Having already destroyed two Me 109s that morning, from the cockpit of his P-51, Cripes A'Mighty, George Earl Preddy Jr. was fast on the tail of a third when he was brought to earth and killed by a tragic hail of American ground fire on Christmas Day 1944. At the time of his death he was a celebrated war hero and the leading active American ace with 26.83 confirmed air-to-air victories.This volume takes you along Preddy's life journey, from the day he knew he "must become an aviator" through the glory of achieving the status of World War II's top mustang ace and his ironic death on Christmas Day 1944, the victim of friendly fire. Printed in 1974, this little book takes you behind the scenes and into the fighting heart of George Preddy, and includes all of the ace's personal diary entries and a host of letters and Encounter Reports, including the final Missing Aircraft Report filed on his behalf by a fellow pilot.