Charles (Chuck) Yeager enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps in September, 1944 and after serving briefly as an aircraft mechanic, entered enlisted pilot training in September, 1942. In November, 1943 his unit was sent to England where he entered combat flying a P-51 Mustang. He downed a German aircraft before being shot down over occupied France durring his 18th mission on March 5, 1944. He evaded capture and managed to convince General Dwight Eisenhower to permit him to return to combat with his squadron. After the war, Yeager became one of the world's most famous test pilots, breaking the sound barrier and even the space barrier.