If you had one pilot which one would you choose?

John Randall Daniel “Bob” Braham, DSO**, DFC**, AFC, CD, Begian Order of the Crown with Palm, Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm.
29 victories.
For more info:- http://www.tauntonschool.co.uk/alumni/obituaries/files/BRAHAM.html

And to all of us.

This is not a thread asking who made the most contribution or who was brave / braver / bravest. It’s a light-hearted, ‘stick up for your favourite allied fighter pilot’ thread.

You trying for a place on the next series of Grumpy Old Men? I think Mike J has already bagged that :p

Moggy 🙂

How dare you? I am far grumpier than Mike J!

If it’s just stick up for you favourite fighter pilot I’ll go for Brian Lane, 19 Squadron and the anonymous Spitfire pilot who shot nothing down and didn’t get shot down himself. Accordingly, he called his war a “no score draw.”

Regards,

kev35

To me they are all deserving of recognition.

Regards,

kev35

And to all of us.

This is not a thread asking who made the most contribution or who was brave / braver / bravest. It’s a light-hearted, ‘stick up for your favourite allied fighter pilot’ thread.

You trying for a place on the next series of Grumpy Old Men? I think Mike J has already bagged that :p

Moggy 🙂

Moggy.

To me they are all deserving of recognition.

Regards,

kev35

Thanks to Key Publishing hosting this web site – we are recognising every man jack in one way or another, air and ground crews alike.

Moggy.

Choose to denigrate who you wish. I think it was more than just a few barges and yes, I think the crews of Bomber Command did have an influence on the decisions made by Germany during the Battle of Britain. Who would I choose? None of them or all of them. Not really saying that anyone person is more deserving of recognition than any other in this case.

ATA and combat? They didn’t fly around with a big flag saying ‘please don’t shoot at me I’m only a ferry pilot.’ It was eminently possible that an ATA pilot could have been intercepted at any time. If that isn’t likely to lead to an attempt to escape, which I would call combat, well, just my opinion.

Not as sage as many but just as deeply held.

Pedantic mode now retired on a permanent basis.

I’ll leave you all to discuss whether Boyington was better than Buerling was better than Nicholson and on and on……..

To me they are all deserving of recognition.

Regards,

kev35

I’m fairly confident I’m right in saying pilots were allocated for fighter/bomber training on the basis of their aptitude for one or the other.

“Flying in combat in the Battle of Britain” I took to mean in a fighter. On that basis, despite the acknowledged bravery and skill of the bomber pilots, I don’t think they would have been particularly successful in that role.

Moggy. (Pedantic mode on.)

Or any ATA pilot delivering Spitfires and Hurricanes to Operational Squadrons thereby relieving the RAF of the task and allowing those RAF pilots previously detailed to ferrying to go on operations.

kev35

1) If in pedant mode please explain how delivering aircraft is ‘in combat’

2) You think a few more barges destroyed would have tipped the balance of the Battle in favour of the allies? Fair enough, it’s a point of view. Who’d you choose?

Moggy

The Tagline for Boyington was “Just show me a hero and I’ll show you a bum…” or something like that, making the point that what ONE person says that is good about someone, someone ELSE can totally contradict and shoot full of holes.I got to meet Boyington when I was about 12, sitting on the wing of a Wildcat at an airshow and signing copies of his book. Larger than life. Flawed. Human. A Hero? Certainly, in the George Patton vein-great in war, lousy at anything else in peacetime. I’ll stick with him, whether the score is 28 kills or 24 (revised)….still MORE than enought to qualify…

M

Oh well, I didn’t read the small print either. I vote for Lettice Curtis – what a gal! Could fly anything from an Oxbox to a Stirling with nothing more than a page of pilot’s notes, a flask of tea, some sandwiches and the odd ATC cadet as supernumary aircrew.

Edited to add she took her pajamas along as well, just in case – thanks be to google!

Moggy. (Pedantic mode on.)

‘One Allied pilot to fly combat during the Battle of Britain.’

Any of the RAF’s Bomber pilots spending every night attacking the invasion ports, the German oil industry, bombing forests and troop and transport concentrations on the way to the invasion ports.

Or any ATA pilot delivering Spitfires and Hurricanes to Operational Squadrons thereby relieving the RAF of the task and allowing those RAF pilots previously detailed to ferrying to go on operations.

No-one specified it HAD to be Fighter Command….

Regards,

kev35

Thanks old chap.

Yea Gods he lives ! 😀

Thanks old chap.

My vote goes to Pilot Officer Prune 😀

That man is totally indestructable and would scare the cr@p out of anybody 😮

Sqd Ldr Geoff Warnes DFC, C.O of 263 Sqn.

Why, because everyone I know who flew with him would have followed him anywhere and into any thing. Which was born out when the engine of his Typhoon cut out and he was forced to bail out over the channel, his wingman P/O Robert Tuff bailed out to help his CO, both men were lost.

Warnes wasn’t an Ace, but was a leader of men.

In a similar vein, I would put forward the Norwegian leader of 137 sqn, Gunnar Piltingsrud. He was shot down and killed by a 190 whilst trying to escort an inexperienced pilot out of the battlezone.

If you had one allied pilot to fly in combat during the Battle of Britain,

Above is the question asked.

Whilst sympathising with those contributors who wish bomber pilots not to be forgotten I’m not certain that even the finest allied bomber pilots could make much of a contribution to the Battle of Britain unless they changed sides.

Moggy

pitty no bomber fan left. 🙁

Why nobody takes a proper bomber pilot is beyond me

i vote for Gibson. Any man willing to take a second pass through dence aaa just to help distract the gunners and coach along the way at treetop height with a heavy , well ..i take his next seat. Not to speak of the rest that went along but only one i understood

More “heavy”choises i would like to see. They did their share and deserve their share.

Squadron Leader William ‘Cherry’ Vale AFC DFC and Bar, RAF no. 44068

Bill (Cherry) Vale.

Over looked for the folowing reason.

Any man who has the balls to stand up to Bader, and tell him exactly what he thought of his antics, and still go on to be an ace (air kills not ground) gets my vote every time.

God bless ya Bill. RIP.

AF (Ex BBMF)

Look on the old puta at the following pages, its a bloody good read about a fine fighter pilot.

Commonwealth biplane fighter aces – William Vale

AF (Ex BBMF)

Thank you very much for that,a fascinating read,certainly makes you wonder about the thoughts and the men involved.

William (Cherry) Vale.

Bill (Cherry) Vale.

Over looked for the folowing reason.

Any man who has the balls to stand up to Bader, and tell him exactly what he thought of his antics, and still go on to be an ace (air kills not ground) gets my vote every time.

God bless ya Bill. RIP.

AF (Ex BBMF)