1. Philip Gerald Cochran was born on in Erie, Pennsylvania; January 29,1910 - August 26,1979 and was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Army Air Forces.
18 Facts About Philip Cochran
1. 2.
Philip Cochran became famous during the war as the model for the character Flip Corkin, a character in the comic strip Terry and the Pirates.
3.
Later, Philip Cochran became the model for another character in the Caniff comic strip Steve Canyon.
4.
Philip Cochran's character was named General Philerie; a combination of his first name, Phil, and his hometown, Erie.
5.
Major Philip Cochran led the 33rd Fighter Group's "advanced attrition" fighter planes and replacement pilots to the North African campaign.
6.
Philip Cochran's men called themselves the "Joker Squadron" because the squadron had been designated as "J Squadron" in the plan for the landings in North Africa.
7.
Philip Cochran destroyed telegraph wires by flying over them with a lead weight on the end of a wire attached to the wing of his pursuit plane, a tactic he employed later in Burma.
8.
Philip Cochran got lost during the night operation, and dropped the paratroopers in the wrong direction from the bridge; most of them were killed or captured.
9.
On one occasion, Philip Cochran clashed with General Henri Giraud, commander of French forces in North Africa.
10.
Philip Cochran was awarded the Croix de Guerre medal by the French government.
11.
Philip Cochran ordered the 1st Air Commando to support ground troops without reservation: his sense of humor, aggressiveness, and willingness to risk his planes and pilots in daring support missions soon won the admiration of many officers and men of the Indian Army, who, up to that point, experienced lackluster support from hard-pressed Royal Air Force squadrons.
12.
In particular, the news Philip Cochran would make light planes and gliders available to evacuate wounded men from combat greatly-increased the morale of the long-range jungle penetration forces.
13.
Philip Cochran was director of aerial scenes in the Howard Hughes film Jet Pilot starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh.
14.
Philip Cochran eventually retired from the USAAF, returning home to Erie, Pennsylvania, US.
15.
Philip Cochran dated actress Betty White in the early 1960s after being introduced by Jack Paar.
16.
Philip Cochran became active in charitable organizations such as the Pennsylvania Heart Association.
17.
Philip Cochran was a consistent supporter for Erie's Gannon University, and attended many USAAF reunions.
18.
Philip Cochran died of a heart attack while fox hunting in Geneseo, New York, in 1979.