GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, OHIO – In front of the Goshen Historical Society building, 1843 State Route 28, Goshen is found a Ohio Historical Marker to honor Colonel John J. Voll from Goshen, Ohio.
The marker says:
Colonel John J. Voll from Goshen, Ohio, was the highest scoring ace of the 15th U.S. Army Air Force in the Mediterranean theater of World War II. As a Captain flying a P-51 Mustang fighter plane, he was credited with twenty-one aerial victories. His superior skill in one particular battle enabled him to maneuver three enemy aircraft into crashes without firing a shot. On a separate mission, while flying solo, Captain Voll had four confirmed kills, two probables, and damaged two additional enemy planes.”
After the war, John Voll, a 1940 Goshen High School graduate, returned to his alma mater and taught school for two years. In 1948 he re-entered the military and served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. After thirty-two years of military service he retired in 1974. The highly decorated Colonel John J. Voll ranked second among Ohio's Army Air Force aces. (Source)
And, there is this description of Col. Voll's heroics:
While escorting B-24s on a bombing mission against the Ploesti oil refineries on 17 August 1944, a squadron mate of Lieutenant Voll was forced to bail out near the Danube River. After covering his friend until he safely reached the ground, Voll pulled away from the crash site and spotted three Me-109s. The Fierce air battle that ensued became "sweet revenge" for Lieutenant Voll. With a tally of two enemy fighters destroyed and one probable, he more than evened the score for his downed friend. These two victories, his last in the P-51B, brought Voll’s total to eight confirmed enemy kills. (Source)
