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The final vignette involves Charles A. Lindbergh. Lindbergh was probably America’s
most famous aviator. His New York to Paris flight was the first solo flight across the Atlantic and
captured world attention. Later, he had pioneered international air routes for Pan American. In
the years just preceding World War II, he was an outspoken critic of President Roosevelt and
his policy of pushing America into an unofficial alliance with Britain against Germany. 85
Lindbergh was certain this would involve the United States unnecessarily in a European war.
Roosevelt had other critics, but few with the influence and star-power of Lindbergh. In April
1941, after Roosevelt publicly questioned his loyalty, Lindbergh resigned his reserve
commission. After war, started Lindbergh sought to enter the Army Air Force. Roosevelt would
have none of it.
Lindbergh offered his services to various aviation-related companies with whom he had
advisory relationships, but the White House made its position known to companies that wanted
to play a role in national defense. Lindbergh was unwelcome. Only Ford, in the process of
converting from producing cars to bombers, would hire him. He was soon flying and solving
problems with aircraft built by a number of different companies.
Eventually in 1944, Lindbergh managed a trip to the South Pacific where he flew fighters
on combat missions demonstrating his techniques of cruise control for extending combat range.
In flights in Marine F4U Corsair fighters, no enemy aircraft were encountered but Lindbergh did
engage in strafing and dive-bombing ground targets as well as flying patrol and bomber escorts
totaling fourteen missions. Lindbergh then traveled to New Guinea and demonstrated his
techniques to fighter pilots of the Fifth Air Force.
Lindbergh visited units equipped with long range P-38 fighters. He taught them how to
get even more range out of their fighters. At the end of June 1944, he began flying combat
missions with the 475 th Fighter Group. On July 28 th , Lindbergh finally ran into enemy aerial
opposition and shot down Capt. Saburo Shimada, a veteran pilot and commander of the
Japanese army’s 73 rd Independent Flying Squadron. Shimada was flying a Type-99 Army
Reconnaissance plane (Ki 51)—a plane much slower but much more maneuverable than the P-
38. Before Lindbergh shot him down, Shimada had eluded other P-38 pilots in a series of lowlevel
engagements.
In mid-August, shortly before he was to return to the United States, Lindbergh was
officially grounded. The Fighter Group commander that had flown on the mission with him had
been reprimanded a few days after the mission on July 28 th . Lindbergh had been in New Guinea
for nearly two months; and, his flights were hardly a secret, but not until more than ten days
after the shoot down was any action taken. Lindbergh suspected the reprimand and grounding
had nothing to do with the shoot down. The Fifth Fighter Command had turned down requests
to escort bombers to Palau on the basis that the distance was too far and the weather too
difficult. Lindbergh’s missions with the 475 th demonstrated that the P-38 could fly far enough to
escort the bombers to Palau. It was official embarrassment over this, rather than risking the life
of a national hero that he suspected was the real cause of official displeasure. As far as appears
in the record, no one seemed to mind that a civilian shot down an enemy combatant.
85 th
See generally, Charles Lindbergh and the 475 Fighter Group. Retrieved from
www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/.
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