James "Jim" L. Brooks was born in January 1921 in Vinton, Virginia which was a rural area. Though his family lived on a farm, his father was considered a "white collar" because he worked for a railroad company. Brooks often worked on farms employed by farmers. His town was very quiet and pastoral. He grew up with two sisters and a brother. They attended a small country school with only a couple of rooms. Brooks' family was not greatly affected by the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States] because his father was able to hold his job at the railroad company. When Brooks was 16, a friend convinced him to join the Virginia National Guard because the pay was one dollar a week. They went to Virginia Beach for summer camp training for two weeks. Brooks lied about his age to join. In 1938, while he was training at camp, he was cleaning up an area near a field and saw a pilot land a plane and then take off again. Watching the pilot go as he pleased, sparked inspiration for Brooks to become a pilot himself. Brooks remained in the National Guard for three years and then was discharged. Around February 1942, the Air Corps [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Corps] dropped their policy requiring applicants to have two years of college, so Brooks applied to take the entrance examination in Richmond [Annotator's Note: Richmond, Virginia] and passed it. In December 1941, Brooks was invited to a teachers' college for a sock hop and the next morning while at the commissary he learned that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. It was frightening news. After Brooks passed the entrance exam, he waited two months before he was given orders to report to Kelly Air Force Base [Annotator's Note: now Kelly Field, Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas]. He was processed with 3,000 other candidates and began six weeks of pre-flight school. After completion, he then proceeded to complete his primary and basic training. He graduated from his advanced training at Moore Field in Mission, Texas [Annotator's Note: later Moore Air Force Base] in May 1943. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone where he did a lot of flying in the P-39s [Annotator's Note: Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft] and P-40s [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] for six months before joining the 31st Fighter Group [Annotator's Note: 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 12th Air Force] in Italy [Annotator's Note: in early 1944]. His group escorted bombers deep into Europe, including Germany, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Russia, and France.

James "Jim" L. Brooks [Annotator's Note: a fighter pilot] was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone. He was part of a squadron that was designated to guard the Canal. The Navy gave them alerts if they believed the Japanese were in the area, and Brooks squadron was deployed for air support. Most of the time, it was a false alarm. His experience on the Canal was a great help because it gave him many opportunities to add more flight time to his record. During flight school, Brooks was always worried about failing because the washout [Annotator's Note: failure] rate was 60 percent. If the instructor did not like a candidate, they had a greater chance of failing. Personality had a lot to do with the candidate's success. After his assignment in the Panama Canal Zone, he was sent to Tallahassee, Florida for a week, then was put on a train to Newport News, Virginia to catch a transport to Europe. He boarded a troop transport that was part of the largest convoy that crossed the Atlantic. His ship was in the middle back of the convoy. At some point during the crossing, the convoy split into two with his ship going towards the Mediterranean. His ship then proceeded towards Africa and anchored in Algeria. His squad was chosen to do additional training and learn how to fly Spitfires [Annotator's Note: Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft]. During his time in Algeria, the food and quarters were terrible, and the training was unnecessary because he never did fly a Spitfire in combat. His squad was then transferred to San Severo, Italy and assigned to the 307th Squadron, [Annotator's Note: 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force] where he flew Mustangs [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft]. He flew the B [Annotator's Note: P-51B] and D [Annotator's Note: P-51D] models. The B models were faster than the D models. He was very happy to be flying a Mustang because it was a well-designed aircraft. "It smelled like America," and looked stylish and well-engineered. The air force base he was assigned to was surrounded by olive trees. His unit lived in Italian army barracks which was similar to American bases. He lived very well compared to being in Algeria. He had a short tour, from April to November [Annotator's Note: in 1944], but he flew frequently. He flew almost every day unless there was a maintenance issue. Brooks finished his combat tour in Italy with 55 missions and 280 combat hours. He began his day at five-thirty in the morning starting with a group briefing, then he dressed and ate breakfast. Next, a truck would take him to the airfield for a squadron briefing, section briefing, and flight briefing prior to flight. Brooks wore a belt with a silver buckle that a Red Cross girl, named Evelyn, gave him as a good luck charm.

For James "Jim" L. Brooks' [Annotator's Note: a pilot with 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force] first mission in San Severo, Italy, his squadron was part of the "top cover" of a fighter sweep over Northern Italy. Brooks was afraid of contact with the enemy. They began their mission early in the morning and Brooks saw his first enemy aircraft. His commander immediately went after him, and Brooks followed him. Both pilots fired into the enemy plane, severely damaging it. When Brooks returned to base, the commander insisted on giving him half the victory, but Brooks did not want credit. Later in life, Brooks received a letter from the Air Force giving him the half credit he did not want. The biggest and most dangerous mission Brooks took part in was first aerial combat victory over Ploesti [Annotator's Note: Ploesti, Romania] in April 1944. The squadron commander, Al Geller [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], took Brooks under his guidance, making him his wingman. While in pursuit of this mission, Brooks encounter an Me-109 [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft], however he decided to not chase him and get back to his commander. Brooks never saw so many German airplanes. On another mission to Ploesti, Brooks had his first kill. He shot at the enemy as it passed him which was called "skeeting." The enemy plane turned upside down and fell out of the sky. Brooks knew what to do because of his training. On a mission to Germany, Brooks spotted some enemy planes. He tried to contact his leader, but he did not answer. Brooks decided to peel off and pursue the enemy planes. When he engaged, he realized the enemy had the advantage and decided to retreat. Breaking from his squadron was a very big mistake and almost got him killed. For years he would not talk about that particular mission because he was embarrassed by his combat decision. He had a close call on a mission where he was hit on the wing tip but did not know it until after he landed.

James "Jim" L. Brooks [Annotator's Note: a pilot in the 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force] does not recall his ace mission [Annotator's Note: flying ace, fighter ace, or air ace; military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat] while stationed in San Severo, Italy. Often, after accomplishments like that, the officers would go to the club and get drunk. After a squadron returned from missions, they would get dinner, walk around to check on friends and congratulate them on a successful mission. Brooks had a lot of respect for the Germany enemy. They were good fighters. He never had a personal contact with the enemy. Later after the war, he met the chief interrogator of the German forces, who told Brooks that he had a lot of respect for the American pilots. Brooks had a great but formal relationship with his crew chief, Bill. He had great respect for all the work he did on his plane during his time in Italy. Brooks appreciated Bill's manner and reserve personality because Brooks was always nervous prior to take off. Bill would help him get strapped in and ride with him to the end of the runway. Bill was also there when Brooks returned from his mission ready to see if the guns were fired. [Annotator's Note: Interviewer pauses interview to change tapes 0:50:45.000.] Brooks transferred from the P-51 [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] B model to the P-51 D model in the summer of 1941. They picked them up from Casablanca [Annotator's Note: Casablanca, Morocco]. [Annotator's Note: Brooks is interrupted by a noise in the background at 0:52:15.000.] There was a small adjustment to the new model but to him, it was still a P-51. The Mustang won the war in Europe because it beat the Luftwaffe [Annotator's Note: German Air Force]. The aircraft was able to accelerate faster and fly higher. The Germans did have a special fuel they used in emergencies that gave them a boost of energy. In the end, American fighter pilots were able to outfight the Germans.

James "Jim" L. Brooks [Annotator's Note: a pilot in the 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force] was stationed in San Severo, Italy during World War 2. Most of his missions were escort missions. His job was to keep the bombers safe and flying. All the missions had plans, but the plans would never work out the way they were supposed to. Brooks tried to protect the bombers as much as he could and tried not to strafe [Annotator's Note: ground targets]. Brooks had classmates in the bombers and felt that he need to make sure he did his job right. Brooks never saw German jet fighters. On one mission, Brooks was leading two squadrons over Romania and Czechoslovakia. As he looked off to the Northwest, he saw B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] and fighters coming in their direction. The B-17 groups flew over his squadrons, and he thought in that moment how magnificent it was to have so many American planes working harmoniously over enemy territory. He was grateful for all the people at home making this happen by providing equipment, food, and gas. Brooks' last mission was over the border of Poland and Czechoslovakia to escort bombers. He shot down two German planes during that mission. When he returned to base, the squadron commander, Sam Brown [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Forces Major Samuel J. Brown], was upset the Brooks had caught up to his aerial victory count. Brown had a superiority complex and wanted to be the best fighter pilot. Brooks did not care about being the best; he just wanted to do his job. Not long after the last mission, Brooks found out he was returning home, along with Brown. During reunions, Brown often talked about his great accomplishments and leadership, but Brooks did not pay much attention to it, except for the time he talked about their mission to Russia. Brown was hit and Brooks had to lead the squadron into combat. When Brooks returned home, he was assigned to a fighter group that did not go overseas, stationed in DeRidder, Louisiana. He flew P-40s [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] and Mustangs [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft]. After a year, he was transferred to Sheffield, South Carolina. After the end of World War 2, Brooks remained in the Air Force until 1951. He participated in the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. Brooks stayed a bachelor for a while. He enjoyed being at Langley [Annotator's Note: Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia] during peacetime. When Brooks resigned from the Air Force, he became an engineering test pilot for North American Aviation. He met and married his wife a couple of years later in Las Vegas [Annotator's Note: Las Vegas, Nevada].

James "Jim" L. Brooks finds it very difficult to describe aerial combat because so many things are happening is such a short period of time. Brooks chased a Me-109 [Annotator's Note: German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft] and could not keep up with him, but the pilot slammed into a mountain. Later in life he flew in a P-51 Mustang [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] again and noticed some of the differences right away in the cockpit. He plans to fly one again on his 90th birthday. He named his first airplane, "January," after his birthday month. After he came back from leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] in Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy], he found out that another pilot crashed his plane, and he had been issued a new plane. He named his second plane, "February." He believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because it was the greatest war ever fought.