Dear Dilip,
Sounds like a most interesting project. Best of luck.
Apart from the retrieval of relics, is their any educational or research element to it? What, if anything, do you expect to learn / prove / challenge?
As an author, editor and sometime book reviewer, can I please ask you to review your hyperbole?
In this thread, referring to Marseille, you’ve said:
He was NOT the ‘greatest’, and putting a weasel ‘possibly’ in front does you no good either. He either was or he wasn’t. Support the argument, or change it, don’t use advertisingspeak. Although no-one would argue he was among the greatest fighter pilots ever – endless words have been written about who was the greatest, and I don’t propose to add to them – why set yourself up for certain failure? By any measure there have been greater fighter pilots, but that does not detract from his achievement as much as trying to force him to a pinnacle that he doesn’t inhabit. Just say ‘among…’ or ‘one of the greatest ever’. No one would argue with that.
Regarding Bader (in the thread of the same name) you’ve said:
The same applies. ‘greatest RAF fighter pilot of WW2’ is really pitching further than you need, and insupportably so too. Bader was many things – probably the most famous, certainly an inspirational leader, gutsy, braver than most, and unstoppable – and so forth. But he was outscored by many, some ‘RAF’ but from the Commonwealth (Pat Pattle for one). He was also unarguably a less competent pilot, shot or tactician or leader than many others. Just try ‘one of the greatest…’
I think you have done and are doing great work – but the gods watch such things much more closely than we do. Don’t be a target for hubris! 😀
(PS. We have met, incidentally. I helped Robert Rudhall with the BoB Film display for his first book launch…)
Best wishes,
James
1. The African Star project is embryonic but moving forward rapidly. The circumstances of Marseille’s demise are well known and, unlike Bader’s, uncontroversial. There is nothing to challenge, therefore and as such, in terms of the known facts or otherwise; the challenge, however, is the discovery, after all these years, of the exact crash site. I am sure that many people would enjoy seeing an artefact from Marseille’s aircraft, as a reminder of his achievements and the sacrifices involved, on both sides, during the Desert War. Another challenge, of course, is in the logistics of such a long range operation in an extreme environment. Who knows what we will learn along the way, at this stage in the journey it is too early to say. With regard to an educational element, in the event of a successful outome there will naturally be a book, DVD documentary (at the very least), and presentations on the expedition to various audiences.
2. Can you please provide evidence to support your claim that Marseille was not the greatest fighter pilot of WW2? His comparatively short combat record suggests to me that had he survived the war his ultimate score would have been enormous. The tactic he perfected of accurately firing in any attitude was superb, as was his high speed intrusion into the enemy’s defensive circle. If you want to be pedantic, take out my ‘possibly’, because I believe Marseille was the greastest.
3. You really need to go back to the Bader thread and actually read what I have written, because you even have the name of the pilot concerned wrong! When talking about the ‘greatest RAF fighter pilot of WW2’, I was not talking about Bader but referring to Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, officially the RAF’s top scoring fighter pilot of WW2. That accolade is sufficient in my opinion for Johnnie to command that title. I think that an apology is called for with regard to this and I find it hard to believe that someone has made such a public criticism so innaccurately.
Dilip
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