John Trevor Godfrey (March 28, 1922 – June 12, 1958) was an American fighter pilot and

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 ...

in the 336th Fighter Squadron,

4th Fighter Group The 4th Fighter Group was an American element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force during World War II. The group was known as the Debden Eagles because it was created from the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force: ...

, Eighth Air Force during

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 opposing ...

4th Fighter Group

Godfrey achieved 18 air-to-air kills against the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, before he was shot down by flak and captured by the Germans on August 24, 1944. Godfrey was friend and wingman to Don Gentile. Together with his wingman

Dominic Salvatore Gentile Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile (December 6, 1920 – January 28, 1951), also known as "Ace of Aces", was a World War II USAAF pilot who surpassed Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I record of 26 downed aircraft. He later served in the post-war U.S. ...

, they were known as ‘Captains Courageous’, ‘The Two Man Air Force’, ‘Messerschmitt Killers’, or ‘Damon and Pythias’ He was promoted to the rank of major before he was discharged from the Army Air Forces shortly following the war.

Post war

Originally from

Woonsocket Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

, he served in the Rhode Island State Senate. He died on June 12, 1958 of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. His life is told in the 1958 book, ''The Look of Eagles'', written with Thomas D. White.

References

External links

Johnny Godfrey at acesofww2.com
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4th Fighter Group WWII official association website
1922 births 1958 deaths American World War II flying aces Neurological disease deaths in Rhode Island Deaths from motor neuron disease People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Shot-down aviators United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II {{World-War-II-bio-stub