Alexander Vraciu Alexander Vraciu ( born November 2 , 1918 ) was a leading United States Navy fighter ace and Medal of Honor nominee during World War II . He once shot down six Japanese dive bombers in eight minutes . Biography . Vraciu ' s parents had immigrated from Romania at the turn of the century , settling in East Chicago , Indiana , with his father , Alexandru Sr . , hailing from Poiana , while his mother , Maria ( née Tincu ) came from Sebes . Vraciu lived briefly in his parents ' homeland as a child with his parents hoping that that experience would rub off on him and that he would immersed in the culture . In early 1941 , he graduated from DePauw University and in June Vraciu enlisted as a naval aviator in the United States Navy Reserve . Vraciu is also a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity . Vraciu was commissioned as a Naval Reserve Ensign in August 1942 . At the end of March 1943 , he was promoted to and joined Fighting Squadron Six ( VF - 6 ) , under Lieutenant Commander Edward " Butch " O ' Hare , the navy ' s first ace of the war . O ' Hare made Vraciu his wingman and gave him valuable advice regarding air combat . The squadron entered combat in October 1943 , flying from USS " Independence " . Vraciu scored his first victory during a strike against Wake Island on October 10 , 1943 . He and O ' Hare came across an enemy formation ; O ' Hare went below the clouds to get a Japanese Mitsubishi " Zero " and Vraciu lost him , but followed a second Zero to Wake Island , where it landed . Vraciu strafed the Zero on the ground . He then saw a Mitsubishi G4M ( " Betty " ) bomber and shot it down . Vraciu later commented : " O ' Hare taught many of the squadron members little things that would later save their lives . One example was to swivel your neck before starting a strafing run , to make sure enemy fighters were not on your tail . " Vraciu also learned from O ' Hare the " highside pass " used when attacking Betties , to avoid the lethal 20 mm cannon wielded by the tail gunner . The squadron later transferred to USS " Intrepid " , which was nicknamed " The Evil I " because of a reputation for bad luck . However , Vraciu began downing Japanese aircraft in multiples : three Betties on January 29 , 1944 and four fighters over Truk Atoll on February 17 . With nine victories , he became and remained VF - 6 ' s leading ace of the war . Although he had an opportunity to rotate back to the US , Vraciu requested additional combat duty and joined VF - 16 on USS " Lexington " . By mid - June he had 12 kills , a record for carrier aviators at the time . Vraciu ' s most successful day as an aviator occurred during the First Battle of the Philippine Sea , also known as the " Great Marianas Turkey Shoot " , on June 19 . Despite a malfunctioning supercharger , he intercepted a formation of Japan ese dive bombers and destroyed six in a period of eight minutes . After Vraciu landed , ordnancemen on " Lexington " discovered that he had used only 360 bullets ; on average , each of these six kills had followed a burst less than five seconds long . The next day , escorting bombers in an attack on the Japanese Mobile Fleet ( " Kido Butai " ) , Vraciu downed his 19th victim , making him the foremost US Navy ace by a considerable margin , although he would hold that title for only four months . For his actions at the First Battle of the Philippine Sea , Vraciu was nominated for the Medal of Honor . However , when the nomination reached the desk of Admiral George D . Murray , { http : / / www . alexvraciu . net / Alex - Vraciu - Navy - Cross . html # Vraciu } at Pacific Fleet Headquarters in Hawaii , it was downgraded to a Navy Cross . Soon afterwards , Vraciu was assigned to the promotion of war bond sales in the US . There he married his sweetheart , Kathryn Horn , with whom he would have three daughters and two sons . Later in 1944 , Vraciu managed to obtain a return assignment to the Pacific , flying F6F Hellcat s in VF - 20 . After two missions with VF - 20 , he was shot down by anti - aircraft fire during a December mission over the Philippines . Vraciu was rescued by Filipino resistance fighters , who appointed him commander of a 180 - strong guerrilla unit . Six weeks later he made contact with US forces and was returned to the Navy . Vraciu ended the war as the US Navy ' s fourth highest ranking ace . He subsequently became a test pilot and was instrumental in forming the post - war Naval Air Reserve program . Promoted to Commander , Vraciu led VF - 51 from 1956 to 1958 , winning the Navy ' s individual gunnery championship in 1957 . He retired in 1964 to begin a career in banking . As of 2013 , Vraciu lives in Danville , California . Although retired , he continues to be active on the lecture circuit . Vraciu made an appearance in " The Zero Killer " , a January 2007 episode of the History Channel ' s " Dogfights " series . He has persistently declined invitations to write an autobiography . Vraciu cooperated with the Indiana Historical Society Press , however , which in March 2010 published an account of his life , titled " Fighter Pilot : The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu " .