David Lee "Tex" Hill

David Lee "Tex" Hill, who flew for the Flying Tigers and Army Air Corps during World War II and was credited with shooting down at least 18 Japanese warplanes, has died. He was 92.

Hill died Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007, at his home in San Antonio, Texas, according to the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which had enshrined Hill in 2006. He had suffered from congestive heart failure.

He was born in Korea of missionary parents in 1915. They returned to the United States in 1916 and wound up in Texas.

Hill first became known as a member of the American Volunteer Group's "Flying Tigers," which he joined in 1941. Flying a tiger-nosed P-40 Tomahawk, Hill and his fellow pilots repeatedly attacked Japanese air armadas over China. Hill and the others lived in small enclaves under frequent enemy attack, flew from grass and dirt airstrips and performed aircraft maintenance under shelter of trees, according to the aviation hall's enshrinement archive.

"To have survived and thrived in those extreme circumstances ... is testament to Tex Hill's piloting skill, warrior instinct and personality," the aviation hall said in a statement issued Friday. "Godspeed, David Lee 'Tex' Hill. We salute you and remember you."

The Flying Tigers destroyed 297 Japanese aircraft during an eight-month period, including 12 shot down by Hill.

After the United States entered the war and the Flying Tigers were deactivated, Hill joined the Army Air Corps as a major in 1942. With the Corps, he would destroy at least six additional Japanese warplanes, according to the aviation hall's archives.

During a military leave, Hill married Mazie Sale on March 27, 1943. They have been married since then. Mazie survives him.

Hill retired from the military in 1968. He received military awards including the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Presidential Unit Citation and Silver Star.