Raymond Larry Knight: WW2 P-47 Pilot Medal of Honor recipient

Daredevil Low Level Strafing Missions

When Lt. Raymond Knight entered the war in 1945, he was sent on ground attack missions over Italy. Seeing a heavily defended German airstrip, he told his fellow pilots to remain out of danger while he flew reconnaissance, skimming the ground to see under the camo nets of the Germans. His P-47 was repeatedly hit by enemy fire, but seeing all the German planes he returned with the rest of his flight to shoot up all aircraft on the ground. He did this same tactic several times at different enemy airstrips and accounted for more than 20 German planes destroyed with no losses of his men. On his second and last reconnaissance/destroy mission, his P-47 was so badly damaged by fire he headed back to base in order to save his aircraft, instead of bailing out. His Thunderbolt crashed in the Apennines mountains and he was killed. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in saving lives and wreaking havoc on the enemy. He flew into a hailstorm of bullets, he didn’t quit, and he put the lives of his men ahead of his own.

Valor is not forgotten. Valor is in you. Set it free.