Capt. Joseph McConnell Jr. History Page

Capt. Joseph McConnell Jr. History Page Air Force Capt. Joseph C. McConnell, Jr. is the all-time No. 1 Jet Ace in American history.

When this photograph was distributed to newspapers across the country in February, 1952, Lt. Joseph McConnell, Jr., was ...
06/03/2026

When this photograph was distributed to newspapers across the country in February, 1952, Lt. Joseph McConnell, Jr., was based at George AFB, Calif. and flying the skies over the Mojave Desert.

One year later, he was racking up MiG kills, well on his way to claiming the title as the highest scoring jet ace in American history.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 29 — 40 YEARS OF PROGRESS — What has happened to the airplane in four decades is graphically revealed here of an Air Force North American F‑86 Sabre jet flying by a 1912 model pusher biplane. The Sabre holds the official speed record of 670 miles per hour and is powered with a turbo jet engine with a horsepower rating of 9,000 as compared to 80 horsepower and a cruising speed of 60 miles an hour for the biplane built and flown by Billy Parker. (AP Wirephoto) (lw61730NAA) 1952.

05/21/2026

I got over 250 reactions on my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

I appreciate the interest so many have in my upcoming book, the only biography on Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr., the world...
05/17/2026

I appreciate the interest so many have in my upcoming book, the only biography on Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr., the world’s greatest MiG killer.

Here is my overdue update: I’ve finished about 30 chapters, from his childhood and aimless youth, through his time as a B-24 navigator in World War II and, of course as a fighter pilot, war hero and his untimely death. I am doing the first edit on the manuscript and probably have two more chapters to research and write.

This project has taken much longer than I expected or wanted, partly due to the difficulty in obtaining records. His personnel file was destroyed in the disasterous 1973 National Archives fire. And Air Force records on the Korean War are … um … not as organized as they could be. Historian John Bruning wrote about this problem in the preface to “Crimson Sky.” (See photo below.)

I have spent countless hours scouring archives online and in person. I’ve had some archivists who were tremendously helpful and others who were not. I have tracked down and reconnected McConnell family members, interviewed the children of his wingmen and others who have helped me piece together fragments that shed light on him. I have unearthed never-before published documents and other records that help paint a portrait of who McConnell was as a man — and some of his tactics that helped him become America’s greatest jet fighter.

Along this journey, I have successfully donated items and advocated for a professional museum exhibit on Capt. McConnell at the San Bernardino County Museum’s branch in McConnell’s adopted hometown of Apple Valley, Calif. and smaller exhibits at the Route 66 museum in Victorville and at Fort Irwin. I also organized support to put Capt. McConnell’s photo on the cover of the Air Force Historical Foundation’s book, “75 Great Airmen.”

I advocated to name a new, 10-acre park in Apple Valley in honor of Capt. McConnell. The park was dedicated in November 2025. His eldest daughter, Trish, attended the ceremony and was deeply touched to see her father honored. It was fun to see the outpouring of affection for Trish, who was treated like a celebrity.

In researching McConnell’s life, I’ve discovered “facts” cited by several prominent historians that are often repeated but are simply not true. In some cases fabricated.

I won’t predict when I will finalize the draft since my past predictions were wrong. Considering the loss of records, the fact that Capt. McConnell apparently never sat for an in-depth interview or oral history, my manuscript tells the complete true story of his amazing life and rise from nothing to become a national hero and the world’s greatest MiG killer. Stand by. The best is yet to come.

On May 18, 1953, Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr. had 13 MiG victories and was tied for third place in the “ace race.” That m...
05/16/2026

On May 18, 1953, Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr. had 13 MiG victories and was tied for third place in the “ace race.” That morning, with Lt. Dean Abbott on his wing, McConnell led a six-ship flight into MiG Alley — and to the forbidden hunting grounds north of the Yalu River.

Two flights — four ships — had to return to base for mechanical reasons, leaving McConnell and Abbott to continue alone into China. Soon Abbott called out a flight of approaching MiGs. Then another. And another.

“My God, Joe. There must be 30 of them!” Abbott said.
McConnell replied, “Yeah! And we’ve got ‘em all to ourselves!”
McConnell shot down two MiGs, becoming the first triple jet ace in history. That afternoon he returned to MiG Alley with wingman Lt. Donald Bortle to score his 16th and final MiG.

Days later, McConnell would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (second only to the Medal of Honor) for valor in the face of overwhelming enemy force. McConnell’s Distinguished Service Cross citation indicates the air battle occurred in North Korea. But in an interview years later, Dean Abbott said he and McConnell actually took on the MiGs inside Communist China.

McConnell and his friendly rival, Capt. Manuel “Pete” Fernandez, Jr., were grounded, decorated and sent home. They met President Eisenhower in the Oval Office and went on an Air Force publicity tour.

Capt. McConnell remains the highest-scoring jet ace in American history.

Please like and share this post in honor of this great American hero.

Coming soon: a film clip of McConnell’s return to Suwon after his 16th MiG kill.

A belated happy heavenly birthday Major Manuel “Pete” Fernandez, Jr., America’s third-highest jet ace, with 14.5 kills d...
05/08/2026

A belated happy heavenly birthday Major Manuel “Pete” Fernandez, Jr., America’s third-highest jet ace, with 14.5 kills during the Korean War.

In May 1953 Fernandez was the top-scoring ace of the war, narrowly leading his friend and former Nellis AFB gunnery student Lt. Joseph McConnell. My book recounts how Fernandez learned that McConnell had surpassed his record. The two aces were sent home together, visited President Eisenhower in the Oval Office and traveled together on an Air Force publicity tour.

My book also details a funny incident where Fernandez and McConnell planned to ask President Eisenhower to send them back to Korea to bag more MiGs.

After McConnell was killed in 1954 while testing an F-86H, Fernandez flew in the “Missing Man” formation at McConnell’s funeral at George AFB. Fernandez became a technical advisor on the 1955 film, “The McConnell Story.” He rests at Arlington National Cemetery.

I understand his first wife, “Smokey” is still alive. Hoping to get in contact with her.

Here is the text of Fernandez’s Distinguished Service Cross citation.

Headquarters, Far East Air Forces: General Orders No. 244 (May 21, 1953)
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force) to Captain Manuel John Fernandez, Jr. (AFSN: AO-20758858), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Pilot of an F-86 Sabrejet Fighter of the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group, FIFTH Air Force, in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Korea on 21 March 1953. During a fighter swoop over North Korea, Captain Fernandez sighted a flight of thirty MiGs, and attempted to release his external fuel tanks in preparation for battle. However, one of the tanks failed to release, impairing the maneuverability of his aircraft. However, despite this handicap, he fearlessly initiated a fierce attack on the last two MiGs in the enemy formation. Closing to twelve hundred feet, he opened fire on one MiG, scoring hits on the fuselage and wing. As he was closing again, the other MiG attached him; however, by a skillfully executed maneuver, he gained tactical advantage over the attacker, and his bursts scored hits which caused the enemy pilot to eject himself from the uncontrollable aircraft. Captain Fernandez then turned again to his initial adversary and, closing dangerously to one hundred and fifty feet, fired several bursts which caused the MiG to burst into flame and go spinning to earth. Captain Fernandez’s outstanding flying skill and extraordinary courage in attacking this greatly superior number of enemy aircraft despite the hindrance to maneuverability enabled him to completely destroy two enemy aircraft. The extraordinary heroism displayed by Captain Fernandez on this occasion reflects the greatest credit on himself and is in keeping with the high traditions of the military service.

The Korean War and the mystique of jet technology brought a new hero archetype to the public mind — the fighter jet ace....
05/02/2026

The Korean War and the mystique of jet technology brought a new hero archetype to the public mind — the fighter jet ace. Chief among these new heroes was triple ace Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr., whose record 16 MiG kills still stands today.

I’m unaware of any comic books on the life of Capt. McConnell, although Charles Coombs wrote an influential (and beautifully illustrated) children’s book on his life. Here are some fun vintage comic book covers celebrating jet fighter pilots. Coombs’ “Sabre Jet Ace” and comic books captured the imagination and inspired a generation of boys, many of whom joined the Air Force or otherwise pursued aviation careers.

If you were inspired by “Sabre Jet Ace” or comic books, please consider sending me a few paragraphs on those influences on your life. I’m planning a chapter in my book on the world’s greatest MiG killer, Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr.

In researching my biography on Capt. McConnell, I ran across some interesting statistics. Among F-86 pilots with 25 or m...
04/18/2026

In researching my biography on Capt. McConnell, I ran across some interesting statistics. Among F-86 pilots with 25 or more fighter missions:

53 percent had zero kills.
42 percent had between one-half and 4.5 kills.
And only 1.4 percent had 10 or more kills.

Capt. McConnell, of course, shot down 16 MiGs on 106 combat missions.
My book digs into these stats and outlines the psychological profile of the most successful Korean War aces.

I’ve been going through the F-86F flight manual to get a sense of all that pilots had to manage during a flight. Here ar...
02/09/2026

I’ve been going through the F-86F flight manual to get a sense of all that pilots had to manage during a flight. Here are some of the illustrations from the manual.

02/04/2026

February 2023 Roberta Linn, who sang at 1953 homecoming ceremony, meets Trish McConnell for the first time since 1953.

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