Edwin A. Doss

Aviation Cadet Doss

After being commissioned as a second lieutenant on December 20, 1940, Doss's first military assignment was to the 41st squadron of the 31st Operations Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan.[13] There, he flew Seversky P-35 aircraft.[14] In April 1941, he was appointed squadron operations officer.[15][16]

On April 9, 1941, Doss's P-35 crashed due to mechanical failure in Selfridge Field. The plane was severely damaged.[17]

Lt. Col. Edwin A. Doss

In January 1942, Doss and his squadron were deployed to Port Moresby, New Guinea in the South West Pacific Theatre.[18] In June of that year, he was appointed commander of the 41st Pursuit Squadron, and by 1943, he was a major in the United States Army Air Corps.[19]

In August 1943, Doss became commander of the 35th Fighter Group,[20] and in November, Doss was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[21] In 1944, under Doss's command the 35th Fighter Group set a record for the longest fighter mission in the South West Pacific Theater.[22] After, the 35th Fighter Group continued into the Philippines. Under Doss's leadership, the group held a combat score of 397 victories and was the first fighter squadron to reach the Japanese mainland.[23]

After leading the 35th Fighter Group through the South West Pacific Theater from Lae, New Guinea to Okinawa, Japan, Doss was promoted to colonel in 1945.[24]

Doss's leadership as commander has been commended as integral to the advancement of long-range fighter tactics in the South West Pacific Theater.[25] His strategic leadership received mention in a booklet that was published by World War II combat pilots of the South West Pacific.[26]

Colonel Edwin A. Doss

Col. Doss (left) after mission

In March 1953, Doss was appointed as Commander of the 49th Fighter Wing at Kunsan, South Korea, where he flew a F-84G.[27] As a combat commander, he led the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing and then the 3rd Bombardment Wing, both at Kunsan, through the end of the Korean War. He returned to the United States in April 1954.[28][29]

Colonel Doss

After returning to the United States, Doss was appointed as senior Air Force advisor to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.[30] His next assignment was as vice commander of the 85th Air Defense Division at Andrews Air Force Base. He then served as deputy commander of the Washington Air Defense Sector at Fort Lee, Virginia until 1960, when he was appointed commander of the Bangor Air Defense Sector.[31] While serving as commander of the Bangor Air Defense Sector, he held the position of commander of the Bangor North American Air Defense Sector.[32]

In 1963, Doss was appointed deputy inspector general and inspector general of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) headquarters.[33] He served as head of the command liaison agency to the government of France at Paris from 1964 until 1966, and then deputy commander of the 25th Air Division at McChord Air Force Base until he retired from the Air Force in 1968.

Edwin A. Doss

• Pilots of the Fifth Air Force. “Fighter Combat Tactics in the Southwest Pacific Area.” Merriam Press, Vermont: 2007. ISBN 1-57638-017-3. 83 pages.
• Holmes, Tony, Ed.. “'Twelve to One' V Fighter Command Aces of the Pacific War”. Oxford, Great Britain: Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-784-0. 129 pages.
• Wistrand, R. B. Pacific Sweep: A Pictorial History of the Fifth Air Force Fighter Command. F.H. Johnson, 1945. ASIN: B000ZUS7DW.
• Futrell, Robert F. “The United States Air Force in Korea 1950-1953.” Government Printing Office: 2007. ISBN 0-16-048879-6.