Former Navy pilot Royce Williams shot
down four Soviet jets — and kept the
feat secret for 50 years
New York Post,
by
Matthew Sedacca
Original Article
Posted By: ladydawgfan,
1/22/2023 12:49:13 AM
This real-life Korean War “Top Gun” kept his war story secret for 50 years.
In 1952, then-U.S. Navy pilot Royce Williams engaged in possibly the longest solo aerial dogfight against four Soviet jets, shooting down the enemy planes in less than 30 minutes, KUSI reported.
Williams, 97, who retired in 1975, on Friday received the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest award for military honor.
The award came after decades of Williams abiding by a promise to keep his mouth shut—even among friends and family—about this brief yet striking moment of aerial combat, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in 2022.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Birddog 1/22/2023 12:56:50 AM (No. 1384430)
He is credited with four...yet a fifth never returned to base, nor was it ever found.
17 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
thefield 1/22/2023 2:31:52 AM (No. 1384444)
How many other aces were forced to a life of secrecy?
16 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Highlander 1/22/2023 2:53:28 AM (No. 1384447)
Too bad he had to keep it a secret for so long. The U.S. government didn’t want to experience a political firestorm over shooting down planes from a former WWII ally.
13 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Rama41 1/22/2023 3:35:26 AM (No. 1384449)
At 97, he looks in better shape than our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
28 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Rich323 1/22/2023 6:21:49 AM (No. 1384492)
Thanks for your service Mr. Williams! You are a hero.
Timing of this - Another story to bolster their focus on Russia as the bad guys and justify sending Ukraine more tax of our hard earned tax dollars.
12 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 1/22/2023 6:42:44 AM (No. 1384501)
Wow, Its Sunday and Biden hasn't claimed he was Williams' wingman.
29 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Highlander 1/22/2023 6:46:04 AM (No. 1384505)
#6; Or his commanding officer
22 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
varkdriver 1/22/2023 7:18:34 AM (No. 1384513)
Or his IP. "I told Williams, you just get in close to those bad guys, key up your mic, and whisper to them: 'You better get outta here, or I'll do the same thing to you that I did to Corn Pop! Shot his butt down, I did!'
Even more amazing that he did this in the old F9F Panther. Just goes to show that the pilot, and his/her training/doctrine/strategy/tactics, as well as the US concept of centralized control/decentralized execution work best. The Commie way is top down control of everything, which is not ideal in a fluid air-to-air battle.
Plus, 30 minutes of fighting? Amazing. Most A/A engagements are mere minutes. The other long fight I can recall is now-disgraced Congressman Randy 'Duke' Cunningham knocking down three MiGs in one sortie in his F-4 before getting the back end of the jet shot off by a SAM, and both he and his RIO Willie Driscoll bailing out over the South China Sea and getting rescued.
9 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Vaquero45 1/22/2023 11:53:03 AM (No. 1384734)
It’s well known now that USN and USAF fighter pilots frequently encountered Russian pilots over North Korea flying MIG-15’s. In the 1970’s Air Force Gen. Robinson Risner, who shot down several MIGs in the Korean War, met a retired Russian MIG pilot at an aviation conference in Europe. The Russian had flown a MIG-15 from a base in China and tangled with USAF Sabre jets over “MIG Alley.” The Russian wondered aloud to Gen. Risner if maybe they had encountered each other in the skies over North Korea. Risner flatly said “No.” The Russian said “how can you be so sure?” Risner replied “if we had, you wouldn’t be here!”
Recognition for this Navy fighter jock is long overdue.
8 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
NullUnit60 1/22/2023 12:56:15 PM (No. 1384771)
#9, there was the "secret" that many Red Air Force pilots flew North Korean marked MIGs at the time. A number of Russian aces in WWII died under the guns of Sabres in MIG Alley.
Just an assumption, of course. ;)
5 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 1/22/2023 2:41:44 PM (No. 1384820)
Williams 2024.
What's another four years at age 101, right, Royce? You go, sir.
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
DVC 1/22/2023 5:54:41 PM (No. 1384970)
My retired USN test pilot relative sent his to me yesterday. One hell of an impressive feat.
I replied that I wasn't sure whether the impressive "ace in a day" performance in the dogfight, or the subsequent landing on the carrier without flaps, rudder, or most critically, aileron control, was the greatest feat of airmanship. And the skipper turning the boat to align with the crippled aircraft's approach path isn't in the rule book, either. Kudos for the skipper, and probably for the LSO, too.
I'm glad that he got his recognition, finally. I'm not sure I could have kept my mouth shut all this time.
2 people like this.
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