It looked like something out of a time traveler’s nightmare. Three stateoftheart, allmetal Japanese Mitsubishi A5M monoplanes had just ambushed a lone Gloster Gladiator. It was late 1939, and this fabriccovered, woodenpropeller biplane looked plucked straight from the skies of World War 1.

The Japanese pilots hit the throttle, ready for what would surely be the easiest victory in their careers. There was just one little problem. Inside the Gladiator sat Arthur Chin, the first American Ace of World War 2.

Despite his deft maneuvers, Chin’s sluggish Gladiator could do little to evade the fire from 3 synchronized enemy warplanes. The A5Ms spewed lethal bursts of 7.7millimeter fire, peppering the biplane.

He could hear the unmistakable sound of his fighter being torn apart by enemy bullets. The armor plate Chin had scavenged from a Russian fighter was the only thing keeping him alive.

The A5Ms drew closer to finish the job, and Chin saw his chance. The American Pilot violently banked to the right into the path of the leading A5M, bracing to ram it out of the sky. If he was going down today, he would not do it alone.




As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.