February 20, 1942

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine who…or what…was first.  While it might seem simple, it can depend on defining what the word “first” means and how that word is applied.   

For instance:

In an article published on August 26, 2016,  by Airman Shawna L. Keyes of the 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, Airman Keyes wrote:

“On Aug. 27, 1941, William Dunn, American pilot with the British Royal Air Force Squadron 71, became the first American ace of World War II.

“The squadron, formed in Sept. 19, 1940, consisted of American pilots who volunteered to assist in the fight against Nazi Germany, as the U.S. had not yet entered the war.

“Dunn enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 19, 1934, and served as an infantryman until receiving an honorable discharge on Nov. 22, 1935. He made his way over the Canadian border and joined the Canadian Army on Sept. 7, 1939 and obtained the rank of Sergeant Major before joining the RAF on Dec. 13, 1940, and joined the No. 71 (Eagle) Squadron. 

“Dunn’s squadron of Spitfire Mark II fighters were escorting a group of nine Blenheim bombers to Lille, France, while it was occupied by the Nazis. When the group crossed the enemy coast, they encountered a group of yellow-nosed Messerschmitt 109 aircraft. 

“In the ensuing dogfight, Dunn’s skull was grazed by a machine gun bullet. He also sustained two bullet wounds through his right calf and part of his right foot was severed.

“‘[Dunn] shot down his fifth German aircraft [during the fight], becoming the first American ace of World War II,’ said Dr. Roy Heidicker, 4th Fighter Wing historian.”

Generative AI also mentions that “Dunn was not officially recognized as the first American ace until March 19, 1968.  His British Royal Air Force uniform is on display at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.”

So, Lt. Edward “Butch” O’Hare, USN might have been noted as the “first” US ace until the record was corrected in 1968 and Dunn “won” the honor.

It was Lt. Edward O’Hare, USN who, according to History.com and downloaded on February 20, 2025 from This Day in History | HISTORY Channel <history@e.history.com>, on this day in 1942 “took off from the aircraft carrier Lexington in a raid against the Japanese position at Rabaul—and minutes later became America’s first US Navy WWII flying ace, shooting down five enemy bombers.

“In mid-February 1942, the Lexington sailed into the Coral Sea. Rabaul, a town at the very tip of New Britain, one of the islands that comprised the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea, had been invaded in January by the Japanese and transformed into a stronghold—in fact, one huge airbase. The Japanese were now in prime striking position for the Solomon Islands, next on the agenda for expanding their ever-growing Pacific empire. The Lexington‘s mission was to destabilize the Japanese position on Rabaul with a bombing raid.

“Aboard the Lexington was U.S. Navy fighter pilot Lt. Edward O’Hare, attached to Fighting Squadron 3 when the United States entered the war. As the Lexington left Bougainville, the largest of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific for Rabaul, ship radar picked up Japanese bombers headed straight for the carrier. O’Hare and his team went into action, piloting F4F Wildcats. In a mere four minutes, O’Hare shot down five Japanese G4M1 Betty bombers—bringing a swift end to the Japanese attack and earning O’Hare the designation “ace” (given to any pilot who had five or more downed enemy planes to his credit).

Lt. Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare, seated in the cockpit of his Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter in 1942. The plane is marked with five Japanese flags, representing the five bombers he shot down as they attempted to attack the aircraft carrier Lexington northeast of the Solomon Islands on Feb. 20, 1942. The censor blanked out the Fighting Squadron Three Felix the Cat insignia below the windshield. (National Archives)

“Although the Lexington blew back the Japanese bombers, the element of surprise was gone, and the attempt to raid Rabaul was aborted for the time being. O’Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery—and excellent aim. In 1949, Chicago officials named the O’Hare International Airport after him”

And according to the Navy Times in an article originally printed in the August 2008 issue of Military History, a sister publication to Navy Times, “There is a surprising footnote to the story.”

“O’Hare” resonates with Americans today for the airport in Chicago that bears his name.

“Ironically, O’Hare’s father had been an associate of Al Capone. On Nov. 8, 1939, “Easy Eddie” O’Hare was gunned down a week before Capone was released from prison, supposedly for helping the government make its case against his former boss.

“His son, Butch, was in flight training at the time, learning the skills he would put to use little more than two years later in the South Pacific.”

Onward and upward!

Sources:  History.com, Navy Times, Military History , Generative AI, National Archives