Broaddus, Texas-born flying ace Lance “Wildcat” Wade joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, a year before the United States entered World War II. Over the next four years he rose to the rank of Wing Commander and is credited with at least 23 aerial victories, making him one of the leading fighter aces in the Mediterranean theater and the highest scoring American to fly exclusively with a foreign Air Force. The aggressiveness of his attacks earned him his nickname “Wildcat.”  He was killed in a non-combat flying accident in 1944.