Maj. Gen. Arthur G. Salisbury, who led one of the legendary air battles of World War II, died March 20 at his home near Colorado Springs. He was 88.
Salisbury led the 57th Fighter Group in the “Palm Sunday Massacre” on April 18, 1943, in which 76 Nazi transport planes and 13 fighters were shot down in 20 minutes of fierce battle.The following year, Salisbury went to England as commander of the 84th Fighter Wing and was one of the first Army Air Force officers to land on the Normandy beaches during the D-day invasion. He was shot down three times during the war. He was immortalized by Milton Caniff as the character “Art Solitary” in the “Terry and the Pirates” comic strip.