George P. Novotny, Sr.

George Peter Novotny, a decorated war hero who was officially credited for shooting down eight enemy planes in World War II, died Jan. 7 at a senior living facility in Florida. He was 97. A veteran of World War II, the Toledo native enlisted in the United State Army Air Corps, the aerial warfare service of the United States between 1926 and 1941, soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.