The Capa Photograph
This is a photograph taken by Robert Capa, the famous combat photographer. The photograph was taken near the end of LRC's tour of duty in North Africa as evidenced by the ten victories indicated on the fuselage. This photo has appeared in many books, but is often incorrectly captioned. Most commonly these publications incorrectly identify LRC as a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain. The photograph probably became mislabeled following Capa's untimely death, but may also be related to the fact that LRC often wore a flying helmet of British manufacture.
LRC Enlists in the Army Air Corps
This is a photograph of the group of college students who enlisted as cadets in the Army Air Corps along with LRC in Syracuse, N.Y. LRC was in his junior year at Syracuse when he decided to enlist. He was convinced that war was going to occur soon, and that he wanted to be in the air and not on the ground. LRC had no flying experience prior to enlisting.
LRC as Aviation Cadet
A photo of LRC as an aviation cadet in Class 41G, Spring 1941 at Maxwell AFB,Alabama. When LRC and family were stationed at Maxwell AFBin the mid-fifties, we were quartered in the same facilities that had served as barracks for the cadets in WW II.
Newlyweds
A wonderful photograph of my parents on their
wedding day in Nofolk,Virginia.April 9, 1942. LRC married Jean Strong of Warwick, N.Y. They met in LRC's hometown of Cortland, N.Y. where she was teaching high school
Red Scarf Guerrillas 
"One-Man
Wave of Terror" (Book Excerpts)
This photo was taken in North Africa during LRC's
tour of duty withthe 33rd Fighter Group, also known as the "The Fighting Nomads". However, because of the tactics they were forced adopt to deal with superior Lufwaffe forces, parts of the unit became known as the "Red Scarf Guerillas".The group gained notoriety also for being led for a time by Phil Cochran, who served as the prototype hero for the "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip. I am still researching this photo, but the caption on the back states:Maneely, "the Boss", McBride, George Neal, "Little Dick" Coulter, leading me to believe that this picture was taken after LRC assumed command of the 60th Squadron of the 33rd Fighter Group. Cochran dubbed LRC his "One-Man Wave of Terror" for his aggressive and relentless pursuit
and attack of enemy targets.
LRC receives the Croix de Guerre
LRC was awarded the Croix de Guerre for action
on Dec. 22, 1942 southof Djeba Bou Dabouse, Tunisia in which he provided close air support and downed a Junkers-88 which was bombing French positions. The reproduced news wire photograph of the award ceremony is shown here with the captionas follows:"For their feats in aiding French troopers fighting in Tunisia, three American pilots of P-40 Warhawk airplanes are awared the Croix deGuerre by General Mendinal, commander of French air forces in North Africa, in a simple ceremony at an advanced base. The Americans are: left to right Col. William W. Momyer, Seattle, Wash. who shot down eight enemy planes; (unreadable for second pilot); and.....Levi R. Chase,
Cortland N.Y."
Flight logs from North African campaign. Each of these pages was scanned directly from duplicates in LRC's personal Form 5 file. Aerial victories are also recorded. Hit the back button on your browser to return here.
New
York Times Article detailing March 15th engagements
A dispatch to the New York Times from the Tunisian
front which details air engagements on and around March 15, 1943. LRC is
briefly mentioned for the downing of the Machi 202.
LRC
in Tunis
This is a photograph of LRC sent to me by George E. Dively, Jr., who is the historian for the33rd Fighter Group. He got the picture from Michael Cohen. The original caption for the photo was "Tunis, Africa, 1943. Major Chase, Capt. Gray, Major Bradley.....Feelin High". One might assume that the boys had claimed victory at a
local watering hole and were celebrating that they would soon to be headed stateside having completed their combat tour. My thanks go to George for sending the picture.
LRC
at home between combat tours
This photo was taken on Aug. 8, 1943 at 8 Maple Ave. Cortland, NY when LRC was back home from North Africa after becoming a ten victory ace (two kills were added later during his deployment to Burma). The officer on the left is Thomas J. O'Hara, Jr., the officer on the right is his brother, Richard K. O'Hara. Both were B-17 pilots.
The
Conquering Hero
LRC with kids from the old neighborhood in Cortland, N.Y. This photo was taken when LRC was home from North Africa. A big parade was held and there was a "Levi R. Chase, Jr. Day" to celebrate LRC's accomplishments during his tour in Tunisia with the 33rd Fighter Group.
Visiting
the Home Front
After returning from his combat tour in North Africa and taking some time for a well-deserved leave, LRC went on tour to help sell war bonds at numerous rallies. He also visited a number of war plants. Among these was a visit to the Curtiss aircraft factory in Buffalo, N.Y. where the P-40 Warhawks were manufactured. LRC was highly complimentary of the P-40'scharacteristics in combat, despite the age of the aircraft design and its inherent limitations. The P-40 was a rugged fighter, and it could outturn almost anything else in the air. This photograph accompanies a brief article in which LRC provides comments to the press on the progress of the war effort but cautions against complacency.
LRC with Phil Cochran and John Allison 
Praising the P-40
LRC is shown in the photo on the left with with Capt. John Allison and Col. Phil Cochran. Capt. Allison was a noted P-40 ace (ten victories in the China-Burma-India theatre), and LRC flew with Phil Cochran in North Africa. My best guess is that this photograph was taken when all three men toured the Curtiss-Wright aircraft factory in Buffalo, N.Y. The photo on the right accompanies a propoganda piece that covers the visit and also praises the P-40 as a fighter. All three officers shown here are founding inductees of the USAF Special Operations Hall of Fame for their service in the CBI theatre.
FighterJocks
at Leisure
LRC having dinner with his good friend, Captain Jim Gray, who flew with him in North Africa. I don't know the date or details of this picture, but my best guess is that it was taken between the North African combat tour and the deployment with the 2nd Air Commandos.
Since the discovery of the photo from Tunis (see above) I'm not entirely certain this photo might not have been shot in a restaraunt there.
LRC
at Cox's Bazaar.
This photo was taken sometime during Spring, 1945 at the 2nd Air Commando Group base at Cox's Bazaar in India. I believe
this picture was taken sometime after LRC assumed command of the 1st Provisional Fighter Group. Prior to this he had been the Operations Officer for the 2nd Air Commando Group.
P-51D of the 2nd Air Commandos
This photo shows a P-51D of the 1st Fighter Squadron of the Second AirComman dos. I'm fairly certain that LRC is not the pilot of this plane.Note that the 1st Sqdn. had black propeller spinners and the 2nd Sqdn.hadwhite spinners. Col. Robert Eason, in correspondence with
me, has indicatedthat LRC individualized his spinner by having it painted eit her red and blue or red, white and blue.
TheLongest Raid
LRC planned and led one of the longest (if not the longest) raids of WWII by fighter aircraft. Flying P-51 Mustangs from their base at Cox'sBazaar in India, the two squadrons of the 2nd Air Commando struck at Don Muang Airfield north of Bangkok for the first time on March 15, 1945. The raid covered over 1,500 miles (2413 km) round trip. The mission called for precise navigation and fuel management, but accomplished the task of deep penetration to strike at what were supposed to be secure rear staging areas for the remnants of the Japanese Air Force in the China-Burma-India theatre.The detailsof the raid and the Counter-Air campaign of the 2nd Air Commandos appear in the Spring 1994 issue of Air Enthusiast Magazine
by Edward Young. The fighter squadrons of the 2nd Air Commandos recieved a Distinguished Unit Citation for the raids on Don Muang Field and LRC was awarded the SilverStar for his role in planning and leading the mission.
Rescue of LRC from behind Japanese Lines (HTML page w/photo)
One of the most dramatic events of LRC's tour of duty in Burma was his rescue from deep behind enemy lines after he
was shot down by ground fire following a long-range penetration raid on Mwrabi. He managed to crash land his Mustang and escape serious injury. Meanwhile, unknown to him, several of his fellow pilots flew to land at the nearest base and comandeer a couple L-5 scout planes. They returned to the crash site, landed, and picked him up, saving him from being captured by nearby japanese patrols. The link above will take you to a first hand recounting of the incident which appeared in a confidential
intelligence summary. The story also eventually made its way into the newspapers. Click here to view a newspaper account of the rescue. The source paper of the article is unknown (it was rescued from a scrapbook). The pilots who rescued my father were Bobby Spann and Robert Eason. Mr. Eason spoke at LRC's funeral services in 1994, and it was a thrill for me to meet him. I hope both these men will always be remembered for the courage and initiative they showed in carrying out the rescue.
The House on Church Street
Following the conclusion of WWII, LRC was discharged from active duty in the Army Air Force and returned to his hometown of Cortland, N.Y. The family moved into a big house on Church Street. During this period LRC held several jobs and commuted to attend law school in Albany, N.Y. One of the most notable events of this period was his role in rescuing several college girls from a burning house across the street. Civilian life came to a conclusion when the Korean conflict broke out and LRC was called back to active service
Chase Boys
LRC with his three oldest boys, who were born during WWII and soon after; Geoffrey, Levi III, and Seth (l. to r.). Three more sons (Thomas, Philip, and Stephen) were born during and following the Korean Conflict.
