George Chamberlain Duncan (11 February 1917 – 15 December 1995) was a highly decorated United States Navy officer, World War Two veteran and flying ace.

Born in Tacoma, Washington, he was credited with destroying 13+1⁄2 enemy aircraft and was awarded the Navy Cross during World War II.

[3] Along with two others from the West Virginia he applied for and undertook flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida from September 1941 until 13 March 1942.

[3] After graduating from Pensacola he was assigned to fly Curtiss SOC Seagull observation seaplanes on the heavy cruiser USS Louisville (CA-28) on which he served in 1942 and 1943.

[2] When the number of seaplanes assigned to the ship was reduced from four to two, creating a surplus of pilots, Duncan found himself allocated to flying a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina during which he undertook spotting duties during the bombardment of Munda in the Solomon Islands.

He caught malaria which he later expressed gratitude for as he was sent back to the United States, where he undertook operational training on Grumman F4F Wildcats in Florida to transition to fighters.

[3] Following his graduation in mid-1943 he was assigned to the newly created Fighter Squadron VF-15 which was commissioned under the command of David McCampbell in Atlantic City on 1 September 1943.

[5] Also in June he and the rest of the squadron made a concentrated strafing attack on a Fubuki-class destroyer, which eventually caused it to sink, despite the aircraft using only 0.50 cal machine guns.

[2] Besides escort duties he flew close air support missions during which his Hellcat was armed with a single bomb and in addition on occasion, 5-inch rockets.

[3] During combat off Cape Engaño on the morning of 25 October 1944, Duncan led VF-15 in an attack against Imperial Japanese Navy warships in the Sibuyan Sea.

[8] Following the end of the war Duncan remained in the navy, having in March 1945 enrolled to study aeronautical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School at Annapolis, Maryland.

During this period his prototype Vought XF6U-1 fighter hit the ground during a take-off, while on another test flight he was forced in 1949 to belly a XF6U-1 into the Chesapeake Bay in 1949.

Duncan then returned to normal duty serving two tours in the Korean War, both with VF-51 during its deployment aboard the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge (CVA-45), the second as its commanding officer.

He was popular with the wives of naval personnel stationed in Japan as the ship could be used to transport their shopping back from trips to Hong Kong.

Alert and aggressive while leading his division in a hazardous fighter sweep against the enemy, Lieutenant Commander Duncan courageously intercepted a group of hostile planes and, pressing home his assaults with grim determination, personally shot down one medium enemy bomber and rendered invaluable assistance to a fellow pilot in destroying another during this engagement.

Subsequently attacked by a vastly superior force of Japanese fighters, he skillfully maneuvered his plane for maximum striking power and, despite the tremendous odds, succeeded in blasting two of the hostile craft from the sky and in damaging a third.

By his inspiring leadership, resolute courage and unwavering devotion to duty throughout, Lieutenant Commander Duncan contributed materially to the success of his squadron and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service[1]The Navy Cross was awarded on 16 December 1944.

The citation reads: “For extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron FIFTEEN (VF-15), attached to the U.S.S.

ESSEX (CV-9), in action against enemy Japanese surface forces over the Sibuyan Sea during the Battle for Leyte Gulf in the Philippine Islands on 25 October 1944.

Undaunted by hostile anti-aircraft fire, Lieutenant Commander Duncan carried out an attack against major units of the Japanese Fleet, scoring a direct bomb hit to assist in sinking an enemy carrier, and contributing to the success of the mission.

By his skill as an airman and devotion to duty throughout, Lieutenant Commander Duncan upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”[1]The Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded on 26 August 1947.

The citation reads: “For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as Pilot of a Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron FIFTEEN (VF-15), attached to the U.S.S.

His courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”[1]Footage of Duncan's crash on the Midway has been used in several movies, including Men of the Fighting Lady (realistically as an F9F, being flown by Keenan Wynn), Midway (where the SBD Dauntless flown by Charlton Heston transforms into an SB2C Helldiver in the approach sequence and then crashes as a Panther), and The Hunt for Red October (standing in for an F-14 Tomcat).