After graduating from
Austin College in 1938, Hill enlisted in the United States Navy.
World War II In 1941, he was recruited with other Navy, Army and Marine Corps pilots to join the 1st
American Volunteer Group (AVG), better known by its later nickname of the
Flying Tigers. He sailed from San Francisco under a fake passport and arrived at
Rangoon, Burma, on September 15, 1941. He learned to fly the
P-40 in the AVG training program in Burma, and did well as a fighter pilot in the 2nd Pursuit Squadron (the "Panda Bears") as a flight leader and then squadron commander, becoming one of the top aces under the tutelage of
Claire Chennault. Hill made his first kills on January 3, 1942, when he downed two
Nates over the Japanese airfield at Tak, Thailand. He shot down two more on January 23, and became an ace the next day when he shot down a fighter and a bomber over Rangoon. In March, he succeeded
Jack Newkirk as squadron leader of the Second Squadron. By the time the AVG was disbanded in the summer of 1942, Hill was a double ace, credited with victories. On May 7, 1942, the Japanese Army began building a pontoon bridge across the Salween River, which would allow them to move troops and supplies into China. To stem this tide, squadron leader Hill led a flight of four new P-40Es bombing and strafing into the mile-deep gorge. During the next four days, the AVG pilots flew continuous missions into the gorge, effectively neutralizing the Japanese forces. From that day on, the Japanese never advanced further than the west bank of the Salween. Claire Chennault would later write of these critical missions, "The American Volunteer Group had staved off China's collapse on the Salween." On Thanksgiving Day 1943, he led a force of 12
B-25s, 10
P-38s, and 8 new
P-51s from Saichwan, China, on the first strike against Formosa. The Japanese had 100 bombers and 100 fighters at Shinchiku Airfield, and the bombers were landing as Hill's force arrived. The enemy managed to get seven fighters airborne, but they were promptly shot down. Forty-two Japanese airplanes were destroyed, and twelve more were probably destroyed in the attack. The American force returned home with no casualties. After the deactivation of the Flying Tigers in July 1942, Hill was one of only five Flying Tigers to join its
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) successor, the
23rd Fighter Group, with the rank of
major. He activated the 75th Fighter Squadron and later commanded the 23rd Fighter Group as a
colonel. Before returning to the states in late 1944, Hill and his P-51 downed another six Japanese aircraft. It is believed that he was the first to down a
Zero with a P-51. Altogether, Hill was credited with destroying 18.25 enemy aircraft. The .25 kills comes from an assist; he and 3 other pilots worked together to shoot down a Japanese
Nate fighter.
Post war In 1944, Hill returned to the U.S. and took command of the
412th Fighter Group, America's first operational jet fighter group flying the
P-59 Airacomet and the
P-80 Shooting Star. He separated from active service in the USAAF in 1945. Postwar, in July 1946, Hill was asked by Texas Governor
Coke Stevenson to activate and accept command of the
136th Fighter Group of the
Texas Air National Guard. Hill activated Guard units throughout the Gulf Coast and became the youngest brigadier general in the history of the
Air National Guard. During the
Korean War, he served with the Texas Air National Guard. He ended his military career in the
Air Force Reserve, retiring as a
brigadier general. ==Later life==