4th Fighter Group pilot 1Lt. Ralph K. Hofer taxies his P-51B Mustang, nicknamed Salem Representative, along the 334th FS line towards the West runway for an escort mission in late June, 1944. The 22-year-old ace hailed from Salem, Missouri. Finding his way into the war via crossing the border and joining the Royal Canadian Air Force for training, he quickly established himself as a born hunter by downing his first enemy aircraft on his very first mission! This almost unheard of feat for a pilot new to combat flying wasn’t an anomaly in his career as Hofer went on to become a triple ace, officially credited with 15 aerial victories over his 286 combat hours and 74.5 operational sorties. At the time, a tour in fighters was 300 hours.
His aggressive nature, combined with a youthful exuberance, sometimes found him returning early from a mission for mechanical reasons only to grab another Mustang to fly his own solo sweeps over enemy territory, shooting at targets of opportunity. Needless to say, he was in constant hot water with his superiors. Hofer was, in the end, destined to remain forever the big smiling prewar Golden Gloves boxer and fearless fighter ace as he was killed in action on July 2, 1944, crashing his Mustang into the very gun emplacement that shot him down(!) at Mostar-Sud airfield, Yugoslavia during Operation FRANTIC II. His combat awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with six oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with four OLC, the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm, a Presidential Unit Citation, and the Purple Heart.
Completed 2019
Collection of Gary Joiner
4th Fighter Group pilot 1Lt. Ralph K. Hofer taxies his P-51B Mustang, nicknamed Salem Representative, along the 334th FS line towards the West runway for an escort mission in late June, 1944. The 22-year-old ace hailed from Salem, Missouri. Finding his way into the war via crossing the border and joining the Royal Canadian Air Force for training, he quickly established himself as a born hunter by downing his first enemy aircraft on his very first mission! This almost unheard of feat for a pilot new to combat flying wasn’t an anomaly in his career as Hofer went on to become a triple ace, officially credited with 15 aerial victories over his 286 combat hours and 74.5 operational sorties. At the time, a tour in fighters was 300 hours.
His aggressive nature, combined with a youthful exuberance, sometimes found him returning early from a mission for mechanical reasons only to grab another Mustang to fly his own solo sweeps over enemy territory, shooting at targets of opportunity. Needless to say, he was in constant hot water with his superiors. Hofer was, in the end, destined to remain forever the big smiling prewar Golden Gloves boxer and fearless fighter ace as he was killed in action on July 2, 1944, crashing his Mustang into the very gun emplacement that shot him down(!) at Mostar-Sud airfield, Yugoslavia during Operation FRANTIC II. His combat awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross with six oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with four OLC, the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm, a Presidential Unit Citation, and the Purple Heart.