On 16/08/1940 William Meade Lindsley "Billy" Fiske III was the first American pilot killed during WWII
No. 601 Squadron RAF
After defending his base at Tangmere during an attack by Ju 87 / Stuka dive bombers...
He attempts to bring his damaged Hurricane, back to base. He crash-lands the battered aircraft and is pulled from the wreckage, badly burned. Rushed to a nearby hospital he dies the next day. He is the first American pilot casualty of World War II during the Battle of Britain.He 'pretended' to be Canadian (as more than a few did) in order to enlist in the RAF in Sept. 1939
He won gold in the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid. He also had completed the Le Mans 24-hour auto race when he was only 19
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Fiske