I don't think this man had it so easy ... did he ?? Claude R. Kinsey Jr., a "flying sergeant" who became one of the earliest U.S. aces of WWII, died Feb 4. Kinsey was credited with shooting down 7 enemy planes over North Africa between Jan. 29 and April 5, 1943, when he was shot down by his own inexperienced wing man. After recovering from severe burns, he ended up in a large POW camp near Chieti, Italy. Later the young pilot slipped out, evaded machine gun fire and began his 30-day escape down the Apennine Mountains toward Bari, according to a 40-page excerpt of his unpublished biography. Claude Ross Kinsey, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force
One hell of a story. Seems that the USAF din't hold a grudge for that long as he was able to make a career of it after the war
