blood red skies us ace pilot philip kirkwoodJersey born Philip Leroy Kirkwood won fame when he became an Ace in a day during furious aerial combat around Okinawa in April 1945. As an aerial armada of Kamikaze aircraft attempted to overwhelm the US fleet Kirkwood personally accounted for six enemy aircraft, often diving into the flak from the Navy vessels under attack in order to prevent the Kamikazes making their final dive. Kirkwood was awarded the Navy cross for his heroism on that day and