A brilliant pilot, Jack Ilfrey also had a reputation for recklessness both on the ground and in the air. Ilfrey tried to live up to his colorful reputation as often as possible, finding his various escapades the best release for the tension of daily combat. His two aerial victories with the 79th FS came while flying this J-15 on May 24, 1944 during a bomber escort to Berlin where he shot down one before ramming a second, losing about 4 feet of wing and sending the German fighter down in flames. Although he survived this mission, Ilfrey went down in this same fighter on June 13, 1944 when it was hit by fire during a strafing mission on the airfield at Angers, in France.