Robert S. Johnson (1) (1920–1998)
Author of Thunderbolt! The P-47
For other authors named Robert S. Johnson, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: Robert S. Johnson (right) with crew chief Ernest D. "Pappy" Gould. Official U.S. Air Force photo
Works by Robert S. Johnson
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Johnson, Robert Samuel
- Birthdate
- 1920-02-21
- Date of death
- 1998-12-27
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Cameron Junior College
Missouri Institute of Aeronautics - Occupations
- fighter pilot
chief test pilot, Republic Aviation
insurance executive - Organizations
- US Army Air Force, 1941-1947
US Air Force Reserve, 1947-
61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group
Air Force Association - Awards and honors
- Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters) - Short biography
- Robert S. Johnson was the first USAAF fighter pilot in the European theater to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker's WWI score of 26 victories. He finished his combat tour with 27 kills, was later credited by the Eighth Air Force claims board with a 28th victory when a probable was reassessed as a destroyed, then reduced back to 27 when a post-war review discovered that the Eighth Air Force had inadvertently switched credits for a kill he made with a double kill made by a fellow 56th Fighter Group pilot, Ralph A. Johnson, on November 26, 1943, a day when Robert Johnson aborted the mission after takeoff.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Lawton, Oklahoma, USA
- Places of residence
- Lawton, Oklahoma, USA
Lake Wylie, South Carolina, USA - Place of death
- St. Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
- Burial location
- River Hills Community Church, Lake Wylie, South Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Thunderbolt!, an autobiographical story of Robert S. Johnson, the first United States Army Air Forces WWII fighter pilot in the European theater to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker's WWI score of 26 victories.Johnson was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, the son of an automobile mechanic. He first became interested in airplanes when he was eight years old.
That was on a morning in the summer of 1928, in the town of Lawton, Oklahoma. My dad shouted for the kids to pile into the car.His father took them to show more Post Field at Fort Sill to see a United States Army Air Corps barnstorming team, "The Three Musketeers."
There were three of them. Each with double wings and a whirling propeller flashing in the bright Oklahoma sun. I first saw them as they rolled on their backs, arcing over to inverted flight…The air show captured the imagination of young Johnson, who could not stop dreaming of airplanes and flying, and eventually an Oklahoma boy’s dream became an American hero’s story.Thunderbolt! will propel you though the skies above Europe, chasing fate with great courage, at several hundred miles per hour.Every Oklahoman should read this book. Every American should read this book. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 1
- Members
- 178
- Popularity
- #120,888
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 20
