Training and mobilization

On December 6, 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hagerstrom went to Iowa City and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) Aviation Cadet program. He was sent to Fort Des Moines, and was inducted into the USAAF on January 15. He and other new inductees were then sent to Minter Field in Bakersfield, California, for paperwork and more physical examinations, and were sent north to Visalia for primary training on January 23.^[2] The class (which wore coveralls and other civilian attire owing to a lack of military uniforms)^[5] first trained in PT-22 Recruits. Hagerstrom's previous flying experience allowed him to undertake an accelerated program before moving back to Minter Field for basic flight training in BT-13 Valiants. His older brother Robert happened to be in basic flight training at the same time, and they were together for six weeks. After this phase, Hagerstrom and his classmates went to Luke Field near Phoenix, Arizona, where he underwent advanced flight training in the AT-6 Texan. On July 26, 1942, he graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, receiving his wings from Brigadier General Ennis Whitehead.^[2]

Hagerstrom flew the P-40 Warhawk in World War II.

Hagerstrom was posted to active duty with the 20th Pursuit Group and sent to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and then to Pinellas Army Air Field, near St. Petersburg, Florida, flying the P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Warhawk. In late September he was assigned to the 8th Fighter Squadron (8th FS) of the 49th Fighter Group (49th FG) and sent to San Francisco, California. Hagerstrom was temporarily given the duty of quarters officer, and he arranged for the group of forty second lieutenants to stay at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. After processing at Fort Mason, they sailed on the Norwegian troopship M/V Torrens to Hawaii along with 1,500 other personnel, including the headquarters of the Fifth Air Force (5th AF). They stayed for a short time at Hickam Field, near Pearl Harbor, before leaving again, this time as part of a naval task force. Near the end of October, they broke off from the task force and sailed with a destroyer escort to Suva, Fiji, for an overnight stop before heading towards Australia. A corvette from the Royal Australian Navy took over the escort until it arrived in Townsville, Queensland. Initially there was no one to greet the Americans and nowhere to house the 5th AF commanders besides some barracks at RAAF Base Garbutt. Eventually Brigadier General Paul Wurtsmith of the 5th AF organized a refresher session for the new pilots, and they learned from experienced combat aviators at Charters Towers Airfield.^[7]

New Guinea

Hagerstrom joined the rest of the 8th FS at Kila Airfield, near Port Moresby, Territory of Papua, to fight in the New Guinea campaign. He flew several missions out of Kila in the P-40, all without seeing combat. The 8th FS then relocated in early April 1943 to Dobodura Airfield, near Popondetta, to rejoin the rest of the 49th FG. Shortly after, Hagerstrom was promoted to first lieutenant. His first combat experience—and aerial victory—came on April 11, when he joined a fight over Oro Bay with several Japanese A6M Zeros. His first attempt at taking a shot at a Zero failed because his guns were switched off, but he later shot down a Zero that was trailing two P-38 Lightning fighters. He returned to base with little fuel to spare.^[8]

While at Dobodura, the 8th FS mainly escorted C-47 Skytrains airdropping supplies to ground troops below,^[10] and Hagerstrom was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his work during this period.^[1] At the end of August 1943,^[11] the squadron was moved to Tsili Tsili Airfield in the Territory of New Guinea, hastily and covertly constructed in July on recently captured territory. Although it was not known whether the surrounding area was clear of Japanese forces, the airstrip was not attacked after two raids on August 15 and 16 that did little damage.^[10][12] The 8th FS switched to escorting B-25 Mitchell and A-20 Havoc bombers but saw little action themselves. The pilots saw more combat when they began escorting the high-altitude B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers; the unit was often low on fuel and other supplies as a result of being at the end of a long supply chain.^[10]

On October 5, Hagerstrom led one of two formations to intercept an approaching Ki-46 "Dinah" reconnaissance aircraft over Finschhafen. He chased the plane for twelve minutes, climbing at full throttle to 18,000 feet (5,500 m)^[13] before getting within firing range. He was able to damage the Dinah's left engine, wing root, and fuselage. The engine exploded and sprayed what Hagerstrom guessed to be hydraulic fluid onto his plane, causing him eye irritation. He pursued the crippled aircraft until it hit the water.^[9] After a malfunction with his navigational instruments, he had to find his way back to the airfield by following the Markham River. The plane was running low on fuel, night had fallen, and Tsili Tsili was in blackout due to another enemy reconnaissance plane in the area, so Hagerstrom had to estimate the airstrip's location but landed safely.^[14] Later that month, heavy rainfall made the airstrip too muddy to allow the co-located P-38s to take off, and the 8th FS was relocated 50 miles (80 km) north to Gusap Airfield.^[13] Soon after, Hagerstrom contracted malaria and was sent to Australia for three weeks to recover.^[5][14]

On January 23, 1944, Hagerstrom was leading a flight of four aircraft assisting P-38 Lightnings to escort bombers near Wewak.^[15][16] They encountered 10–15 enemy aircraft, and he and his wingman, John Bodak, dove on a group of Zeros that were pursuing four P-38s; Hagerstrom shot down one of the aircraft. He took a shot at another Zero but missed, and was in turn targeted by a Zero on his tail. Bodak destroyed this plane, and Hagerstrom shot down a Zero that was tailing his wingman. He got a third Zero and then went to the assistance of several P-38s who had started a Lufbery circle defensive maneuver. Hagerstrom fired a short burst at one of the pursuing Japanese planes, a Ki-61 "Hien". He followed the damaged aircraft and gave it another burst at short range, causing it to catch fire and crash. Hagerstrom and Bodak damaged several more Zeros before running out of ammunition. Hagerstrom returned home with four victories for a total of six, making him an ace.^[17] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his "extraordinary heroism" during the engagement.^[1] By this time in the war, much of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service's small, elite pilot corps had been killed in battle, and the Japanese lacked the time and resources to properly train enough replacement airmen. By the end of 1943 most of the surviving Japanese pilots were poorly trained and equipped, while the U.S. had all along concentrated on training a large pool of pilots to an adequate standard.^[18] In early February, Hagerstrom received orders to return home^[19] from New Guinea, which he called a "terrible place" due to the poor conditions.^[5] He had flown 170 combat missions comprising 350 hours^[20] and destroyed six enemy aircraft.^[15]

Preparation and first two victories (1952)

North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre of 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing

Hagerstrom, keen for any edge that would give him the chance to be an ace in two wars, prepared extensively for flying in Korea. He studied gun sights^[30] and intelligence reports on the MiG-15, and he made metric conversion tables to allow him to patrol altitudes where MiGs commonly flew.^[28] He got a pair of moccasin boots lined with felt and a silk-lined flight suit for winter insulation,^[31] and he obtained special half-mirrored sunglasses that allowed him to see twice as clearly as normal, at the risk of permanently ruining his eyes.^[32] The Air Force issued its pilots a standard survival kit for their aircraft, to which he added 30 days' worth of food (including 10 pounds [4.5 kg] of rice), a camp stove, maps, a monocular, a radio, sulfa,^[33] and a sleeping bag he had vacuum-packed into a tin can.^[34] He also obtained a .22 Hornet rifle issued to Strategic Air Command, because he thought the standard .45 caliber pistol would be ineffective against patrols with rifles. If he had to bail out over enemy territory, he planned to fight off any patrols searching for him, and then hike 10 miles (16 km) a day toward the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. According to Hagerstrom, this obsessive preparation helped him control his fear: "the difference between panic and fear is pretty tight, and you can spread that line a bit by having one last chance".^[33]

Hagerstrom flew an F-86 Sabre nicknamed "MiG Poison" in the Korean War. The reproduction pictured here is on display at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Upon arrival in Korea, Hagerstrom was assigned to the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the Fifth Air Force's 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing (18th FBW).^[35] At this time, the 4th and 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wings were the only units equipped with F-86 Sabres,^[36] but Hagerstrom was able to convince his commander to let him and several other officers fly these aircraft, despite not being in the designated wings. Hagerstrom registered the 18th FBW's first victory of the war on November 21, 1952, about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Yalu River. The MiG pilot Hagerstrom was shooting at ejected just before his plane exploded.^[35] Hagerstrom was separated from his wingman and no one witnessed the action, so Kimpo Air Base group commander Royal N. Baker refused to confirm it unless he had good film from his gun camera. This proved unnecessary when Baker confirmed the victory after spotting a piece of the exploded MiG embedded in Hagerstrom's F-86.^[37] The engagement earned him a second Distinguished Flying Cross, this time with a "V" device, for "courage, tenacity, superior tactical skill and marksmanship".^[1]

On December 24, Hagerstrom led a group of jets that attacked three MiGs in formation just south of the Yalu near the Sup'ung Dam. Twenty more MiGs arrived from Manchuria, and Hagerstrom managed to damage three enemy aircraft while being chased as far south as the Chongchon River.^[38][39]

The next day, Hagerstrom was to have the day off for Christmas, but he still wanted more action: "I tried to get some of the men to trade with me—I'm not on the schedule today—but with weather like this, they know there are MiGs up there near the Yalu. No one was willing to trade his mission for my day off."^[40] He was able to talk his superiors into giving him a mission, and he ended up getting the only confirmed "kill" of the day^[40] when the MiG he was chasing spun out of control at an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,000 m), so high that Hagerstrom did not fire for fear of stalling. The pilot ejected, most likely dying of exposure to the −20 °F (−29 °C) temperatures.^[28][35]

Ace status (1953)

In January 1953, Hagerstrom was transferred to Osan Air Base to help the rest of the pilots of the 18th FBW transition from F-51s to F-86s,^[41] beginning on January 28. Despite cold weather and a limited number of instructor pilots,^[36] the wing's 125 pilots^[41] were trained in the F-86 in under a month. On February 3, Hagerstrom was named commander of the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron,^[42] and on February 25 he was part of the 18th FBW's first patrol in Sabre jets.^[36] He was chasing two MiGs when he noticed a third attacking another F-86; he engaged and shot it down flying very low over Mukden, China. Low on fuel, he had just enough to land and park the aircraft back at Osan,^[35][43] and he later received the Distinguished Flying Cross for the third time.^[1]

On March 13, Hagerstrom and his wingman Elmer N. Dunlap came across two MiGs, the first of which Hagerstrom, by his own account, "shot the daylights out of".^[44] He fired at the second until he ran out of ammunition, and the remaining MiG was leaking fuel and its engine had stopped. Hagerstrom told Dunlap to "finish off" the crippled plane, and the MiG's pilot bailed over the enemy's Antung Airfield.^[45] That mission gave Hagerstrom a total of 4.5 victories, just short of the five kills needed for ace status. Knowing that he was likely to be transferred out soon, he became even more determined to get another victory, giving a speech to his men on March 27:^[46]

Gentlemen, I've been living on coffee. I haven't been sleeping. I've got to do this thing. I'm gonna do it, and if you don't want to go with me, that's fine, I'll understand. We are going to go up there and give it one good college try south of the Yalu, and if we don't scare anything up, I'm going after them today.

That day, Hagerstrom snuck up behind six MiGs, fired on one, and by "sheer ass luck ... knocked his wing tip off".^[48] He kept up the chase, shooting short bursts, until the pilot, Chinese ace Wang Hai,^[49] ejected above his own base.^[47] On the way home, Hagerstrom destroyed another MiG, bringing the total to 6.5. He became the war's 28th ace and the first and only from the 18th FBW.^[45] After the engagement, he was awarded the Silver Star for "his outstanding ability and gallantry in the face of enemy opposition".^[1]

Hagerstrom scored another victory on April 13, when he fired a long burst at a single MiG flying at 49,000 feet (15,000 m). The plane burst into flames and went down near the Chongchon River. In early May, he learned that he was to return to the U.S.^[50] On his last day in Korea, May 16, he was waiting for a Military Air Transport Service plane to become available for his flight out to Tachikawa Airfield in Japan^[51] when he got a call from a friend who said he needed four planes in the air.^[50] He said, "I got tired of the inaction, so I posted the name 'Sam Kratz' on the flight board and went out as a regular combat officer and not as a squadron commander as on other missions."^[52] Hagerstrom took off, still wearing his blue dress uniform instead of a flight suit, and the flight soon came across the formation of 24 MiGs. He pretended to have communication difficulties to prevent the mission from being recalled because they were heavily outnumbered. When the MiGs turned and headed toward the safety of Chinese airspace, Hagerstrom attacked one of the planes and followed it into a dive, firing short bursts. After his target crashed, he pulled out and the flight and headed back to base, reporting the large number of MiGs. During the debriefing, his commanding officer interrupted and assured Hagerstrom that he would be on the next C-54 Skymaster flight out, before he could take another risky flight.^[50] He was awarded his eleventh Air Medal in the form of a second silver oak leaf cluster for courage during the flight.^[1] The mission gave him 8.5 victories for the war^[53] in 101 missions.^[54]

Attitude toward combat

Like many other aces, Hagerstrom had an aggressive attitude toward his missions. In his book Officers in Flight Suits, historian John Darrell Sherwood calls this a "flight suit attitude", which he defines as "a sense of self-confidence and pride that verged on arrogance" where "status was based upon flying ability, not degrees, rank, or 'officer' skills".^[55] He believes this is why Hagerstrom frequently butted heads with military bureaucrats and never became a general himself.^[6] Determined to be at full mental capacity during missions, he never drank, unlike most other pilots, some of whom flew while hungover or left Korea as alcoholics.^[56] He was critical of pilots who wanted to just complete their requisite 100 missions and avoid conflict and danger; he was twice abandoned by his wingman during a fight.^[57] Hagerstrom enjoyed the adrenaline rush of combat^[58] and would put himself at more risk in an effort to shoot down more planes. He would fly into Chinese airspace despite it being forbidden by United Nations Command, and on one mission he buzzed Antung Airfield by flying near the speed of sound at an altitude of 15 feet (4.6 m) in an attempt to draw the MiGs into the air because U.S. pilots were not allowed to attack planes on the ground in China.^[59]

The F-86 bases were near Seoul, South Korea, which was 200 miles (320 km) from where they would patrol in MiG Alley. Getting there used so much fuel that they were supposed to spend only twenty minutes flying around the Yalu in search of MiGs, but Hagerstrom did his own calculations and determined he could make it back to base with 600 pounds (270 kg) of fuel—half of the recommended minimum. He had to set an alarm to remind himself when to head back, but he often went beyond that, once running out of gas just after landing.^[60] Unlike all the other American aces, who were in fighter-interceptor units, Hagerstrom was in a fighter-bomber squadron but found aerial combat by dropping his bombs as quickly as possible and flying to where he was likely to encounter MiGs.^[61]

Regarding shooting down planes, Hagerstrom focused on the machine rather than the human in the aircraft, saying "I never shot directly at the pilot, nor did I shoot anyone dangling from a parachute." He had a similar response whenever a fellow American or allied pilot was killed: he thought about the technical aspects of the death and how it could be prevented in the future, rather than grieving the loss of a friend.^[62] During World War II, he said, "There is no emotion like is shown in the movies. They just say, 'Tough luck.'"^[20]