Major Ralph Royce, Commander of the 1st Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Corps, returns to Selfridge Field, MI. Flying a Curtiss P-6E Hawk Fighter of the 17th Pursuit Squadron, Major Royce circles the Field prior to landing. Major Royce went on to a distinguished career in WW II, leading the first retaliatory strike against Japanese forces in the Philippines on April 9th 1942, 10 days prior to the famous “Doolittle Raid” on the Japanese homeland.
As Major General Royce, he went on to become deputy commander of all U.S. Air Forces in the Middle East and later became the Deputy Commander, 9th U.S Air Force during the Normandy Invasion. He retired from Active Duty in 1946.