James P. Hagerstrom

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James P. Hagerstrom
450th Fighter-Day Group
Battles/wars
Awards
Spouse(s)
Virginia Lee Jowell
​
(m. 1944)​
Other workLawyer
SignatureCursive signature of James P. Hagerstrom in ink

James Philo Hagerstrom (January 14, 1921 – June 25, 1994) was a

U.S. Air Force (USAF) in the Korean War
. With a career total of 14.5 victories, he is one of seven American pilots to have achieved ace status in two different wars.

Born in

MiG-15s
(the half coming from a shared credit).

Hagerstrom returned to the U.S. in 1953 and remained in the Air Force, also earning degrees in economics and law. In 1965, he served in command roles during the Vietnam War while flying 30 combat missions. After retiring in 1968, he traveled around the Pacific Ocean in a homemade boat with his family, living on several islands before returning to the U.S. and settling in Mansfield, Louisiana. Hagerstrom died in nearby Shreveport of stomach cancer in 1994.

Early life and education

James Philo Hagerstrom was born on January 14, 1921, in

Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplane at a family friend's farm. His fascination increased at thirteen when he took a short fifty-cent flight in a Ford Trimotor aircraft at an airshow.[2][5][6]

Hagerstrom attended

aero club.[5] While in college, he began flight training, accumulating several dozen hours of flying experience.[2]

Military career

World War II

Training and mobilization

On December 6, 1941, the day before the

AT-6 Texan. On July 26, 1942, he graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, receiving his wings from Brigadier General Ennis Whitehead.[2]

P-40 Warhawk
in World War II.

Hagerstrom was posted to active duty with the

Charters Towers Airfield.[7]

New Guinea

Hagerstrom joined the rest of the 8th FS at

P-38 Lightning fighters. He returned to base with little fuel to spare.[8]

I fired my first burst when his wings filled my sight. It hit him in the left engine, wing root and fuselage. The left engine exploded and the aircraft did a steep wing-over due to the sudden loss of power ... I rolled with the "Dinah", firing again at the left wing root and it caught fire. I rolled over and split-essed, only to find he had hit the water.

—Hagerstrom, describing a victory on October 5, 1943[9]

While at Dobodura, the 8th FS mainly escorted

B-24 Liberator bombers; the unit was often low on fuel and other supplies as a result of being at the end of a long supply chain.[10]

On October 5, Hagerstrom led one of two formations to intercept an approaching

Gusap Airfield.[13] Soon after, Hagerstrom contracted malaria and was sent to Australia for three weeks to recover.[5][14]

On January 23, 1944, Hagerstrom was leading a

Ki-61 "Hien". He followed the damaged aircraft and gave it another burst at short range, causing it to catch fire and crash. Hagerstrom and Bodak damaged several more Zeros before running out of ammunition. Hagerstrom returned home with four victories for a total of six, making him an ace.[17] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his "extraordinary heroism" during the engagement.[1] By this time in the war, much of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service's small, elite pilot corps had been killed in battle, and the Japanese lacked the time and resources to properly train enough replacement airmen. By the end of 1943 most of the surviving Japanese pilots were poorly trained and equipped, while the U.S. had all along concentrated on training a large pool of pilots to an adequate standard.[18] In early February, Hagerstrom received orders to return home[19] from New Guinea, which he called a "terrible place" due to the poor conditions.[5] He had flown 170 combat missions comprising 350 hours[20] and destroyed six enemy aircraft.[15]

Between wars

External image
image icon Hagerstrom in the cockpit of a P-38 Lightning plane at the 1949 National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio

After a period of rest back home in Iowa, Hagerstrom went to

Orlando.[19] There, he met Virginia Lee Jowell, a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP),[21] and they were married on July 25, 1944. Shortly after, Virginia was transferred to Brownsville, Texas, to train in fighter aircraft, while he was assigned to Evansville, Indiana, to be a test pilot for the P-47s being produced at the Republic Aviation plant there. The couple were reunited when Virginia finished her training and moved to Evansville to serve as a ferry pilot for the P-47s, delivering them to coastal air bases to be shipped overseas. James was promoted to the rank of captain in January 1945, and he remained in Evansville until September 6 of that year, when he left the USAAF.[19]

Hagerstrom and his now-pregnant wife returned to Waterloo,

P-51 Mustang–equipped squadron and was successful, becoming operations officer for the 111th FBS within six months. He flew the P-38 Lightning and P-51 (redesignated as F-51) in the National Air Races in September 1949;[24] he took sixth place in the Thompson Trophy race and won a $1,500 prize, flying his F-51 at an average speed of 372.7 miles per hour (599.8 km/h).[27]

Hagerstrom was promoted to

4th Fighter-Interceptor Group.[29]

Korean War

Preparation and first two victories (1952)

North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre of 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing

Hagerstrom, keen for any edge that would give him the chance to be an ace in two wars, prepared extensively for flying in Korea. He studied

.45 caliber pistol would be ineffective against patrols with rifles. If he had to bail out over enemy territory, he planned to fight off any patrols searching for him, and then hike 10 miles (16 km) a day toward the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. According to Hagerstrom, this obsessive preparation helped him control his fear: "the difference between panic and fear is pretty tight, and you can spread that line a bit by having one last chance".[33]

Okinawa
, Japan.

Upon arrival in Korea, Hagerstrom was assigned to the

Kimpo Air Base group commander Royal N. Baker refused to confirm it unless he had good film from his gun camera. This proved unnecessary when Baker confirmed the victory after spotting a piece of the exploded MiG embedded in Hagerstrom's F-86.[37] The engagement earned him a second Distinguished Flying Cross, this time with a "V" device, for "courage, tenacity, superior tactical skill and marksmanship".[1]

On December 24, Hagerstrom led a group of jets that attacked three MiGs in formation just south of the Yalu near the Sup'ung Dam. Twenty more MiGs arrived from Manchuria, and Hagerstrom managed to damage three enemy aircraft while being chased as far south as the Chongchon River.[38][39]

The next day, Hagerstrom was to have the day off for Christmas, but he still wanted more action: "I tried to get some of the men to trade with me—I'm not on the schedule today—but with weather like this, they know there are MiGs up there near the Yalu. No one was willing to trade his mission for my day off."[40] He was able to talk his superiors into giving him a mission, and he ended up getting the only confirmed "kill" of the day[40] when the MiG he was chasing spun out of control at an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,000 m), so high that Hagerstrom did not fire for fear of stalling. The pilot ejected, most likely dying of exposure to the −20 °F (−29 °C) temperatures.[28][35]

Ace status (1953)

In January 1953, Hagerstrom was transferred to

Mukden, China. Low on fuel, he had just enough to land and park the aircraft back at Osan,[35][43] and he later received the Distinguished Flying Cross for the third time.[1]

On March 13, Hagerstrom and his wingman Elmer N. Dunlap came across two MiGs, the first of which Hagerstrom, by his own account, "shot the daylights out of".

Antung Airfield.[45] That mission gave Hagerstrom a total of 4.5 victories, just short of the five kills needed for ace status. Knowing that he was likely to be transferred out soon, he became even more determined to get another victory, giving a speech to his men on March 27:[46]

Gentlemen, I've been living on coffee. I haven't been sleeping. I've got to do this thing. I'm gonna do it, and if you don't want to go with me, that's fine, I'll understand. We are going to go up there and give it one good college try south of the Yalu, and if we don't scare anything up, I'm going after them today.

I thought, 'I wonder what he's going to tell those guys at the officers club tonight because he's going to be landing very close to his own air base.' Seeing a burning MiG crash on your own base can cause a hell of a morale problem.

—Hagerstrom after shooting down an enemy plane over its own base[47]

That day, Hagerstrom snuck up behind six MiGs, fired on one, and by "sheer ass luck ... knocked his wing tip off".[48] He kept up the chase, shooting short bursts, until the pilot, Chinese ace Wang Hai,[49] ejected above his own base.[47] On the way home, Hagerstrom destroyed another MiG, bringing the total to 6.5. He became the war's 28th ace and the first and only from the 18th FBW.[45] After the engagement, he was awarded the Silver Star for "his outstanding ability and gallantry in the face of enemy opposition".[1]

Hagerstrom scored another victory on April 13, when he fired a long burst at a single MiG flying at 49,000 feet (15,000 m). The plane burst into flames and went down near the Chongchon River. In early May, he learned that he was to return to the U.S.

C-54 Skymaster flight out, before he could take another risky flight.[50] He was awarded his eleventh Air Medal in the form of a second silver oak leaf cluster for courage during the flight.[1] The mission gave him 8.5 victories for the war[53] in 101 missions.[54]

Attitude toward combat

Like many other aces, Hagerstrom had an aggressive attitude toward his missions. In his book Officers in Flight Suits, historian

alcoholics.[56] He was critical of pilots who wanted to just complete their requisite 100 missions and avoid conflict and danger; he was twice abandoned by his wingman during a fight.[57] Hagerstrom enjoyed the adrenaline rush of combat[58] and would put himself at more risk in an effort to shoot down more planes. He would fly into Chinese airspace despite it being forbidden by United Nations Command, and on one mission he buzzed Antung Airfield by flying near the speed of sound at an altitude of 15 feet (4.6 m) in an attempt to draw the MiGs into the air because U.S. pilots were not allowed to attack planes on the ground in China.[59]

The F-86 bases were near

fighter-interceptor units, Hagerstrom was in a fighter-bomber squadron but found aerial combat by dropping his bombs as quickly as possible and flying to where he was likely to encounter MiGs.[61]

Regarding shooting down planes, Hagerstrom focused on the machine rather than the human in the aircraft, saying "I never shot directly at the pilot, nor did I shoot anyone dangling from a parachute." He had a similar response whenever a fellow American or allied pilot was killed: he thought about the technical aspects of the death and how it could be prevented in the future, rather than grieving the loss of a friend.[62] During World War II, he said, "There is no emotion like is shown in the movies. They just say, 'Tough luck.'"[20]

After Korea

Hagerstrom remained in the USAF after he returned to the U.S. After a reunion with his family, he was assigned to the Operations Section of the

F-100 Super Sabre.[65][66]

In 1956, Hagerstrom was transferred to the headquarters of the

Jackson College.[21] His job with the PACAF was to assess the air forces of the U.S. and their allies; after evaluating the new AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile, he advocated for retaining guns on fighter jets instead of replacing them with missiles on some aircraft, an opinion at odds with military leadership.[70]

In 1960, he left Hawaii for a position with the

F-4 Phantom IIs at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California.[74]

Vietnam War

An aerial view of a compound consisting of several buildings, hangars, and small airplanes lining a runway
The Air America headquarters at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand, taken in the 1960s

Throughout 1965, President

Saigon, South Vietnam, to serve with the Seventh Air Force. There, he flew 30 combat missions[73] while serving as director of the combat operations control center at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. He soon came into conflict with General William Westmoreland over the Air Force's role in the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. Hagerstrom proposed that air assets be used against strategic targets in North Vietnam, while Westmoreland insisted that they be used solely in-country to support Army ground operations. After Hagerstrom argued against the decision not to bomb Hanoi in 1965, Westmoreland asked the Air Force to remove Hagerstrom from Vietnam.[6][74][77] Hagerstrom was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in Vietnam, and the citation mentions his "significant contributions to the combat effectiveness of the tactical air forces".[1]

In early 1966, the Air Force reassigned Hagerstrom to

war of attrition strategy with ground forces.[80]

Hagerstrom also tried to obtain the release of

U.S. State Department stepped in and halted the effort.[81] Hagerstrom was sent back to Norton later in 1966,[73] frustrated by the political and military bureaucracy he had clashed with over his career. "I got disgusted with the whole thing and resigned," he said. "Vietnam was wrong, we shouldn't have been there".[81]

Retirement

Hagerstrom's gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery

Back at Norton, Hagerstrom sat and passed the

California Bar Examination and retired from the Air Force in January 1968. He lectured at the University of Southern California and worked for a law firm in Los Angeles.[82] Later that year, along with Virginia and their eight children, he began living on a boat, sailing along the Pacific coast of Mexico. In mid-1969, they stopped at San Diego and Hagerstrom began practicing law there. They did not settle; he and his wife began building their own boat in 1971. Four years later, they had completed the 30-short-ton (27 t), 57-foot (17 m) sailboat and set sail on March 19, 1976. They returned to the Mexican coast before heading to Hawaii. They continued on to the Marshall Islands and Caroline Islands (then part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands),[73] and Guam.[83] In many of their stops, Hagerstrom practiced law (becoming district attorney for the island of Kosrae), and Virginia taught.[73][83]

The family eventually returned to the U.S. in 1979

full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.[83]

Aerial victory credits

Hagerstrom was credited with 14.5 victories—6 in World War II and 8.5 in the Korean War—as well as one probably destroyed and five damaged.

U.S. Marine Corps.[87]

Date # Type Location Aircraft flown Unit
April 11, 1943 1
A6M Zero
 Oro Bay, New Guinea
P-40 Warhawk
 8 FS
October 5, 1943 1
Ki-46
 Finschhafen, New Guinea P-40 Warhawk 8 FS
January 23, 1944 3 A6M Zero Wewak, New Guinea P-40 Warhawk 8 FS
January 23, 1944 1
Ki-61 Hien
 Wewak, New Guinea P-40 Warhawk 8 FS
November 21, 1952 1
MiG-15
 Near Yalu River, China/North Korea
F-86 Sabre
334 FIS
December 25, 1952 1 MiG-15 Sinsi-dong, North Korea F-86 Sabre
335 FIS
February 25, 1953 1 MiG-15
Mukden
, China		 F-86 Sabre
67 FBS
March 13, 1953 1.5 MiG-15 Antung, North Korea F-86 Sabre 67 FBS
March 27, 1953 2 MiG-15 Near Yalu River, China/North Korea F-86 Sabre 67 FBS
April 13, 1953 1 MiG-15 Taegwan-dong, North Korea F-86 Sabre 67 FBS
May 16, 1953 1 MiG-15
Uiju
, North Korea		 F-86 Sabre 67 FBS
Sources: [88][89]

Awards and decorations

Hagerstrom received numerous awards and decorations for his services:[90]

A multicolored military ribbon. From left to right the color pattern is: thin red stripe, thick blue stripe, thick white stripe, thin red stripe.
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Silver oak leaf cluster
Command Pilot
Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star
Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross
with silver oak leaf cluster[67][83] 		Air Medal
with two silver oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
with bronze oak leaf cluster 		American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
campaign stars
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
with bronze service star 		Korean Service Medal
with two bronze campaign stars 		Vietnam Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award

with silver oak leaf cluster 		Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Korea Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
 Korean War Service Medal[a]

Distinguished Service Cross citation

First Lieutenant (Air Corps) James P. Hagerstrom (ASN: 0-727447), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-40 Fighter Airplane in the 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces near Boram, New Guinea, on 23 January 1944. First Lieutenant Hagerstrom, leading a flight of four fighters on a bomber escort mission, encountered ten to fifteen enemy aircraft and promptly led in the attack. He shot down one enemy airplane, and then attacked two others, scoring damaging hits. Pulling up, he quickly shot down another enemy fighter. Two of the enemy then attacked from a climbing head-on position, and he scored damaging hits on both. Making a close pass at another enemy fighter, he caused it to burst into flames. At this point, he observed four enemy airplanes making a concentrated attack upon two of our fighters. Without hesitation he entered the fight, and succeeded in shooting down one enemy airplane and breaking the enemy formation. By his daring skill and aggressive effort in this fierce encounter, First Lieutenant Hagerstrom destroyed four enemy aircraft, damaged others, and saved the lives of two pilots while our bombers successfully completed their mission.[1]

See also

Citations

Notes

  1. ^ In 2000 this award was made retroactive to all U.S. military personnel who served in the Korean War.[91]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hall of Valor.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 69.
  3. ^ Social Security Death Index.
  4. ^ 1940 United States Census.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Sherwood 1996, p. 34.
  6. ^ a b c d e Ballard 1995, p. A4.
  7. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 69–70.
  8. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 70–71.
  9. ^ a b Hess 2004, p. 66.
  10. ^ a b c Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 71.
  11. ^ Griset 2017, p. 3.
  12. ^ Craven & Cate 1983, pp. 176–177.
  13. ^ a b Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 71–72.
  14. ^ a b Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 72.
  15. ^ a b Sherwood 2000, p. 1.
  16. ^ Hammel 2010, p. 290.
  17. ^ Hess 2004, pp. 88–89.
  18. ^ Peattie 2001, pp. 191–192.
  19. ^ a b c Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 73.
  20. ^ a b Veach 1944.
  21. ^ a b c Edgerton 1966.
  22. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 73–74.
  23. ^ a b Sherwood 1996, pp. 34–35.
  24. ^ a b c d Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 74.
  25. ^ 171st Air Refueling Wing 2016.
  26. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 35.
  27. ^ Cleveland Plain Dealer 1949.
  28. ^ a b c Sherwood 2000, p. 2.
  29. ^ Werrell 2005, pp. 183–184.
  30. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 70.
  31. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 81.
  32. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 84.
  33. ^ a b Sherwood 1996, pp. 81–82.
  34. ^ Ballard 1995, p. A1.
  35. ^ a b c d Werrell 2005, p. 184.
  36. ^ a b c Catchpole 2000, p. 248.
  37. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 88.
  38. ^ The New York Times 1952.
  39. ^ The Oregonian 1952.
  40. ^ a b Spokane Daily Chronicle 1952.
  41. ^ a b Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 75.
  42. ^ Dollman 2018.
  43. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 75–76.
  44. ^ Brownwood Bulletin 1953.
  45. ^ a b Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 76.
  46. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 89–90.
  47. ^ a b Sherwood 2000, pp. 3–4.
  48. ^ Sherwood 2000, p. 3.
  49. ^ Zhang 2002, p. 192.
  50. ^ a b c Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 77.
  51. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 90.
  52. ^ The Dallas Morning News 1953.
  53. ^ a b Sherwood 2000, p. 4.
  54. ^ The San Bernardino County Sun 1966.
  55. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 6.
  56. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 126, 165.
  57. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 87–88.
  58. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 91.
  59. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 88–89.
  60. ^ Sherwood 1996, p. 83.
  61. ^ Hankins 2020.
  62. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 90–91.
  63. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 77–78.
  64. ^ The Victoria Advocate 1954.
  65. ^ a b Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 78.
  66. ^ Maurer 1983, p. 325.
  67. ^ a b Sherwood 1996, p. 160.
  68. ^ Densford 1973, p. 170.
  69. ^ Kelly 1977.
  70. ^ Sherwood 1996, pp. 160–161.
  71. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 78–79.
  72. ^ Feit 1965, p. 1.
  73. ^ a b c d e f Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 79.
  74. ^ a b c Sherwood 1996, p. 161.
  75. ^ Hall 2018, p. 12.
  76. ^ Feit 1965, p. 3.
  77. ^ Sherwood 2000, pp. 4–5.
  78. ^ Porter 1966, p. 1.
  79. ^ Porter 1966, pp. 3–9.
  80. ^ Porter 1966, p. 13.
  81. ^ a b Sherwood 1996, pp. 161–162.
  82. ^ The San Bernardino County Sun 1968.
  83. ^ a b c d e f Inouye 1994.
  84. ^ McCrery 1994.
  85. ^ The Washington Post 1994.
  86. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 81.
  87. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, pp. 4–5.
  88. ^ Newton & Senning 1978, p. 79.
  89. ^ Maurer 1963, p. 16.
  90. ^ Oliver & Lorenz 1999, p. 80.
  91. ^ Naval History & Heritage Command.

Sources

Books

Newspapers and magazines

Online sources and records

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