San Diego, California. (January 1, 2024): The greatest fighter ace in American history kept his exploits a secret from everyone… for 50 years. Retired Captain E. Royce Williams (above) was awarded the Navy Cross this week for his actions as a fighter jock during the Korean War. His solo dogfight with seven Soviet MiG-15s has been called "one of the greatest feats in aviation history" by military experts. Unfortunately for Captain Williams, he would not be able to tell his story for decades for national security reasons.
It was November 18, 1952, when the National Security Agency, using a variety of eavesdropping technologies, listened in on Soviet Navy communications and learned they were sending fighters south to observe the American aircraft carrier USS Oriskany which was operating in the Sea of Japan. Captain Williams and his comrades were dispatched to intercept the MiGs but, to keep the Soviet Union from learning how good their covert listening systems were, the NSA demanded they erase all traces of the resulting dogfight.
US Intelligence reports believed the MiGs were seeking revenge after Williams and other American aircraft had conducted an attack in northeastern North Korea near the Soviet border, early that morning.
Once airborne, two of the four U.S. planes developed mechanical issues that forced them to return to the carrier leaving Williams and his wingman, Dave Rowlands, to defend the carrier against the incoming MiGs.
After a MiG fired on Williams, the longest solo aerial dogfight in history was underway. When his wingman’s guns jammed, Williams found himself alone surrounded by seven enemy fighters. In the thirty plus minute battle that ensued, Williams shot down four of the MiGs while another crashed on its way back to its base in Vladivostok, Russia.
Williams’ plane was so severely damaged in the encounter that it could only pitch up and down and had to perform a high-speed landing to prevent stalling. Repair crews reported his plane was peppered with 263 holes.
As it turns out, the MiGs were not flown by North Koreans, or Chinese, but by Soviet pilots flying out of Vladivostok. Captain Williams was told never to speak of the incident to anyone—his squadron mates or even his wife. For nearly 50 years, only Williams and a few people in the Pentagon, the NSA, the White House, and Soviet Union knew what had happened that day.
Williams, now ninety-seven, received the Silver Star for his actions that day. This week, that award was upgraded to the Navy Cross, the service’s highest military decoration.
Captain Williams went on to serve in Vietnam and retired in 1975.