Herschel Green

Who was Herschel Green?

Herschel "Herky" Green was a World War II flying ace in the United States Army Air Forces. Green was the leading ace of the Fifteenth Air Force downing 18 enemy aircraft and destroying 10 more on the ground. He flew in 1943 and 1944 in the North Africa and Italian campaigns with the 325th Fighter Group. By the end of 1944, he had flown 100 missions and received the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He published his memoirs Herky!: the Memoirs of a Checkertail Ace in 1996. The "Checkertail" refers to the group's recognition markings. The tail of each aircraft was painted yellow with black squares.