Jimmy Stewart and the movie star who flew twenty combat missions over Nazi Germany in a B-twenty-four Liberator

Jimmy Stewart wasn’t just Hollywood’s favorite everyman — he was a combat-tested bomber pilot who flew twenty missions over Nazi Germany in a B-24 Liberator. Already a licensed pilot with over 400 flight hours before the war, Stewart fought to get into combat, led formations of hundreds of bombers over the most heavily defended airspace in history, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, the Croix de Guerre, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

How Did Jimmy Stewart Become a Pilot?

Long before the war, Stewart was a serious aviator. He earned his private pilot certificate in 1935 and his commercial certificate in 1938, logging more than 400 hours before Pearl Harbor. This was no celebrity hobby — Stewart was a skilled instrument pilot who could fly a B-17 by the gauges alone in weather that grounded other pilots.

When the draft came in 1940, Stewart didn’t seek a deferment. He tried to enlist and was rejected twice for being underweight. At six-foot-three, he couldn’t meet the Army Air Corps minimum weight requirement. He went home, gained the necessary weight, and barely passed on his next attempt.

Why Did the Army Try to Keep Him Out of Combat?

Stewart was the biggest box office star in America. He’d just won the Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story and was earning the equivalent of millions per year. The Army Air Corps brass faced an obvious problem: the most famous face in the country was now in their ranks, and his death in combat would be a propaganda disaster.

They assigned him to stateside training units and had him instructing cadets in New Mexico. Every time, Stewart fought for a transfer to a combat unit. His students, meanwhile, remembered him as one of the best instrument instructors they’d ever had — meticulous, patient, and completely serious about the craft.

What Was Combat Like in a B-24 Liberator?

By late 1943, Stewart finally got his combat assignment with the 445th Bombardment Group, flying B-24 Liberators out of Tibenham, England.

The B-24 was punishing. At 25,000 feet over Europe in winter, cockpit temperatures dropped to forty and fifty degrees below zero. Fingers stuck to bare metal. Oxygen masks froze to faces. Crews endured eight to twelve hours of flight, holding straight and level through skies filled with anti-aircraft flak and enemy fighters — because the bombardier needed a stable platform to hit the target.

Stewart’s First Combat Mission

Stewart’s first mission came on December 13, 1943 — a raid on the port city of Kiel in northern Germany. Eight hundred heavy bombers launched that day into some of the worst flak concentrations in Europe. The Germans had ringed the harbor with anti-aircraft batteries. Shrapnel peppered fuselages like gravel on a windshield. The crew had to hold course through the bomb run without flinching.

Stewart held course. Then he flew another mission. And another.

Leading Formations Over Berlin

Over the following months, Stewart flew missions to Brunswick, Frankfurt, and Berlin itself. He served as operations officer and eventually squadron commander of the 703rd Bombardment Squadron. He planned missions, briefed crews, and then climbed into the aircraft and flew them personally.

During a mission to Brunswick in early 1944, the flak was devastating. The squadron lost several aircraft. Stewart’s own B-24 took hits — the number three engine trailed smoke, and the fuselage had holes large enough to put a fist through. After landing, a shaken young pilot said he didn’t think he could go back up. Stewart pulled him aside quietly, told him that everyone was afraid, that fear was normal, and that they’d go up together next time.

By March 1944, Stewart was promoted to operations officer of the entire 453rd Bombardment Group — four squadrons, dozens of aircraft, hundreds of men. He flew the mission to Berlin on March 22, 1944. The crews called Berlin “The Big B,” the most heavily defended target in Europe. Flak was so thick veterans said you could walk on it. Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s slashed through the formations while bombers fell in flames around them.

What Awards Did Jimmy Stewart Earn?

Stewart’s twenty combat missions over the most dangerous skies in the war earned him:

Distinguished Flying Cross (awarded twice)
Croix de Guerre (French military honor)
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters

These were not honorary decorations. Every one was earned under fire.

The Toll of Combat

The war changed Stewart. The easy smile from his films became harder to find. He suffered nightmares — what we now recognize as post-traumatic stress. He rarely spoke about his combat experiences for the rest of his life. When reporters pressed, he deflected, once saying he didn’t want to make a big deal of it because plenty of men did far more than he ever did and never came home.

One telling detail: when Stewart deployed to England in 1943, the Army’s public affairs office wanted a major story about the movie star going to war. Stewart refused. He didn’t want photographers or press coverage. He didn’t want his men treating him differently because he was famous. The Army kept his combat service quiet, and the American public didn’t learn the full story until after the war ended.

Stewart’s Military Career After World War II

Stewart stayed in the Air Force Reserve after returning to Hollywood, eventually reaching the rank of brigadier general. In 1966, at age fifty-eight, he flew as a non-duty observer aboard a B-52 Stratofortress during the Vietnam War.

He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1968, making him the highest-ranking actor in American military history. When asked what he was most proud of, he didn’t mention the Oscars or Vertigo or Rear Window. He talked about the men he served with — the ones who came back and the ones who didn’t.

Key Takeaways

Jimmy Stewart was a serious pilot with a commercial certificate and 400+ hours before the war — not a celebrity playing a role
He flew twenty combat missions over Nazi Germany in a B-24 Liberator, including raids on Berlin, Brunswick, and Kiel
He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, the Croix de Guerre, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters — all under fire
He retired as a brigadier general in 1968, the highest-ranking actor in U.S. military history
He deliberately avoided publicity for his combat service, refusing press coverage and keeping quiet about his experiences for decades