Марион Юджин Карл: Ас ВМС и летчик-испытатель

United States Marine Corps general

Major General Marion Eugene Carl (November 1, 1915 – June 28, 1998) was an American military officer, World War II fighter ace, record setting test pilot, and naval aviator. He was the United States Marine Corps' first ace in World War II.

Born on the family dairy farm near Hubbard, Oregon, Carl was always attracted to aviation. He learned to fly while attending college and soloed after only 2½ hours of instruction; eight to ten hours is typical. He studied aeronautical engineering at Oregon State College (now a university) and, in 1938, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree as a lieutenant in the Army Reserve.

Carl resigned his Army commission to become a naval aviation cadet and received his "Wings of Gold" and Marine Corps commission in December 1939. His first posting was to Marine Fighting Squadron One (VMF 1) at Quantico, Virginia. After a year there, he was posted back to Pensacola as an instructor pilot helping to train the rapidly growing number of naval aviators, before receiving orders to the newly formed Marine Fighting Squadron 221 (VMF 221) at NAS North Island in San Diego, California.

The 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor found VMF 221 preparing to embark aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga for transport to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The unit was rushed to Hawaii, then to Wake Island as part of the WI Relief Task Force, still aboard Saratoga. After the relief attempt was cancelled, VMF 221 was deployed to Midway Atoll on Christmas Day, 1941. Carl's first combat occurred six months later during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, when 15 of the 25 aircraft VMF 221 put into the air that morning were destroyed. Nevertheless, Carl was credited with destroying one enemy aircraft, a Mitsubishi Zero. All the survivors of VMF 221 were returned to Hawaii shortly after the battle. After a short rest, Carl was reassigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF 223), led by former VMF 221 pilot Captain (later Major) John L. Smith. On August 20, VMF 223 was deployed to Guadalcanal, the first fighter unit ashore with the Cactus Air Force. Over the next two months, Carl became the Marines' first ace, running his tally to 16.5 victories, during which time he had to bail out once from a badly damaged airplane. It is believed that on August 26 Carl shot down the famous Japanese Navy Tainan Kōkūtai ace Junichi Sasai over Henderson Field. When the squadron left Guadalcanal in October, Carl was America's second ranking ace behind Major Smith. In 1943, then Major Carl returned to the Pacific and led VMF 223 until the following summer. During combat in the Solomon Islands, he claimed two more enemy planes, finishing as the Corps' seventh ranking ace with 18.5 victories.

Date Total Aircraft Types Claimed (location) 04 Jun 1942 1 1 A6M Zeke destroyed and 2 damaged (Midway VMF 221) 24 Aug 1942 4 1 A6M Zeke, 1 Betty bomber, 2 Kate bombers destroyed (Cactus) 26 Aug 1942 2 2 A6M Zekes destroyed (Cactus) 29 Aug 1942 1 1 Betty bomber destroyed (Cactus) 30 Aug 1942 3 3 A6M Zekes destroyed (Cactus) 09 Sep 1942 2 2 Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers destroyed (Cactus) 27 Sep 1942 1½ 1.5 (1 shared credit with Major. K. Armistead) Betty bombers destroyed (Cactus) 28 Sep 1942 1 1 Betty bomber destroyed (Cactus) 03 Oct 1942 1 1 A6M Zero destroyed (Cactus) 23 Dec 1943 1 1 Ki 61 Tony destroyed (Rabaul) 27 Dec 1943 1 1 A6M Zeke destroyed (Rabaul) 18½

In 1945, Carl graduated in the first test pilot class at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. As a lieutenant colonel, he conducted pioneering jet operations from aircraft carriers and later commanded VMF 122, the first Marine jet squadron. In 1947, Carl was one of two pilots selected to fly the Douglas D 558/I Skystreak in record setting speed attempts. That August, he was recorded at , establishing a new world record for a conventional aircraft. When Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in October, he also broke Carl's record. At Patuxent River on April 1, 1952, Carl had a close brush with death. He was performing a series of check spins in the new Grumman AF 2S Guardian anti submarine attack aircraft. The anti spin parachute that had been fitted in earlier tests had been removed. Climbing to 10000 feet (3048 m) over Chesapeake Bay, Carl commenced the spin. The aircraft entered a flat spin with strong centrifugal forces. Carl could not break the spin and rode it down to 4000 feet (1219 m). He tried to operate the ejection seat, but the face blind ripped away in his hands and the seat failed to fire. He climbed out at 3000 feet (914 m). He then tried the wind tunnel approved method of getting out on the inside of the spin, but was forced back due to airflow. He finally got out on the other side and felt his parachute open as he fell into the splash of the aircraft. The success of this proved bailing out on the inside of the spin to avoid being hit by the tail was an incorrect theory. During a second test pilot tour in 1953, Carl set an unofficial altitude record of 83000 feet (25298 m) in the Douglas D 558/II. Between test pilot duties, Carl commanded other units including a reconnaissance squadron based on Taiwan. In 1954, he led missions over Mainland China, photographing Communist forces along the coast. After his death, an incorrect version of his reconnaissance missions appeared in several obituaries, stating that he had flown U 2 spy planes.

Though still a colonel, Carl became Director of Marine Corps Aviation for five months in 1962. In 1964 he was promoted to brigadier general; in 1965, he took the 1st Marine Brigade to Danang, South Vietnam. Despite his seniority, he repeatedly flew combat missions in helicopter gunships and jet fighters. Carl received his second star as a major general in 1967, commanding the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, from 1968 to 1970. He subsequently served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps, until retiring in 1973. By then he had logged some 13,000 flying hours, more than twice as much as most contemporaries.