. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2016.

External links

Ace Pilots Biography *

Biography in The New Georgia Encyclopedia

CNN "WWII fighter ace Scott dies at 97"

Annals of the Flying Tigers

Interview with Retired Brig. General Robert L. Scott – American World War II Ace Pilot and Hero by Jamie H. Cockfield

Burma Is No Paradise, article by Col. Robert Scott, ''Popular Science'', February 1944 {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Robert Lee Jr. 1908 births 2006 deaths American World War II flying aces Aviators from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Waynesboro, Georgia Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Tripod United States Air Force generals United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Military Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)