John Alison was born in November 1912 near Gainesville, Florida where he grew up. He graduated from the University of Florida. During the Depression, his dad had two sawmills near the west coast of Florida. Pine trees were plentiful in the area. His dad and his brothers operated the mills and a primitive, but effective, railroad system was established for moving cut trees after harvest from the cutting area to the sawmill. Alison explains the sawmill operation from cutting to the milling process. During his youth, Alison wanted to learn to fly. His parents did not want him to fly. They feared for his safety. In college, Alison joined the ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps]. In the beginning, Alison wanted to join the Navy since they had an ROTC program and some of his friends were already in that program. Alison was not able to pass the Navy physical, however, because he was too short so he joined the Army ROTC instead. Alison learned to fly as a result. He enjoyed learning to fly as much as any part of his career.

During his military training, John Alison was trained for reconnaissance, fighter and bomber operations. Being a fighter pilot always appealed to him. He became a multi-engine pilot in the Keystone [Annotator's Note: Keystone LB-5 bomber] which was the beginning of bomber command. Flying school was all fun for Alison. He never had a wreck although he nearly did. He sat small in the cockpit. Once he was caught in the slipstream and nearly ran into the hanger but he managed to get the aircraft under control. He learned a lot in flying school, including solo flying. Alison met Phil Cochran [Annotator's Note: Philip Cochran was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps who developed techniques in North Africa and the China-Burma-India Theater for air combat, transport and glider assault] in flying school. Cochran was a personal friend of Milton Caniff of fame. Phil Cochran coached Caniff on the comic strip. The comic strip was a big hit in the war. Cochran went into the Army Air Forces and became an inspirational combat leader. Alison went into Army flight school in 1936. He graduated in 1937 and was assigned to Langley Field, Virginia to a pursuit group [Annotator's Note: prior to using the term fighter aircraft, the United States Army Air Corps termed interceptor aircraft as pursuit aircraft] flying PB-2A single engine pursuit airplanes with a pilot in the front of the plane and a gunner behind him.

Although trained in the PB-2A pursuit aircraft, John Alison was glad he did not have to go to war in it. Communication between the pilot and gunner was by hand signal because there was no intercom radio capability. In one incident, a misread hand signal resulted in Alison's observer, in the gunner's position, jumping out of the airplane. They found the jumper hanging in a tree about 40 or 50 feet off the ground. This was all in the process of developing and training in new flight techniques. On the gunnery range, Alison got too close to the ground target and physically hit it with his tail wheel. He managed to survive but the target had been pulled down. He was the first pilot to actually hit the target with his aircraft and survive. His squadron leader was tolerant and did not report Alison up to headquarters. In a cross country formation flight in the PB-2A, Alison ran into difficult weather and some of the pilots jumped out even though the weather was so bad. One pilot and gunner jumped and their plane hit a farmhouse. The airplane went through the house and the woman of the house was cooking at the stove in the kitchen. She was picked up at the stove and carried through the house without injury. All these strange occurrences happened while the pilots were trying to become an air force. Alison also flew the B-10 [Annotator's Note: Martin B-10 light bomber] as a tow plane. The B-10 with a tow target was used for coastal artillery target practice and for antiaircraft weapons firing at night.

At Langley airbase, John Alison switched over to P-36 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-36 Hawk] pursuit aircraft. In a flight from Langley to Atlanta, Alison ran into a snow storm. He had two wingmen with him. While over the Blue Ridge Mountains, one pilot ran out of gasoline. Alison brought him to a farm field that had just been ploughed and the pilot landed in the mud. He came to a skidding stop and turned upside down. The plane was stuck in the mud with the pilot inverted. Not knowing the pilot's physical status, Alison landed on a harder surface and ran over to the upside down pilot. At that time, the pilot was stuck in the cockpit. Alison told him to release the seat belt which was holding him in place. The stranded pilot did get loose but still could not get out. With the help of many of the local farmers who had by that time gathered around, Alison lifted the aircraft enough for the pilot to escape. The pilot was cut up badly and was transported to a nearby village where he was patched up by the local doctor. Wright Field told Alison to leave the airplane and they would retrieve it. Alison never understood why only one of three aircraft would run out of fuel. This was just another example of how the early Army Air Corps pilots were lucky to survive. Alison met Curtis Lemay [Annotator's Note: USAAF, then USAF, General Curtis Emerson Lemay] who was developing the United States Army Air Corps's long range strike capability. Pilots and their commanders learned more about what they should not do as compared to what they should do as a result of these early experiences. Training had to be done at night over the ocean because aerobatics were not allowed over inhabited areas. B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] were used for training exercises against Alison's pursuit planes. Alison learned valuable lessons on flying his pursuit airplane against bomber aircraft during this time.

John Alison was requested to pick up a P-40 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] and fly it to Bolling [Annotator's Note: Bolling Air Base near Washington D.C.] for a demonstration for the Chinese. Chennault [Annotator's Note: USAAF Major General Claire Lee Chennault] and Curtis-Wright Aircraft were in Washington waiting for the flight. Alison was told him to show what the airplane would do without holding back. He did maximum climb, maximum turn at low altitude, and other performance variations all at about 200 feet. The Chinese were impressed. Chennault told the Chief of the Chinese Air Force that they needed not only a 100 of the P-40s, but also 100 of the American pilots to fly them. That was how Alison became involved with the Chinese Air Force.

Before going to China, John Alison was sent to England to observe how the air war over England was progressing. Small groups from the American Air Force were sent to England strictly as observers but not to fight. They were ordered by Hap Arnold [Annotator's Note: General Henry Arnold, known as Hap, was Chief of the Air Corps at this time and subsequently commanded all United States Army Air Forces in World War 2] not to fight or to fly over to France even though the British pilots urged them to do so. Arnold threatened the American pilots that they were restricted in not firing on the Germans. It did not take long, however, for the Americans to be pulled into the fight while they were in England. The Germans saw to that. Alison went from the United States to Portugal by boat and then flew to England where they were picked up by the RAF [Annotator's Note: the Royal Air Force]. With the antiwar sentiment in the United States, the American pilots were to be strictly observers and not participants in the conflict. They arrived in London in time to experience their first night time air raid. They were told not to worry because they had time to get to the shelter which was their hotel dining room. They were billeted in a grand hotel in London. The first night bombs straddled the hotel but did not hit it. The bombing was late at night and made considerable noise. They had arrived during one of the largest air raids over London of the war. The next morning, Alison saw the destruction in London for himself. Buildings were blown apart and areas had only half standing structures. Alison flew different British aircraft but was never put in a combat position. Alison compared a P-40 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] against a British Hurricane [Annotator's Note: Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft] and viewed the Hurricane as preferable. During this time, Alison met Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The meeting happened during a demonstration of the American aircraft being supplied to England. Churchill saw Alison and his fellow pilots in their American uniforms and walked over and shook their hands and thanked them for helping England. During this time, all mail was censored. One piece of mail had sensitive information on the performance of a B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] and its lack of a power turret. The letter contained a salty joke concerning the Prime Minister and a power turret. An English censor sent the letter to the Prime Minister who sent a copy to the American ambassador and everyone got a good laugh over it.

John Alison was at one of the RAF [Annotator's Note: Royal Air Force] bases when he got orders to report to London. When he arrived there, he got orders to go to Moscow. He was told that he was only to attend one meeting then return to England but ended up staying there for quite a long time. Alison's friend Zemke [Annotator's Note: U.S. Army Air Forces Colonel Hubert Zemke, known to his friends and colleagues as Hub] was not going with him. At the train station, Alison met up with General McNarney [Annotator's Note: General Joseph McNarney was chief of staff of the American observers in England] and Harry Hopkins [Annotator's Note: Harry Hopkins was a special advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt]. The purpose of the trip to Moscow was to see how America could help Russia in the war. Hopkins was the lead on this delegation. The goal of the journey and meetings was to begin the interface on how the United States and Russia could work together against the common enemy, Nazi Germany. The meeting with the Russians was difficult because they did not want to say exactly what they needed. They were reluctant to say any details. The Russians only volunteered that they needed weapons in large quantities, not what the capabilities of their equipment were. Alison was in Moscow when the Germans were threatening the Russian capital. He was billeted in the American Embassy in Moscow. The American emissaries experienced the German bombing of Moscow. The order came to evacuate the American Embassy in Moscow. Alison was to drive one of the embassy automobiles, but the evacuation eventually was by train, not by car. The feeling was that Moscow would fall. There was sensitive wartime information that the United States embassy did not want to fall into German hands. It had to be removed from Moscow. Alison's rail car was heated by a wood stove, but the supply of wood soon ran out. The Americans got so cold that the wood paneling inside the rail car was removed and burned in the stove. All supplies including water ran out. At night, the men would go out into the snow when the train stopped and relieve themselves. When Alison left Russia, he next went to Iraq.

In Iraq, John Alison spotted a B-25 [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber] flying overhead. He drove out to the airport and saw an American who was pacing back and forth with a form that needed a signature for delivery of the B-25. The bomber had been ferried in from California for the United States Air Force in Iraq. Alison said there was no American Air Force in Iraq. He was subsequently authorized to sign for receipt of those bombers in Iraq. The pilots from California were told that Alison was the United States Air Force in Iraq. Eventually, logistics were ironed out and the planes would end up in Russia. Alison had one of the ferry pilots check him out as an inspector pilot after three landings in the B-25. The Russians resisted acceptance of the B-25s. They made acceptance very difficult. Alison had set up a facility to transfer the airplanes but the Russians would refuse acceptance for even minor flaws in the aircraft. It was not a smooth process, particularly since Alison was operating with very little in the way of orders or direction from superiors concerning Lend Lease requirements. The operations for the transfers were eventually moved to Iran because of better facilities and weather. Alison eventually had approximately 40 mechanics working for him where he started with none. During his assignment in Tehran, Iran with the B-25 bomber transfers to the Soviets, Alison was dealing directly with the head of the Persian Air Force. When Alison was asked to take the Shah for an air ride, the American embassy did not approve and got involved. It was soon straightened out. Alison then got his orders to transfer to China by way of India.

John Alison flew into China in a worn out P-40 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] that was difficult to get off the ground. There were no mechanics to maintain the aircraft. There were personality problems in India and China too. When Alison arrived there was a lot of tension in the AVG [Annotator's Note: American Volunteer Group, also known as the Flying Tigers] with Stillwell [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General Joseph W. Stillwell], Bissell [Annotator's Note: USAAF Major General Clayton L. Bissell], Chennault [Annotator's Note: Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault] and others. After arrival, Alison became a squadron commander in the AVG. He would fly with Bob Scott and Tex Hill [Annotator's Note: later USAF Brigadier General David Lee Hill] as part of the Flying Tigers. Alison eventually became embroiled in the controversy between Chennault and Stillwell and Bissell. The capabilities of Chennault as the AVG leader were recognized by the pilots on both sides of the controversy with Bissell. Bissell was eventually the butt of jokes by the AVG, often with Bob Scott taking the lead. Chennault eventually would assume command of the Fourteenth Air Force and get the operations moving smoothly.

John Alison flew with Tex Hill [Annotator's Note: later Brigadier General David Lee Hill, known as Tex to friends and colleagues]. Hill was a good squadron leader. Hill gave orders as a competent pilot who was one of the boys. The Japanese would attack the Flying Tiger airbase at night but they neglected to shield their engine exhaust. Consequently, they could be heard and seen at night. Alison took on the Japanese bombers one night. Those bombers always flew their predictable route. With the visibility of their exhaust, Alison climbed and then attacked them. Alison and a fellow pilot came in behind them and shot two or three of them down after the Japanese managed to hit him first. Alison's plane caught fire. The P-40 [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft] kept flying and was still controllable. Not being able to reach the field, Alison decided to ditch. He was worried about knocking out his teeth on the landing, but he only injured his head during the water landing. After the landing, a Chinese fisherman picked him up and brought him to a missionary who stitched his head wound. That same night, when the Japanese attacked the AVG [Annotator's Note: American Volunteer Group, known as the Flying Tigers] airfield, Tex Hill brought down more enemy aircraft, including the Japanese flight leader. The Japanese flight leader and Hill flew head to head firing at each other with Hill being the victor. Hill was an excellent shot and he scored where the enemy flight leader did not. [Annotator's Note: At this point, Alison has trouble remembering details of a rescue mission he attempted to save a Flying Tiger pilot, Captain John F. Hampshire who was shot down.]

During one impending Japanese air raid, John Alison jumped into the group commander's upgraded airplane and immediately took off. He was airborne in time to see the operations building blown up. Alison managed to get one or two kills during this fight. On his final mission, Alison was escorting B-24s [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] with a group of new Chinese pilots in P-40s [Annotator's Note: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft]. They were surprised by a Japanese attack on them. The enemy shot down two of Alison's group right away. Alison shot down two of the enemy before a Japanese pilot got on his tail. Alison was hit and the tail was virtually put out of commission. Alison retreated toward safety because he could not fight in that condition. The enemy fighter continued to pursue Alison. He could not shake the enemy. A Chinese pilot came in and shot down Alison's pursuer. During landing, his airplane stood up on its nose. Alison saw that both his tires had been shot out. Eddie Rickenbacker [Annotator's Note: US Army Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker was a well known American combat ace and Medal of Honor recipient who fought in World War 1] was at the base on inspection tour. Rickenbacker came over and congratulated Alison on surviving the landing. They had a jolly time at dinner that night talking about their luck and exploits.

After leaving China, John Alison returned to the United States where he was to take command of a wing of P-38s [Annotator's Note: Lockheed P-38 Lightening fighter aircraft] and bring them to Europe. He was at Andy Devine's [Annotator's Note: Andrew V. Devine, known as Andy, was a famous Hollywood actor] house drinking coconut snows when he got a phone call ordering him to report to base headquarters. There, he was informed that he was to fly to Washington D.C. immediately and report to the Chief of the Air Force. Arriving in Washington, Alison saw the Pentagon for the first time since it was only recently built. When he arrived there he saw his friend Phil Cochran [Annotator's Note: USAAF Colonel Philip G. Cochran] there and they both reported to General Hap Arnold [Annotator's Note: General Henry Arnold, known as Hap, commanded all United States Army Air Forces in World War 2]. Arnold told them that he had a special mission for them and that they were to go to Burma. Neither of the pilots wanted to go. Nevertheless, Alison and Cochran were assigned to fly the 1st Air Commandos [Annotator's Note: the 1st Air Commando, officially known as the 5318th Provisional Air Unit, was a special mission unit operating in Burma and China] in India. Alison was given very liberal authority over the special mission. This even included obtaining helicopters for application in warfare. Alison's unit was the first unit to be assigned helicopters. Alison had to argue vigorously for the release of the helicopters because it was felt that the helicopters were not ready for warfare. Cochran and Alison were assigned as co-commanders of the 1st Air Commando. Alison agreed Cochran would be the top commander but Cochran's inclination was often to liberally allow Alison to make his own decisions.

John Alison’s duties also resulted in him being a glider pilot despite never having flown one before. He flew a glider at night with a full load of troops. To further complicate the situation, the gliders were double towed [Annotator's Note: two gliders being simultaneously towed by one leading aircraft to their destination] on a moonlit night. Alison found the glider easy to fly but tactics with the gliders were not well understood. They found a clearing in the jungle below, but Alison decided to rearrange the direction of the glider's landing. Alison's landing was a success but others were not so fortunate. There were several injuries on the ground including fatalities from hitting trees. Cochran decided to stop the operation to avoid further disaster. The code word did not get properly communicated and the landings continued. There were major collisions on the ground because the gliders were jammed together. With the gliders coming in very quickly, they could not see or hear each other for proper landing. The gliders continuously came in and there were many collisions on the ground. The landings were a disaster so further landings were stopped.

John Alison's departure from Burma occurred when he was behind enemy lines. He left in a damaged RAF [Annotator's Note: Royal Air Force] C-47 [Annotator's Note: Douglass C-47 Skytrain cargo aircraft] which was flyable in Alison's opinion. He felt the urge to return to Cochran [Annotator's Note: USAAF Colonel Philip Cochran] and get out of the enemy territory. Alison dismissed the C-47 pilot and flew the airplane despite damages and objections that he was an American not British pilot. The plane flew just fine because the C-47 is such a reliable aircraft. Alison made it back to India and the American crew on the ground wanted the plane because they needed the parts. Alison received a telegram from Arnold [Annotator's Note: General Henry Arnold, known as Hap, commanded all United States Army Air Forces in World War 2] and Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded Allied Forces in Europe and was later the 34th President of the United States] stating that Alison needed to see them immediately. This was before D-Day in Europe and Eisenhower wanted to know about glider performance prior to Normandy. Alison conferred with the head of the glider group in the American Air Force and determined that the glider preparations were in good shape for Normandy. After Burma, Alison was in the Fifth Air Force which supported the glider operation. He participated in the Philippine and Okinawa invasions. Alison flew transports during the landings. Alison felt this was no big deal compared to what he had been doing. While aboard the battleship New Mexico [Annotator's Note: USS New Mexico (BB-40)] there were fights against kamikazes 24 hours a day. There was not that much damage done by the suicide aircraft against a large battleship from Alison's perspective.