Edward S. Michael

Edward Stanley Michael (May 2, 1918 – May 10, 1994) was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Early life Edward S. Michael was born at Chicago, Illinois, 2 May 1918. He was the son of Stanley W. Michael and Lillian Harriet Konior Michael. He graduated from Chicago High School in 1936 and joined the Army Air Corps from his birth city of Chicago, Illinois in November 1940.

World War II In 1941, private Michael was transferred to Wheeler Field, Hawaii to train as a mechanic. At first he failed the aviation cadet examination and was preparing to retake it when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. In mid 1942 he was accepted for a pilot training and on 12 April 1943 he received a commissioning and his pilot wings at Douglas Army Air Field, Arizona. left Lieutenant Edward S. Michael's B-17 Flying Fortress, Bertie Lee, at RAF Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, 11 April 1944. (U.S. Air Force)By April 1944 he was a first lieutenant piloting B-17 Flying Fortresses with the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bombardment Group. He named his aircraft after his first wife, Bertie Lee. On 11 April, while flying a mission over Germany, his aircraft was singled out by enemy fighters and severely damaged by their cannon fire. As flames burned in the plane's bomb bay, Michael, who had been seriously wounded, ordered his crew to bail out. Finding that one crewman's parachute was unusable, he returned to the controls and managed to evade the enemy fighters and heavy anti-aircraft fire to fly his bomber into Allied territory. He lost consciousness due to blood loss from his wounds, but awoke in time to make a successful crash landing on English soil. All of the seven crewmembers who escaped from the aircraft were captured by the Germans and held as prisoners of war. Distinguished Flying Cross Citation

"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Edward Stanley Michael, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while serving as Pilot of a B-17 aircraft with the 364th Bombardment Squadron, 305th Bombardment Group (H), Eighth Air Force, in action against the enemy on twenty five bombardment missions over enemy occupied Continental Europe during World War II. Displaying great courage and skill, Lieutenant Michael has materially aided in the success of each of the twenty-five missions and his actions are an inspiring example for his fellow flyers. The courage, coolness and skill displayed by Lieutenant Michael on all these occasions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States."

Awards and decorations