I have been looking at the official list of Battle of Britain pilots and aircrew on the RAF site.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/roll.html
A few things come to mind.
As for New Zealanders I have seen various figures before, mostly that of 99, some sources quote 120 NZ’ers in the Battle The official site lists just 98 Kiwis. I was wondering if they have missed someone. I also wonder if the extras above 99 sometimes quoted were New Zealanders in the RAF rather than the RNZAF.
In 1938 the RAF did a large recruiting drive in NZ for new aircrew, so maybe by the beginning of the war these were not counted among those who went to Britain via the RNZAF??
Also, it lists just 7 Americans taking part. Six of them were dead by war’s end I see, a sad record.
But I found this site,
http://www.taphilo.com/history/BofBamericanpilots.shtml
which states 10 Americans took part.
Is the official list not that accurate? Or are non-official sources adding in some that are not from Fighter Command or something?
It’s well worth checking out the American site just to hear the version of the Battle of Britain theme that plays!!
By: Dave Homewood - 17th April 2004 at 14:50
Phil,
Have you any idea who the Kiwi was? I’d be interested to hear more.
Cheers
Dave
By: Phil Foster - 17th April 2004 at 14:26
Some of the above individuals later became members of the three Eagle Squadrons made up of exclusively of American pilots and formed between September 1940 and October 1941. These were 71, 121 and 122 Squadrons. The Eagle squadrons operated as part of the RAF Fighter Command on convoy escort duties and fighter sweeps over France. All three were involved in the intense battle of Dieppe on 19 August 1942. By this date the USA had fully entered the war and the Eagles were soon transferred to the 8th US Air Force and were the three squadrons that then became the 4th Fighter Group.
There you go even this statement isn’t correct. They did a programme a while back about the Eagle squadrons and among the pilots interviewed there was a Brit and an Kiwi, plus 90% of the ground crews were of decidedely British extraction but hey lets not let the facts get in the way of the bollox. :rolleyes:
By: mmitch - 17th April 2004 at 13:44
The Battle of Britain Historical Society is behind the planning of a memorial to be erected on London’s Victoria embankment. They have been writing to the press etc asking for information on pilots who took part in the battle. Their general lists 126 NZ pilots at:- http://www.bbm.org.uk/battle-participants.htm
They don’t have a name list there yet.
But as you will see their figures don’t agree with the RAF’S !
mmitch.
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April 17, 2004 at 10:35 am