Unaware to me was that the U.S had a jet fighter during WWII. I always thought we got our jet technology from Germany after the war. Well, we got all the good jet technology from Germany anyways. The P-80 Shooting Star never saw any combat during the war, and for good reasons. The Shooting Star began to enter service in late 1944. There were 12 prototypes made. One of the first was lost in an accident that killed chief engineering test pilot Milo Burcham. Several went to Europe and England for operational tests. On the 28th of January 1945 Major Frederic Borsodi was killed in a crash caused by an engine fire that temporarily grounded the P-80. Because of the delay the Shooting Star saw no combat in World War II. After further improvements and testing (I'm guessing German technology after the war) the P-80 saw extensive combat in Korea.
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