World War II fighter ace to attend AF Ball

Tech. Sgt. James Elmore

Maj. Ralph H. Wandrey graduated from Army Air Corps flying school in August 1942.

He received tactical training in P-38 (Lightnings) and was sent to the South Pacific on Dec. 25, 1942, where he served with the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Group, Fifth Air Force for over 20 months.

During his tour, he flew 191 combat missions in P-38s and P-47s, scoring aerial victories in both aircraft.

For a time he flew wingman to Richard I. Bong, the American “Ace of Aces.”

During most of his tour, Maj. Wandrey encountered numerically superior forces, as evidenced by the following excerpt of a Headquarters, Fifth Air Force report:

“Ralph H. Wandrey, 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Group, is officially credited with the destruction of one enemy fighter type aircraft in aerial combat over Cape Gazelle, New Britain, at 11 a.m. on Oct. 24, 1943. During an engagement between 12 P-38s and 70 Japanese fighters, this officer engaged an enemy aircraft in a head-on attack and shot it down in flames.”

Tally Record: 6 kills, 10 probable, 10 damaged.

Maj. Wandrey was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with five Oak Leak Clusters and his unit was awarded two presidential citations during his tour.

Maj. Wandrey, along with two other World War II fighter aces and a group of Women’s Air Service Pilots, will be featured guests at Cannon’s Air Force Ball this evening at The Landing.

The event is open to all members of the 27th Fighter Wing.

This year’s AF Ball promises to be a great evening to celebrate the United States Air Force and its colorful history.