Perry John Dahl (February 18, 1923) was a United States Air Force colonel and a flying ace, who was credited in destroying 9 enemy aircraft in aerial combat during World War II. Early life Born on February 18, 1923, in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada, Dahl and his family immigrated to the United States, where they settled in Seattle, Washington. He attended three years of high school before enlisting in the military. Military career On June 17, 1940, Dahl enlisted in the Washington National Guard and after completion of training, was assigned to the 41st Infantry Division. In the aftermath the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on September 26, 1942. On June 22, 1943, he was awarded his pilot wings and was commissioned as a second lieutenant at Williams Field in Arizona. World War II After the completion of training in the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Dahl was assigned to the 55th Fighter Group at Tumwater, Washington. In October 1943, he was sent to the South West Pacific theatre where he was assigned to the 432d Fighter Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group at Dobodura Airfield in New Guinea. Flying P-38 Lightnings in aerial combat, Dahl scored his first aerial victory in his first mission on November 9, 1943, when he shot a Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" while escorting A-20 Havocs and B-25 Mitchells on a strike against a Japanese airfield in Alexishafen. On December 22, he shot down another Zero over Wewak, his second aerial victory. On January 23, 1944, he scored his third aerial victory after shooting down a Zero over Wewak and on February 24, Dahl took off from Nadzab on a mission against the Japanese-held Momote Airfield. Due to bad weather, he was forced to turn back from the mission and diverted to an airfield in Cape Gloucester and while landing, his P-38 collided with a B-24 Liberator on the runway. In April 1944, he was promoted to the rank of captain and became operations officer of the 479th FG. On April 3, during a mission over Hollandia, Dutch East Indies, he shot down a Zero and a Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar", bringing his total to five aerial victories and hence earning the title of flying ace. He shot down another Oscar, his sixth aerial victory, on June 8. The 475th FG moved to