Edward F. Rector

Edward "Ed" F. Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a Colonel in the United States Air Force, a fighter ace, and a member of the Flying Tigers.

Early years

Rector, a native of Marshall, North Carolina, graduated from Catawba College in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator. He was a carrier pilot on the Ranger, based in Norfolk, when he was recruited for the American Volunteer Group, the official name of the Flying Tigers. The unit was formed with the financial backing of the Chinese government to help defend the Burma Road and Chinese cities from Japanese attack before the United States entered the war.

At War

On December 10, 1941 Rector was part of a 3 plane photo reconnaissance mission from Rangoon to Bangkok. On December 20 when the Flying Tigers engaged in combat for the first time during a raid by Hanoi-based Japanese aircraft on the Chinese city of Kunming. Ed provided the AVG with its first aerial victory and would later record the last in a long list of 23rd Fighter Group air-to-air kills.Hill, "Tex" Hill: Flying Tiger, p. 64 In May 1942, he played a critical role in locating and attacking Japanese military columns attempting a push into China at the Salween River Gorge. This allowed the Chinese time to blow up a key bridge across the river, and the Japanese subsequently retreated into...
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