James S. Varnell Jr.

James Sullins Varnell Jr.
Lt. James S. Varnell in his P-51 Mustang "Little Eva"
Nickname(s)"Sully"
Born(1921-12-09)December 9, 1921
Charleston, Tennessee
DiedApril 9, 1945(1945-04-09) (aged 23)
Pinellas Army Air Field
Buried
Calhoun, Tennessee
Service / branchUnited States Army Air Forces
RankMajor
Service numberO-798378
Unit52nd Fighter Group
AwardsAir Medal
American Campaign Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Silver Star
World War II Victory Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
P-51 Mustangs of the 52nd Fighter Group

James Sullins Varnell Jr. (December 9, 1921 – April 9, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces fighter ace who was credited with shooting down 17 aircraft during World War II; he was the top ace of the 52nd Fighter Group.[1][2][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Air Force Association (1998). Air Force Fifty. Turner Publishing Company. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-1-56311-409-0.
  2. ^ Tom Ivie; Paul Ludwig (1 September 2013). Spitfires & Yellow Tail Mustangs: The U.S. 52nd Fighter Group in WWII. Stackpole Books. pp. 87–. ISBN 978-1-4617-5171-7.
  3. ^ Frisbee, John, L. (1993-01-01). "Valor: Ace Among Aces". Air Force Magazine. Air Force Association. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2018-06-15. When James "Sully" Varnell's squadron moved to an area where enemy fighters abounded, he rapidly became one of USAAF's top aces.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)