Howard could have attempted to assemble his unit first. No reasonable commander would accuse a fighter leader of cowardice for trying to recover his formation while surrounded by enemy aircraft. Mutual support was a foundation of fighter tactics. A wingman watches the leader's blind side. A section or flight can divide attackers. Several fighters can maintain energy while another makes a pass.
Howard surrendered all of those advantages voluntarily.
The citation then emphasizes persistence: roughly thirty minutes of attacks, three enemy aircraft destroyed during the solo action, further probable or damaged aircraft, three guns failing, and fuel becoming dangerously low.
The sequence matters. His courage was not one instantaneous decision. It had to be renewed every time he returned to the bomber formation.
After the first attack, he could leave.
After the second, he could leave.
When one gun remained, he could leave.
When ammunition became effectively exhausted, he could leave.
When fuel became critical, he could leave.
He continued until the immediate enemy pressure finally diminished.
WHY THIRTY MINUTES FELT SO LONG IN A MUSTANG
A thirty-minute automobile drive is ordinary. Thirty minutes of high-altitude air combat is not.
The Mustang cockpit required constant physical input. Howard had to manage throttle, propeller, mixture systems, trim, oxygen, radio, navigation, and weapons while maneuvering. Combat acceleration pressed him into the seat. Negative or lateral forces shifted his body and equipment. His neck supported a flying helmet while he repeatedly turned his head to search behind and above.
Vision itself became a resource. A fighter pilot cannot stare continuously through the gunsight. Most of combat is spent looking for threats. Howard had to scan the bomber formation, estimate which German aircraft represented the next immediate danger, check his own rear quarter, and monitor altitude and heading.
Every German fighter he attacked temporarily narrowed his attention. Fixation on one target could allow another to appear behind him.
This is why a wingman is so valuable. The leader attacks; the wingman watches. Alone, Howard had to perform both jobs imperfectly.
His survival therefore depended partly on keeping the fight moving. A stationary or predictable fighter would eventually be trapped. Howard's constant transitions between the bomber formation and attacking German aircraft denied the enemy an easy opportunity to settle behind him.
Fatigue accumulated. Decision quality usually declines when a pilot becomes tired, oxygen-starved, dehydrated, or physically overloaded. Howard's previous combat experience probably helped him recognize which information mattered most and ignore what did not.
He did not need to understand the entire air battle.
He needed to know which aircraft was threatening the bombers next.
HIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE FLYING TIGERS HAD TAUGHT HIM ECONOMY
The AVG fought under conditions where American pilots could not assume numerical superiority. Chennault emphasized that pilots should avoid unnecessary turning contests, retain altitude, use diving speed, and attack decisively before disengaging.
Those habits transferred well to Europe even though the aircraft and enemy were different.
Howard's P-51 was far more advanced than the P-40 he had flown in China. German fighters were different from the Japanese aircraft he had previously faced. The altitude, weather, and strategic context were also different.
But several combat principles remained constant.
Do not remain predictable.
Do not trade speed for an unnecessary turn.
Do not fire from poor range simply because a target is visible.
Do not become fascinated by a damaged aircraft while another threat remains.
Do not assume the enemy sees the same picture you see.
Howard's later bluffing attacks on the Ju 88 were especially consistent with this final principle. He knew his guns were failing. The German pilot did not. Howard acted according to the enemy's information rather than his own weakness.
That is sophisticated combat behavior.
DING HAO! CARRIED A NAME FROM CHINA INTO GERMANY
Howard's Mustang was associated with the name “Ding Hao!”—a phrase usually rendered in American wartime usage as meaning something like “very good” or “number one” in Chinese. The name connected his European service to his earlier experience with the Flying Tigers.
The aircraft became visually associated with the Medal of Honor story, though photographs and individual airframe histories must always be handled carefully because wartime pilots could fly more than one aircraft and markings changed.
What matters historically is what the name represented to Howard. He had entered the European air war with memories of a completely different theater. Few American fighter leaders possessed combat experience against both Japanese and German aircraft before the middle of 1944.
That experience made him valuable to the 354th.
It may also explain why he was willing to trust his own judgment when doctrine and immediate necessity diverged.
A pilot with no combat history might cling to formation rules because rules provide safety. Howard understood why the rules existed. That gave him a better sense of when breaking one could be justified.
THE 354TH FIGHTER GROUP WAS PROVING THE MUSTANG'S STRATEGIC VALUE
Howard's individual fight occurred during a larger transition in the Allied air campaign. The P-51 was beginning to show that fighters could escort bombers to targets that had previously been beyond reliable fighter protection.
The importance of this change is difficult to overstate.
The Combined Bomber Offensive depended on striking aircraft factories, ball-bearing plants, oil facilities, transportation networks, and other industrial targets deep inside Germany. If bombers could reach those targets only by accepting catastrophic fighter losses, the campaign would eventually become unsustainable.
Long-range escorts altered the exchange ratio.
German fighters could no longer wait comfortably for the American escort to turn home. Mustangs could appear over the target itself. They could chase Luftwaffe aircraft after attacks. They could increasingly seek German fighters rather than merely orbit tightly beside bombers.