Author Topic: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes  (Read 2599 times)

Offline Vraciu

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Six victories in eight minutes. Alex Vraciu... 70 years ago today. http://www.alexvraciu.net/

He was in the midst of a five mission tear that garnered a Medal of Honor nomination (downgraded to a Navy Cross, unfortunately).   A great fighter pilot and true gentleman.     

 :salute
« Last Edit: June 19, 2014, 03:05:55 PM by Vraciu »
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Offline XxDaSTaRxx

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2014, 06:40:08 PM »
 :salute
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Offline GScholz

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2014, 06:59:04 PM »
What an achievement. Six defenseless Judy dive-bombers flying straight and level, picked off one by one. Certainly Medal of Honor worthy...  :huh
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Offline SoonerMP

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2014, 07:00:44 PM »
What an achievement. Six defenseless Judy dive-bombers flying straight and level, picked off one by one. Certainly Medal of Honor worthy...  :huh
Consider the damage he prevented by taking them out.

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Offline GScholz

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2014, 07:04:22 PM »
Consider the damage he prevented by taking them out.

They were on their way home.

Edit: That's not correct. You're right; they were heading for the Lexington. Still... a MoH for shooting down six dive-bombers during the Marianas Turkey Shoot?  :huh
« Last Edit: June 19, 2014, 07:13:02 PM by GScholz »
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Offline Bodhi

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2014, 07:18:55 PM »
What an achievement. Six defenseless Judy dive-bombers flying straight and level, picked off one by one. Certainly Medal of Honor worthy...  :huh

I don't think it is appropriate to denigrate the actions of a combat veteran who was risking his life or the gratitude of his country in honoring his actions.  It just seems classless.
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Offline XxDaSTaRxx

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2014, 07:19:33 PM »
They were on their way home.

Edit: That's not correct. You're right; they were heading for the Lexington. Still... a MoH for shooting down six dive-bombers during the Marianas Turkey Shoot?  :huh
Somebody needs to knock some respect into you.
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Offline GScholz

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2014, 07:21:28 PM »
 :rolleyes:
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Offline LCADolby

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2014, 07:27:49 PM »
MoH was a nomination, not given. Good effort.
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Offline Vraciu

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2014, 07:50:45 PM »
What an achievement. Six defenseless Judy dive-bombers flying straight and level, picked off one by one. Certainly Medal of Honor worthy...  :huh



First off, he was flying an airplane with unlocked wings, oil smeared over the windshield, and a malfunctioning engine that would only produce partial power.  He flew into friendly AA and attacked the Judys as they were diving in for their bomb run.  He destroyed his last victim in its vertical dive onto the Lexington.   He nearly had a 7th, also in the vertical, but AA blew it up right in front of him.  (His gunnery was insanely good, too.)

He also was nominated for the Mission Beyond Darkness, sinking the largest ship prior to that mission a couple days earlier, and three other victories before and after 19 June.    He had set the record for Naval Aviators.   All told, his nomination was worth at least two Navy Crosses, if not the MOH.

Unfortunately, Navy Junior Grade Lieutenants did not impress Adm. Murray (sacked for ineptitude at Midway and sent to a desk job).   Never mind that seven Admirals/soon-to-be-Admirals all approved the award-including Halsey and Spruance--and the Navy's own chairman for the Medals Review Committee in 1947 stated the downgrade was an injustice.  Had he been a Marine, a Commander, or naval academy grad it probably would have gone through.

He was Butch O'Hare's protege' and he made good on the lessons he learned.  Hard to believe it was 70 years ago...
« Last Edit: June 19, 2014, 09:09:50 PM by Vraciu »
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Offline guncrasher

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2014, 08:02:10 PM »
I was reading his story.  he was a good shot.  he also followed a zero home and straffed him as he was landing.  wonder if the japanese pilot called him a no skill dweeb :).



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Offline Vraciu

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2014, 08:03:17 PM »
I was reading his story.  he was a good shot.  he also followed a zero home and straffed him as he was landing.  wonder if the japanese pilot called him a no skill dweeb :).



semp

:lol
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Offline Vraciu

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2014, 09:09:00 PM »
Somebody needs to knock some respect into you.
  :cheers:
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Offline caldera

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2014, 09:20:38 PM »
Kind of strange for you to pick Vraciu as your game ID and not ever fly the Hellcat. 
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Offline PJ_Godzilla

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Re: Alex Vraciu - 70 Years Ago Today - Six Victories in Eight Minutes
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2014, 09:37:07 PM »
I was reading his story.  he was a good shot.  he also followed a zero home and straffed him as he was landing.  wonder if the japanese pilot called him a no skill dweeb :).



semp

No doubt he would've, had he had a channel 200 and had he still been living. Bet what was left was pretty crispy, given the lack of self-sealing tanks.

As for the commentary, sure, in retrospect, it looks pretty easy. Consider, though, that the pilot in question could not have known with perfect certainty that, just for example, there weren't any escorts about or that he wouldn't get hit by his own flak. There was no kill shooter back then.

As for the turkey shoot, it was only called that ex post facto. It took real courage to go out and fly into that unknown -for the men of both sides. Nobody knew, before it actually happened, what the outcome would be. The same could be said for Bodenplatte. Neither side had perfect knowledge of the other.

It is only the most vulgar of historians that evaluates the past by the standards of today and with the benefit of hindsight. Being generous, I attribute this to simple failure of imagination as opposed to malice.

If you happen to be German (but especially if not), I'd suggest a quick perusal of Guy Sajer's Forgotten Soldier, specifically Captain Wesreidau's speech. The latter neatly predicted both the outcome and the ignorance of those that would evaluate what had transpired. Besides, the speech is both profound and prophetic and worthwhile under any context.

Finally, I sense a bit of ad hominem here, just because it was Vrac who posted. That seems unnecessary and an unfair transit to the subject of the post; a completely different individual.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2014, 09:40:09 PM by PJ_Godzilla »
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