Symposium Ace Panelist
Lt. Col. A T House
Colonel “A T” House was born in San Francisco, California on August 8th, 1917. He graduated from Long Beach High School in 1935 and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1935. When Private House finished boot camp, he was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, where he served as part of a gun crew on the side deck. In 1936 he served aboard the USS Lexington; during the period when the carrier was part of the Amelia Earhart search convoy. The majority of his tour with the US Marine Corps was with the Carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). The young Marine Private served as an orderly for the newly promoted Rear Admiral William “Bull” Halsey for 3 years before being honorably discharged from the US Marines in 1939 with a 4.0 rating (highest possible rating). Fleet Admiral Bull Halsey always took a liking to “A T”, and their paths would cross many times as the “Winds of War” approached.
He re-enlisted in the U.S. Army in September of 1940 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. on March 5th 1941, graduating as a pilot on December 12th, 1941 at Stockton Field, California. As war became reality on December 7th, 1941, 2nd Lt. House was assigned to the 35th Pursuit Group Headquarters under the Command of future General Casey Vincent with orders to set sail for India via Australia. Due to the sinking of the USS Langley House was re-assigned to the newly formed 49th Fighter Group and was assigned to 7th Fighter Squadron.
“A T”’s first combat would come on March 12th, 1942 over the skies of Horn Island in the Torres Strait, North of Australia. His group of P-40E’s tangled with A6M2 Zeroes of the 4th Kokutai and twelve Mitsubishi G4M1 “Betty” bombers. He was credited with shooting down one Zero and using his wingtip to “Slash” another Zero behind the pilot’s seat which was about to fire a burst into his commanding officer’s P-40 from behind. After ramming the Zero, “A T”’s P-40 went into a flat spin from which he recovered; and landed his crippled, bullet riddled; P-40 named “Hiro’s Poopy” back on Horn Island missing several feet of his left wing tip. His aircraft was promptly pushed into the Pacific Ocean as it was beyond any repair. Thus 2nd Lt. House claimed the first victory of the famed 49th Fighter Group, a group which scored 664 aerial victories during WWII, which is more than any other Allied Fighter Group during WWII.
The group then moved to New Guinea in October 1942 where they defended Port Moresby, escorted bombers and attacked enemy installations in support of Allied ground Forces. On January 9th, 1943, leading his squadron on a dive bombing mission against enemy transports in Lae Harbor; House engaged an enemy fighter and shot it down. The following month, on March 3rd, he became an ace by destroying several zeroes near the mouth of the Markham River.
Promoted to Captain, House returned to the U.S. for ten months, then was sent to China where the 23rd Fighter Group’s 75th Fighter. He was transferred to the 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Fighter Squadron as Commanding Officer on August 14th, 1944, and was then transferred again to the 68th Fighter Wing in October 1944. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel on March 1st, 1945, and joined the regular Army on July 5th, 1946, and later to the Air Force. He retired from the Air Force on December 31st, 1960.
Tally Record: 5 Confirmed Aerial Victories.
Artists Rendering of "AT" House's P-40 "Poopy II" #13 which he flew after "Poopy I" was written off after the Battle of Horn Island. Interestingly this aircraft became Bob DeHaven's after then 1st Lt. House rotated back to the U.S.
Actual photo of 1st Lt. House in "Poopy II" showing dust being kicked up by the Alison engine powered prop.