The Paper March 14, 2013

Page 1

Volume 44- No. 11

Editor’s Note: A fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The few aces among combat pilots have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history. The Paper - 760.747.7119

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March 14, 2013

This story is about a hero who downed seven enemy aircraft in one day. by Frank Lorey III

Retired Navy Captain Stanley W. "Swede" Vejtasa has earned a lot of distinctions in a military career ranging from World War II until 1970, including being the only WWII carrier pilot to receive Navy Crosses for

both dive-bombing and aerial combat. He shot down three Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros while flying his favorite plane--the Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber, and if that wasn't enough to foretell his future as a fighter pilot, he went on to bag seven Japanese planes in one mission flying a Grumman F4F Wildcat. Vejtasa's career started before the war in the Curtiss SBC-3 biplane dive bomber, then he

got the chance to upgrade to the Dauntless, which he calls "the best airplane of its time." He felt that the SBD was such an improvement that he wrote several letters recommending it be tried as a fighter, and his experience at the battle of Coral Sea later demonstrated that he knew what he was talking about. The Dauntless was generally considered obsolete right from the start of the war, and

“Air Combat - WWII � Continued on Page 2


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