In the decades following World War II, numerous fighter pilots have emerged from the record books to belatedly receive an honor long denied them: credit for downing five enemy aircraft and recognition as an ace. Many of them were “discovered” and their records corrected by the American Fighter Aces Association.
Arguably, the last such man is James McCubbin, a North American P-51D Mustang pilot of the Eighth Air Force who is currently under consideration — at 103 years old.
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McCubbin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 5, 1921. Upon graduating from high school in Kansas City, he studied engineering at the University of Missouri.
After two years of college, however, he left school to join the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, taking most of his training in Texas. Once training was behind him, he was assigned to the 385th Squadron of the 364th Fighter Group, based at Honington, England.
Initially equipped with the Lockheed P-38J Lightning, the squadron began transitioning to the North American P-51D Mustang in August 1944.
On Sept. 23, McCubbin was promoted to first lieutenant. The original certified correct flight records for the 385th — by either the squadron operations officer, Maj. William S. Crombie Jr., or his assistant operations officer, Thomas P. Farrell — state McCubbin flew in September and October 1944 without claiming any victories.
On Nov. 21, however, he was credited with destroying two Junkers Ju 88s.
On Dec. 2, McCuddin attacked a Messerschmitt fighter at approximately 15,000 feet over Mannheim, Germany, reporting hits around the enemy’s cockpit and noting, “As I pulled up, I saw him hit the ground without bailing out.”
Three days later, McCubbin was flying a P-51D Mustang when he had his most memorable aerial encounter with a host of Nazi Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft, as described in his combat report:
“I was flying Yellow No. 3 in 385th Ftr. ‘B’ Sq. As the bombers began their bombing run, we moved away from the close escort we had been furnishing. As we headed north we saw a gaggle of 50-plus enemy aircraft at ten o’clock to us. They were at about 22,500; we were at 23,000 in behind the nearest e/a. I swung to the outside of the turn, picked out a target on the other side of the gaggle. I opened fire at about 700 yards dead astern. The enemy took no evasive action. I closed to 300 yards firing several bursts. The Fw 190 blew up in flames. The gaggle maintained its practice of flying straight and level.
“I picked out another target and at about 400 yards dead astern I opened fire, closing on 250 yards. I fired several bursts, obtaining numerous hits. The enemy pilot bailed out.
“I immediately pulled up behind a third Fw 190, opened fire at 300 yards and closed to 200 yards. I obtained hits all over him. He appeared to be out of control and went into a … dive heading straight down.
“I got behind a fourth Fw 190 and at 200 yards I opened fire. I closed to 100 yards. I observed many hits. He split essed and I followed him. I was firing short bursts and saw his elevator come off. I was then reaching compressibility so I pulled out. He was still going straight down when I pulled out at 11,000 feet. I went down to the deck looking for more e/a, but found nothing. I then headed for home.
“I claim three (3) Fw 190′s dest and one (1) Fw 190 prob dest in the air.
“Ammo exp. 836 yrds, .50- cal.”
The 385th’s intelligence officer, 1st Lt. William J. Neafsey, gave McCubbin credit for the first two Fw 190s, counting the other two as “probables.” It is possible, however, that the third Focke-Wulf was upgraded to “confirmed” status.
In any case, by the end of December, McCubbin’s personal aircraft, the P-51D, which he dubbed Mary-Al, most likely after a girlfriend, displayed six swastikas below the cockpit, indicating him to be an ace.
On Christmas Eve, however, he was forced to crash-land Mary-Al on an abandoned German airfield near Lille, France. Rejoining his squadron and obtaining a new plane by Jan. 1, 1945, he opened the new year by shooting down another Fw 190.
Besides seeking action in the sky, McCubbin stated that he “loved strafing trains and locomotives.”
On Feb. 19, 1945, however, his luck ran out.
Struck by anti-aircraft fire, McCubbin survived a crash-landing east of Bonn. After a couple of weeks walking in the woods evading capture while nabbing food off the back porches of farmhouses, he eventually was caught and sent to what he described as Frankfurt, but what was more likely the nearby Dulag Luft near Oberursel, northwest of Frankfort-am-Main.
Virtually all Allied airmen captured during WWII spent some time in solitary confinement at this processing center, followed by interrogation, to determine who were prisoners of war and who were spies planted in their midst by their captors.
McCubbin’s experiences included matching wits with Obergefreiter Hanns Joachim Gottlob Scharff, noted for his subtle finesse in gaining, or at least confirming, information from more than 500 prisoners of war.
Once out-processed from Dulag Luft, McCubbin was sent to the POW camp at Moosberg, where he remained until the war ended and he joined the thousands of airmen released into freedom.
For his actions, McCubbin was awarded an Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. To this was later added the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation and the rank of captain.
After WWII, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a pilot instructor and an instrument instructor while using the G.I. Bill to continue his education, receiving his engineering degree two years later.
In the interim, he met and married his wife, Bettye, and they raised four children: Carleen, Jack, Debby and Ken.
After receiving his degree, McCubbin resigned his commission just before the Korean War in 1950. He formed a small but successful plastics company and eventually sold it. He then worked as an engineer for cooling tower manufacturer Marley Company.
After spending 12 years with his family in Mexico City as manager of Marley’s subsidiary there, he returned to the U.S. at 55 years old and retired. He spent most of his time thereafter with his wife at the Renaissance Legacy Senior Living in Rome, Georgia.
After his wife’s death, McCubbin made a special request to be reunited with an old friend for his 101st birthday. In response, the Commemorative Air Force flew its P-51D to Rome on June 4, 2022.
After sitting once more in his old aircraft, he declared, “It felt so good to be in that cockpit, like I did.”
Editor’s note: A special thanks to Gilbert Ferrey, J. Ward Boyce and the McCubbin family for documentation in reconstructing McCubbin’s career.
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