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Aces of VF-17 "Jolly Rogers"
Pirates of the Pacific by Mark Karvon
Pirates of the Pacific by Mark Karvon *
 

Blackburn's Irregulars

In their five months of action in the Solomon's, the Jolly Rogers shot down 8 Japanese planes for every Corsair lost. In only 76 days of fighting, they flew 8,577 combat hours, destroyed 154 planes (and 5 ships) while losing only 13 pilots themselves. The squadron had 13 aces, more than any other naval unit. As the tide of the war in the Pacific turned, VF-17 was there, doing more than their share to destroy and demoralize the Japanese military machine.

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Ira Kepford Ira Cassius Kepford 16
Roger Hedrick "Rog"

Roger Richards Hedrick 		12
Tommy Blackburn "Tommy" 

John Thomas Blackburn
11 / 5 / 3
"Smitty"

John Malcolm Smith 		(3 / 3/ 1 with VF17)

10 / 3 / 1

Fighting 17 by Wade Meyers
Fighting 17 by Wade Meyers *

Bob Coats Robert Charles Coats (ace in a day)

9.33 / 3 / 0
Oc Chenoweth "Oc"

Oscar Ivan Chenoweth 		8.5
"Timmy"

Clement Dexter Gile 		8
Earl May 8
Teeth Burriss "Teeth"

* Howard McClain Burriss        		(MIA 31jan44)

7.5
Paul Cordray 7
Dan Cunningham Daniel Gerald Cunningham 7
Butch Davenport "Butch"

Merle William Davenport 		6
Robert Mims 6
Fred Streig "Jim" Frederick James Streig 5.5
Harry "Dirty Eddie" March "Dirty Eddie"

Harry A. March Jr. 		5
     

The Jolly Rogers by Nicolas Trudgian
The Jolly Rogers by Nicolas Trudgian *

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FILM REVIEW :

FIGHTING 17

Or visit americanherofilm.com here

(most thumbnails on this page courtesy of the above film)

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