Introduction

There was no mistaking that Major Pierce Winningham “Mac” McKennon was a native of the state of Arkansas. He flew several fighters which carried distinctive names and artwork. His most famous and colourful mount was a red-nosed P-51D Mustang serial number 44-72308 which he named “Ridge Runner III”. Beneath the name there was an illustration of a tusky Arkansas razorback hog chasing twenty German swastikas. These kill markings were painted black on a white square and were outlined in red. Also trimmed in red was his canopy frame, the aircraft’s letters WD-A and two Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire rear view mirrors which were mounted side by side on top of the canopy windscreen frame.

Serving two tours over a twenty-six month period, Major McKennon amassed 560 combat flight hours in the European Theatre of Operation in World War II. He was shot down by flak on two occasions, evaded both times and, after each evasion, managed to return to flight status. Mac finished the war with 21.68 enemy aircraft destroyed (12 aerial and 9.68 ground) and became a Squadron Commanding Officer for the last eight months of the conflict.

Not too bad for a young man who washed out of the flying training program with the United States Army Air Corps. Certainly not too bad for a twenty-one year old university student who came to Canada, won his wings in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), lost them in a court martial then, unbelievably, won them a second time!

McKennon flew with the 335th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The 4th, known as the “Debden Eagles”, flew from Station F-356 in Essex, England and became the highest scoring USAAF Fighter Group in World War II, accounting for 1016 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and on the ground.