By Taytum Marler

George Earl Preddy Jr., nicknamed “Ratsy,” was born on February 5, 1919, in Greensboro, North Carolina to parents George Earl Sr. and Clara Preddy. There is not much known about Preddy’s early life; after graduating from Greensboro High School, he went on to work in a cotton mill while also attending Guilford College. He attended college for two years before becoming a barnstormer pilot, where he performed aerial stunts for entertainment.

Preddy decided he wanted to join the navy, but after he was rejected three times due to his small stature, he wanted to try his hand at the Army, where he was accepted into the Army Air Corps and put on a waiting list for a cadet class. While he waited, he joined the 252nd coast artillery regiment of the National Guard in 1940. He got flight training orders in April of 1941 and received his wings on December 12.

George Preddy was assigned to the 9th Pursuit Squadron of the 49th Pursuit group as a P-40 Warhawk pilot. He was stationed in Darwin, Australia for training. In July, he was involved with a collision when another P-40 pilot crashed into his tail—Preddy was hospitalized but the other pilot, 2nd Lieutenant John Sauber, was sadly killed. Following his recovery, Preddy was sent back to the United States and later assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group.

In the latter half of 1943, Preddy would escort and help defend bombers. It was in December that he shot down his first enemy plane. Because of these achievements, he received a Silver Star, which is the third highest military honor awarded to an American serviceman. When he was back in action, he would have “Cripes A’ Mighty!” painted on every aircraft he flew, believing it would bring him good luck. On January 29, 1944, the 352nd Fighter Group helped escort a group of 800 bombers that were returning from combat in Frankfurt. During the escort, Preddy shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (a single-engine, German plane), but he was also hit himself by enemy flank. He was able to bail out of his P-47 over the English Channel, where his wingman, Lieutenant William T. Whisner, would continue to circle overhead until air-sea rescue could find Preddy. Once a Royal Air Force flying boat rescued him, after almost drowning him in the attempt, they had to be towed by the Royal Navy because one of their pontoons broke due to the rough sea.

In March 1944, he was promoted to Major, and in April his squadron received the P-51 Mustang. Preddy became the 487th’s temporary commander. During this time, he also became a flying ace when he shot down two more enemy planes. In July, with his third plane, Cripes A’ Mighty 3rd, he took down 4 more enemy planes.

On August 6, 1944, Preddy and his squadron were assigned to escort bombers over Hamburg, Germany. Even though he was fighting a hangover from a party the night before, Preddy was able to shoot down six enemy aircrafts, making him one of 38 pilots to become an “ace in a day.” His squadron set an eighth record for the Air Force for aerial victories in a single mission, with 24 enemy aircraft shot down. Preddy received the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the second highest honor given to the American Military. He got a 30 day leave for this and was welcomed back in Greensboro with open arms.

Returning to the fight in October, Preddy was made the commander of the 328th squadron, which under his leadership became one of the most successful squadrons in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.

During a mission on Christmas Day 1944, Preddy shot down two Nazis aircrafts, who were already in a dogfight with another squadron. While in pursuit of a third aircraft, he was hit by friendly fire from an American anti-aircraft group, which was aiming for a Fw 190 but hit Preddy’s P-51 instead. He was unable to escape his aircraft before it hit the ground. Due to the angle in which he hit the ground there was a chance he survived, but his wounds from the gun fire were mortal.

Preddy is buried in France in an American Military cemetery. His brother William, who was also a P-51 pilot, is buried next to George after he was killed by enemy anti-aircraft fire in April 1945. George Earl Preddy Jr. is credited as the third highest ace of the European Theater of Operations, he was the leading ace at the time of his death. With his P-51 Mustang, Cripes A’ Mighty, he shot down the most enemy aircraft of anyone in the war, making him the top P-51 ace of World War II and the eighth of highest scoring, American aces. He is ranked seventh of all American pilots in any war, with over 26 aerial victories.