Robert James Rankin (October 23, 1918 – March 14, 2013) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he became a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

credited with 10 aerial victories, including five in a single day, for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

Early life and service

Robert J. Rankin was born on October 23, 1918, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Rankin enlisted into the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

on March 6, 1941. On July 15, 1942, he became an aviation cadet in the newly formed Army Air Forces, graduating from flight training at Luke Field, Glendale, Arizona, on April 11, 1943.

World War II ace

In August, Second Lieutenant Rankin was assigned to the

61st Fighter Squadron The 61st Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, conducting Pilot training. The 61st, known as the 'Top Dog ...

, 56th Fighter Group, Eight Air Force, at

RAF Halesworth Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and west of Southwold. United States Army ...

Suffolk, England Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. On February 6, 1944, Rankin claimed his first aerial victory, shooting down a German

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

over

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. On March 15,

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Rankin shot down two more Bf 109s and damaged a

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...

over

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Rankin claimed his fourth victory on March 29 near Nienburg. In April, the squadron moved to

RAF Boxted Royal Air Force Boxted or more simply RAF Boxted is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located north-northeast of Colchester, Essex England. Opened in 1943, it was used by the United States Army Air Force ...

Essex, England Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. First Lieutenant Rankin would finally claim ace status on May 12, 1944. Rankin was leading a flight of

P-47 Thunderbolts The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

ahead of a bomber force in Germany. While near

Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...

, the flight engaged several dozen Bf 109s, and Rankin shot three of them out of the air. Upon downing the third one, his group commander, Lieutenant Colonel

Hubert Zemke Colonel Hubert Zemke (March 14, 1914 – August 30, 1994) was a career officer in the United States Air Force, a fighter pilot in World War II, and a leading United States Army Air Forces ace. General Jimmy Doolittle praised Zemke as his "great ...

, radioed for help as German planes were on his tail. Rankin and his wingmen flew to Zemke's position, where Rankin shot down two more planes and damaged two others. First Lieutenant Rankin became the first member of the 56th Fighter Group and first P-47 pilot to claim "ace in a day." He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions that day. On June 7, 1944, Rankin claimed his 10th and final victory of the war.

Post-war career and life

After World War II, Rankin transferred to the United States Air Force. He flew more combat missions with the

4th Fighter Interceptor Wing The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit. The wing is one of two Air Force ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Rankin was promoted to colonel in 1963, later taking part in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He retired from the Air Force on April 1, 1973. On March 14, 2013, Robert J. Rankin died in his winter home in

Jensen Beach, Florida Jensen Beach is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,652 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Por ...

. His body was subsequently cremated.

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation:

Commendations

Colonel Rankin has been awarded the following throughout his military career:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Robert J. 1918 births 2013 deaths United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Aviators from Washington, D.C. Recipients of the Air Medal American World War II flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force colonels