World War II
He was drafted into the army in 1941 and originally desired to become a cook. He eventually became an aviation cadet in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), where one of his instructors was future Senator Barry Goldwater.
After training, Dahlberg flew the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang with the USAAF 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group Ninth Air Force in Europe. A fighter ace, Dahlberg was credited with 14½ aerial victories.
He was shot down three times. The first time, he bailed out near Paris, and was sheltered by the French Resistance. Disguised as a woman, he rode a bicycle to Allied lines 40 miles (64 km) away.
He received numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a flight of 16 P-47 Thunderbolts (354th) against an attack of 70 German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters on December 19, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. Dahlberg accounted for four enemy planes that day, but was himself shot down. He was rescued by Martin Dardis and four other American soldiers. Many years after the war, both Dardis and Dahlberg would become key figures in the Watergate scandal.
On February 14, 1945, Dahlberg was downed for the third and final time, near Bitburg, and became a prisoner of war for the final three months of the war.
Continuing his military service after the war, Dahlberg served with the Minnesota Air National Guard until 1951.
Read more about this topic: Kenneth H. Dahlberg
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