Colonel John J. Voll
Goshen Township, Clermont County, Ohio
Marker Inscription
Colonel John J. Voll from Goshen, Ohio, was the highest scoring ace of the 15th U.S. Army Air Force in the Mediterranean theater of World War II. As a Captain flying a P-51 Mustang fighter plane, he was credited with twenty-one aerial victories.
Erected by Ohio History Connection
The Story
In the skies over southern Europe during World War II, the 15th Army Air Force flew long, dangerous missions from bases in Italy, escorting heavy bombers deep into enemy territory. John J. Voll, a young man from Goshen, Ohio, rose to become the highest-scoring fighter ace of that entire air force, downing twenty-one enemy aircraft from the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang. In an era when air power was still coming into its own, pilots like Voll turned the sleek, long-range Mustang into one of the most decisive weapons of the war.
Why it matters
Voll's record puts a hometown face on the air campaign that helped win World War II, honoring the ordinary Americans whose skill and courage in the new arena of aerial combat shaped the century that followed.
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Related people
- · Colonel John J. Voll
Related events
- · World War II
Themes & tags
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