Captain Edward "Ed" H. Mikes, Jr.
506th Fighter Group (506th FG), 458th Fighter Squadron (458th FS)
P-51 Mustang pilot

Background
Edward "Ed" H. Mikes, Jr. was born 1921 in Berwyn, Illinois. He graduated high school and worked as a clerk.

Wartime History
On April 1, 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an private with serial number 16077426.He attended flight school, earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Assigned to the 20th Air Force (20th AF), 506th Fighter Group (506th FG), 458th Fighter Squadron (458th FS) as a fighter pilot based at North Field on Iwo Jima flying Very Long Range (VLR) over Japan. Assigned P-51D "Mrs. Beak" 44-72561 after his wife as a play on the fact he had a long nose.

On June 10, 1945 took off on a Very Long Range (VLR) mission against Japan and claimed an aerial victory.

On August 3, 1945 took off piloting P-51D "Mrs. Beak" 44-72561 on a on a Very Long Range (VLR) against targets in the Tokyo area of Japan. Over the target area, "Green Flight" targeted Chofu Airfield but saw no targets and instead followed double railroad tracks towards the coast before spotting two tanks west of Atsugi. Mikes and Sowers strafed them from the rear and as they passed, Mikes saw machine gun batteries firing on them and swung to fire on them but was hit by anti-aircraft fire that caused a thin stream of white smoke. Damaged, he ditched into Sagami Bay and was later rescued by USS Aspro (SS-309).

Aerial Victory Claims
Mikes was officially credited one aerial victories on June 10, 1945 over Japan.

Victory	Date	Location	Aircraft	Notes on claim
1	06/10/45	Japan		First aerial victory claim.

Relatives
Donna Mikes Musil (daughter)
Susan Mikes Cronkhite (daughter)

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Edward H. Mikes, Jr.
USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical (Mikes, Edward H. Jr. / 458 FS / CP / 1.00 10/06/45) page 133 (PDF page 140), Victory Credits, Alphabetical by Theater of Ops: (Mikes, Edward H. Jr. / 458 FS / CP / 1.00 10/06/45 page 214 (PDF page 220), Victory Credits, Chronological: (Mikes, Edward H. Jr. / 458 FS / CP / 1.00 10/06/45) page 515 (PDF page 520), Victory Credits, Listing by Unit: 458th FS (Mikes, Edward H. Jr. / 458 FS / CP / 1.00 10/06/45) page 660 (PDF page 664)
"The 458th Fighter Squadron: A Personal Scrapbook for the officers and enlisted men of the squadron"
("A" Flight: "Capt. Edward H. Mikes, Asst. F/CO / A/C No. 552 / 'Mrs. Beak' "
(Air Echelon: 1st Lt. Edward H. Mikes, Jr."
Pacific Air Combats WWII Voices From The Past (1993) by Henry Sakaida The Rescue of Ed Mikes pages 81-89, 81 (Mikes photo), 82 (Mrs. Beak depiction), 89 (1991 Mikes/Morioka reunion photo), 93 (map)
The Pineapple Air Force (1990) pages 190, 191, 212 (index Mikes)
Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War (2006) page 11 (photo), 47 (profile 25), 115, 123 (aerial claims), 126, 128 (index Mikes)
Fold3 - Edward H Mikes Jr
The Rescue of Ed Mikes (2020) by Henry Sakaida and Donna Mikes Musil
Thanks to Henry Sakaida and Donna Mikes Musil for additional information

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