US pilot shot down four Soviet MiGs in 30 minutes -- and kept it a secret for 50 years - CNN

Seoul, South Korea CNN  — 

Royce Williams was a real-life “Top Gun” 10 years earlier Tom Cruise was adjacent born.

On a acold November time successful 1952, Williams changeable down 4 Soviet combatant jets – and became a fable nary 1 would perceive astir for much than 50 years.

The present 97-year-old erstwhile naval aviator was presented with the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest subject grant astatine a ceremonial Friday successful California.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said connected Friday that among the galore proposals helium has reviewed to upgrade sailors’ awards, Williams’ lawsuit “stood retired supra each others. It was precise wide to maine that his actions were genuinely bonzer and much intimately aligned with the criteria describing a higher medal.”

“Freedom does not travel cheap,” Del Toro said. “It comes done the sacrifice of each those who person and proceed to service successful today’s military. Your actions that time kept you free. They kept your shipmates escaped successful Task Force 77. Indeed, they kept each of america free.”

Here’s what Williams did to gain that honor.

On November 18, 1952, Williams was flying the F9F Panther – the US Navy’s archetypal pitchy combatant – connected a ngo during the Korean War.

He took disconnected from the craft bearer USS Oriskany, which was operating with 3 different carriers successful a task unit successful the Sea of Japan, besides known arsenic the East Sea, 100 miles disconnected the seashore of North Korea.

Williams, past property 27, and 3 different combatant pilots were ordered connected a combat aerial patrol implicit the astir bluish portion of the Korean Peninsula, adjacent the Yalu River, which separates North Korea from China. To the northeast is Russia, past portion of the Soviet Union, which supported North Korea successful the conflict.

As the 4 US Navy jets flew their patrol, the group’s person suffered mechanical problems and with his wingman, headed backmost to the task unit disconnected the coast.

That near Williams and his wingman unsocial connected the mission.

Then, to their surprise, 7 Soviet MiG-15 combatant jets were identified heading toward the US task force.

“They conscionable didn’t travel retired of Russia and prosecute america successful immoderate mode before,” Williams said successful a 2021 interview with the American Veterans Center.

Wary commanders successful the task unit ordered the 2 US Navy jets to enactment themselves betwixt the MiGs and the US warships.

While doing this, 4 of the Soviet MiGs turned toward Williams and opened fire, helium recalled.

He said helium fired connected the process MiG, which past dropped retired of the four-plane Soviet formation, with Williams’ wingman pursuing the Soviet pitchy down.

At that point, US commanders connected the bearer ordered him not to prosecute the Soviets, helium said.

“I said, ‘I americium engaged,’” Williams recalled successful the interview.

Williams said helium besides knew that due to the fact that the Soviet jets were faster than his, if helium tried to interruption disconnected they’d drawback and termination him.

“At that clip the MiG-15 was the champion combatant airplane successful the world,” faster and capable to ascent and dive quicker than the American jets, helium said successful the interview.

His level was suited to air-to-ground combat, not aerial dogfights, helium said.

But present helium was successful one, with not conscionable one, but six Soviet jets arsenic the different 3 MiGs that broke disconnected earlier returned.

What ensued was much than a half-hour of aerial combat, with Williams perpetually turning and weaving – the 1 country wherever the F9F could vie with the Soviet craft – to not fto the superior MiGs get their guns fixed connected him.

“I was connected automatic, I was doing arsenic trained,” helium said.

So were the Soviets.

“But connected immoderate occasions … they made mistakes,” Williams said.

One flew astatine him, but past stopped firing and dipped nether him. Williams figured its aviator was killed by his gunfire.

And helium described however different MiG got close successful beforehand of him, helium deed it with his gunfire, and it disintegrated, causing Williams to maneuver sharply to debar the wreckage and its aviator arsenic the level came apart.

Over the people of the fight, Williams fired each 760 rounds of 20mm cannon shells the F9F carried, according to an relationship of the engagement from the US Navy Memorial’s website.

But the Soviets scored hits connected Williams, too, disabling his rudder and helping power surfaces, leaving lone the elevators successful the rear of the level viable for him to determination the pitchy up and down.

Luckily, helium said, astatine this constituent helium was heading successful the absorption of the US task unit disconnected the coast. But 1 of the remaining Soviet jets was inactive connected his tail.

He said helium flew successful an up-and-down roller coaster pattern, with bullets flying supra and beneath him arsenic helium moved, the Soviet aviator trying to get a wide shot.

Williams’ wingman rejoined the combat astatine this point, getting connected the Soviet’s process and scaring him off, according to the Navy Memorial account.

But Williams inactive had immoderate hard flying to bash to get the damaged pitchy backmost connected committee the carrier.

First, with the task unit wary of Soviet warplanes perchance attacking it, its heightened aerial defenses initially thought Williams’ F9F was a MiG, and destroyers guarding the American carriers opened occurrence connected him.

Williams said his commandant rapidly enactment a halt to that, eliminating 1 danger.

Still, Williams had to get his pitchy connected the platform connected the carrier, thing he’d usually bash astatine an airspeed of 105 knots (120 mph). But helium already knew if helium went little than 170 knots (195 mph), his craft would stall and plunge into the icy sea.

And helium couldn’t crook to enactment up with the carrier. So the ship’s skipper decided to instrumentality the bonzer measurement of turning the bearer to enactment up with Williams.

It worked. He slammed onto the platform and caught the 3rd and last arresting wire.

On the platform connected the carrier, Navy unit counted 263 holes successful Williams’ plane. It was successful specified mediocre shape, it was pushed disconnected the vessel into the sea, according to the Navy Memorial account.

But arsenic the level disappeared beneath the waves, thing other had to besides – the information that the US-Soviet aerial combat happened astatine all.

News of Williams’ heroics went each the mode to the top, with then-President Dwight Eisenhower among the elder US officials anxious to talk to the pilot, according to the Navy Memorial’s website.

“Following the battle, Williams was personally interviewed by respective high-ranking Navy admirals, the Secretary of Defense, and besides the President, aft which helium was instructed to not speech astir his engagement arsenic officials feared the incidental mightiness origin a devastating summation of tensions betwixt the US and Soviet Union, and perchance ignite World War Three,” the website says.

A US Defense Department relationship of the incidental besides notes that US forces were trying retired caller communications intercept instrumentality that day. It was feared that revealing the Soviet relation successful the combat would person compromised that US’ advantage.

The records of Williams’ dogfight were promptly classified by US officials and helium was sworn to secrecy, meaning it would instrumentality much than 5 decades earlier his victories could beryllium afloat recognized.

In 1953, Williams was awarded a Silver Star, but the citation made nary notation to Soviet aircraft, conscionable “enemy” ones. And it lone mentioned 3 kills. The 4th was not known until Russian records were released successful the 1990s, the website says.

So it was not until 2002, erstwhile the records were declassified, that Williams could adjacent archer those closest to him.

“For the remainder of his accomplished Navy career, and for decades aft retirement, the details of Williams’ dogfight with Soviet MiGs implicit North Korea remained a secret,” according to the US Defense Department.

“When helium was yet contacted by the authorities and told his ngo was declassified, the archetypal idiosyncratic Williams said helium told was his wife.”

In the pursuing years, veterans groups who learned what helium did said the Silver Star was insufficient reward for Williams, with immoderate saying helium should get the military’s highest grant – the Medal of Honor.

In December past year, much than 70 years aft the Korean War aerial battle, Del Toro said Williams’ Silver Star should beryllium upgraded to the Navy Cross.

California Rep. Darrell Issa, who pushed for Williams to get the upgraded medal, called him “a Top Gun aviator similar nary other, and an American leader for each time.”

“It is to this time the astir unsocial US-Soviet aerial combat dogfight successful the past of the Cold War,” Issa said successful a statement.

“The heroism and valor helium demonstrated for 35 harrowing minutes 70 years agone successful the skies implicit the North Pacific and the seashore of North Korea saved the lives of his chap pilots, shipmates, and crew. His communicative is 1 for the ages, but is present being afloat told.”