Hans-Ulrich Rudel after his capture, Adolf Galland in the background

Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2nd July 1916 – 18th December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-Nazi activist.

The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. He claimed nine aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka” dive bomber.

Rudel surrendered to US forces in 1945 and immigrated to Argentina. An unrepentant Nazi, he helped fugitives escape to Latin America and the Middle East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, the former SS doctor at Auschwitz. He worked as an arms dealer to several right-wing regimes in South America, for which he was placed under observation by the US Central Intelligence Agency.

In the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the far-right German Reich Party but was not elected. Following the fall of Perón, Rudel moved to Paraguay, where he acted as a foreign representative for several German companies.

In 1976, Rudel attended a conference in the United States with various members of the United States military and defense industry as part of the development of the A-10 Thunderbolt II; Rudel’s status as a highly decorated attack aircraft pilot and particularly his experience at destroying Soviet tanks from the air was considered relevant to a potential conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Early life

Rudel was born on 2nd July 1916, in Konradswaldau, in Lower Silesia, Prussia. He was the third child of Lutheran minister Johannes Rudel.As a boy, Rudel was a poor scholar but a keen sportsman. Rudel attended the humanities oriented Gymnasium, in Lauban. He joined the Hitler Youth in 1933. After graduating with Abitur in 1936, he participated in the compulsory Reich Labour Service (RAD). Following the labour service, Rudel joined the Luftwaffe in the same year and began his military career as an air reconnaissance pilot.

World War II

German forces invaded Poland in 1939 starting World War II in Europe. As an air observer, Rudel flew on long-range reconnaissance missions over Poland. During 1940, he served as a regimental adjutant for the 43rd Aviators Training Regiment, based at Vienna.

In early 1941, he underwent training as a Stuka pilot. He was posted to 1 Staffel Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), which was moved to occupied Poland in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, in June 1941. On 21st September 1941, Rudel took part in an attack on the Soviet battleship Marat of the Baltic Fleet. Marat was sunk at her moorings on 23rd September 1941 after being hit by one 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb near the forward superstructure. It caused the explosion of the forward magazine which demolished the superstructure and the forward part of the hull. 326 men were killed and the ship gradually settled to the bottom in 11 meters (36 ft) of water. Her sinking is commonly credited to Rudel alone, but Rudel dropped only one of the two bombs that sank her. Rudel’s unit then took part in Operation Typhoon, Army Group Centre’s attempt to capture the Soviet capital.

Aerial photograph of the sunken ‘Marat’

Rudel’s gunner from October 1941 was Erwin Hentschel, who served with Rudel for the next two and a half years, both men earning the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross during that period. Hentschel completed 1,400 sorties with Rudel and drowned on 21st March 1944 when they were making their way to the German lines following a forced landing.

In early 1942, Rudel got married while home on leave. Later in the year, he took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. From May 1941 to January 1942, Rudel flew 500 missions. In February 1943, Rudel flew his 1,000th combat mission, which made him into a national hero. He then participated in the experiments with using the Ju 87 G in the anti-tank role. The anti-tank unit took part in operations against the Soviet Kerch–Eltigen Operation. The footage from an onboard gun camera was used in Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a Reich Ministry of Propaganda newsreel. In April 1943, Rudel was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, receiving the Oak Leaves from Hitler personally in Berlin. Rudel participated in the Battle of Kursk with the same unit. On 12th July 1943 Rudel claimed 12 Soviet tanks in one day. In October 1943, Rudel was credited with the destruction of his 100th tank and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (one of only 160 awarded) on 25th November.

Rudel was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe on 22nd February 1944. On 20th March, Rudel performed a forced landing behind Soviet lines and he and Hentschel (his gunner, mentioned above) escaped to the German lines. The men attempted to swim across the Dniester River but Hentschel drowned in the attempt. Upon his return, Ernst Gadermann, previously the troop doctor of III. Gruppe, joined Rudel as his new radio operator and air gunner. Rudel was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (one of only 27 awarded) on 29th March 1944, the tenth member of the Wehrmacht to receive this award. The presentation was made by Hitler personally.

Stuka legion Hans Ulrich Rudel and Gunner Erwin Hentschel.

Rudel was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1st September 1944, and appointed leader of SG 2, replacing Stepp, on 1st October 1944. On 22nd December 1944, Rudel completed his 2,400th combat mission, and the next day, he reported his 463rd tank destroyed. On 29th December 1944, Rudel was promoted to Oberst (colonel), and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, the only person to receive this decoration. This award, intended as one of 12 to be given as a post-war victory award for Nazi Germany, was presented to him by Hitler on 1st January 1945, four months before Nazi Germany was defeated.

On 8th February 1945, Rudel was badly wounded in the right foot, and landed inside German lines as his radio operator shouted flight instructions. Rudel’s leg was amputated below the knee. He returned to flying on 25th March 1945. He claimed 26 more tanks destroyed by the end of the war. On 19th April 1945, the day before Hitler’s final birthday, Rudel met with Hitler in the Führerbunker at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. On 8th May 1945, Rudel fled westward from an airfield near Prague, landing in US controlled territory, and turned himself in. The Americans refused to hand him over to the Soviet Union.

Continued National Socialist activities

While Rudel had been interned, his family fled from the advancing Red Army and had found refuge with Gadermann’s parents in Wuppertal. Rudel was released in April 1946 and went into private business. In 1948, he emigrated to Argentina via the ratlines, travelling via the Austrian Zillertal to Italy. In Rome, with the help of South Tyrolean smugglers, and aided by the Austrian bishop Alois Hudal, he bought himself a fake Red Cross passport with the cover name “Emilio Meier”, and took a flight from Rome to Buenos Aires, where he arrived on 8th June 1948. Rudel authored books on the war, supporting the regime and attacking the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht for “failing Hitler”.

In South America

After Rudel moved to Argentina, he became a close friend and confidant of the President of Argentina Juan Perón, and Paraguay’s dictator Alfredo Stroessner. In Argentina, he founded the “Kameradenwerk” (lit. “comrades’ agency”), a relief organization for Nazi war criminals. Prominent members of the “Kameradenwerk” included SS officer Ludwig Lienhardt, whose extradition from Sweden had been demanded by the Soviet Union on war crime charges, Kurt Christmann, a member of the Gestapo sentenced to 10 years for war crimes committed at Krasnodar, Austrian war criminal Fridolin Guth, and the German spy in Chile, August Siebrecht. The group maintained close contact with other internationally wanted fascists, such as Ante Pavelić and Carlo Scorza. In addition to these war criminals that fled to Argentina, the “Kameradenwerk” also assisted Nazi criminals imprisoned in Europe, including Rudolf Hess and Karl Dönitz, with food parcels from Argentina and sometimes by paying their legal fees. In Argentina, Rudel became acquainted with notorious Nazi concentration camp doctor and war criminal Josef Mengele. Rudel, together with Willem Sassen, a former Waffen-SS and war correspondent for the Wehrmacht, who initially worked as Rudel’s driver, helped to relocate Mengele to Brazil by introducing him to Nazi supporter Wolfgang Gerhard. In 1957, Rudel and Mengele together travelled to Chile to meet with Walter Rauff, the inventor of the mobile gas chamber.

In Argentina, Rudel lived in Villa Carlos Paz, roughly 36 kilometers (22 mi) from the populous Córdoba City, where he rented a house and operated a brickworks. There, Rudel wrote his wartime memoirs Trotzdem (“Nevertheless” or “In Spite of Everything”). The book was published in November 1949 by the Dürer-Verlag in Buenos Aires. Dürer-Verlag (1947–1958) issued a variety of apologia by former Nazis and their collaborators. Besides Rudel, among the early editors were Wilfred von Oven, the personal Press adjutant of Goebbels, and Naumann. Sassen convinced Adolf Eichmann to share his view on The Holocaust. Together with Eberhard Fritsch, a former Hitler Youth leader, Sassen began interviewing Eichmann in 1956 with the intent of publishing his views. The Dürer-Verlag went bankrupt in 1958.

Discussion ensued in West Germany on Rudel being allowed to publish the book, because he was a known Nazi. In the book, he supported Nazi policies. This book was later re-edited and published in the United States, as the Cold War intensified, under the title, Stuka Pilot, which supported the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Pierre Clostermann, a French fighter pilot, had befriended Rudel and wrote the foreword to the French edition of his book Stuka Pilot, while RAF ace Douglas Bader wrote the foreword in the English version. In 1951, he published a pamphlet Dolchstoß oder Legende? (“Stab in the Back or Legend?”), in which he claimed that “Germany’s war against the Soviet Union was a defensive war”, moreover, “a crusade for the whole world”. In the 1950s, Rudel befriended Savitri Devi, a writer and proponent of Hinduism and Nazism, and introduced her to a number of Nazi fugitives in Spain and the Middle East.

With the help of Perón, Rudel secured lucrative contracts with the Brazilian military. He was also active as a military adviser and arms dealer for the Bolivian regime, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Stroessner in Paraguay. He was in contact with Werner Naumann, formerly a State Secretary in Goebbels’ Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Following the Revolución Libertadora in 1955, a military and civilian uprising that ended the second presidential term of Perón, Rudel was forced to leave Argentina and move to Paraguay. During the following years in South America, Rudel frequently acted as a foreign representative for several German companies, including Salzgitter AG, Dornier Flugzeugwerke, Focke-Wulf, Messerschmitt, Siemens and Lahmeyer International, a German consulting engineering firm.

According to the historian Peter Hammerschmidt, based on files of the German Federal Intelligence Service and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the BND, under the cover-up company “Merex”, was in close contact with former SS and Nazi Party members. In 1966, Merex, represented by Walter Drück, a former Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht and BND agent, helped by the contacts established by Rudel and Sassen, sold discarded equipment of the Bundeswehr (German Federal armed forces) to various dictators in Latin America. According to Hammerschmidt, Rudel assisted in establishing contact between Merex and Friedrich Schwend, a former member of the Reich Security Main Office and involved in Operation Bernhard. Schwend, according to Hammerschmidt, had close links with the military services of Peru and Bolivia. In the early sixties, Rudel, Schwend and Klaus Barbie, founded a company called “La Estrella”, the star, which employed a number of former SS officers who had fled to Latin America. Rudel, through La Estrella, was also in contact with Otto Skorzeny, who had his own network of former SS and Wehrmacht officers.

Rudel returned to West Germany in 1953 and became a leading member of the Neo-Nazi nationalist political party, the German Reich Party (Deutsche Reichspartei or DRP). In the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the DRP, but was not elected to the Bundestag. According to Josef Müller-Marein, editor-in-chief of Die Zeit, Rudel had an egocentric character. Rudel heavily criticized the Western Allies during World War II for not having supported Germany in its war against the Soviet Union. Müller-Marein concluded his article with the statement: “Rudel no longer has a Geschwader (squadron)!” In 1977, he became a spokesman for the German People’s Union, a nationalist political party founded by Gerhard Frey.

Public scandals

In October 1976, Rudel inadvertently triggered a chain of events, which were later dubbed the Rudel Scandal (Rudel-Affäre). The German 51st Reconnaissance Wing, the latest unit to hold the name “Immelmann”, held a reunion for members of the unit, including those from World War II. The Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Defence, Hermann Schmidt authorized the event. Fearing that Rudel would spread Nazi propaganda on the German Air Force airbase in Bremgarten near Freiburg, Schmidt ordered that the meeting could not be held at the airbase. News of this decision reached Generalleutnant Walter Krupinski, at the time commanding general of NATO’s Second Allied Tactical Air Force, and a former World War II fighter pilot. Krupinski contacted Gerhard Limberg, Inspector of the Air Force, requesting that the meeting be allowed at the airbase. Limberg later confirmed Krupinski’s request, and the meeting was held on Bundeswehr premises, a decision to which Schmidt still had not agreed. Rudel attended the meeting, at which he signed his book and gave a few autographs but refrained from making any political statements.

During a routine press event, journalists who had been briefed by Schmidt questioned Krupinski and his deputy Karl Heinz Franke about Rudel’s presence. In this interview, the generals compared Rudel’s past as a Nazi and Neo-Nazi supporter to the career of prominent Social Democrat leader Herbert Wehner, who had been a member of the German Communist Party in the 1930s, and who had lived in Moscow during World War II, where he was allegedly involved in NKVD operations. Calling Wehner an extremist, they described Rudel as an honorable man, who “hadn’t stolen the family silver or anything else”. When these remarks became public, the Federal Minister of Defense Georg Leber, complying with 50 of the Soldatengesetz (Military law), ordered the generals into early retirement as of 1st November 1976. Leber, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), was heavily criticized for his actions by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposition, and the scandal contributed to the minister’s subsequent retirement in early 1978. On 3rd February 1977, the German Bundestag debated the scandal and its consequences. The Rudel Scandal subsequently triggered a military-tradition discussion, which the Federal Minister of Defense Hans Apel ended with the introduction of “Guidelines for Understanding and Cultivating Tradition” on 20th September 1982.

During the 1978 World Cup, held in Argentina, Rudel visited the Germany national team in its training camp in Ascochinga. The German media criticized the German Football Association, and viewed Rudel’s visit as being sympathetic to the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina following the 1976 Argentine coup d’état. During the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, he visited the German team at Malmö on 8th June 1958. There he was welcomed by team manager Sepp Herberger.

Rudel’s grave in Dornhausen

Personal life, death and funeral

Rudel was married three times. His 1942 marriage to Ursula Bergmann, nicknamed “Hanne”, produced two sons, Hans-Ulrich and Siegfried. They divorced in 1950. According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, one reason for the divorce was that his wife had sold some of his decorations, including the Oak Leaves with Diamonds, to an American collector, but she also refused to move to Argentina. On 27th March 1951, Der Spiegel published Ursula Rudel’s denial of selling his decorations, and further stated she had no intention of doing so. Rudel married his second wife, Ursula née Daemisch, in 1965. The marriage produced his third son, Christoph, born in 1969. Rudel survived a stroke on 26th April 1970. Following his divorce in 1977, he married Ursula née Bassfeld.

Rudel died following another stroke in Rosenheim on 18th December 1982, and was buried in Dornhausen on 22nd December 1982. During Rudel’s burial ceremony, two Bundeswehr F-4 Phantoms appeared to make a low altitude flypast over his grave. Dornhausen was situated in the middle of a flightpath regularly flown by military aircraft, and Bundeswehr officers denied deliberately flying aircraft over the funeral. Four mourners were photographed giving Nazi salutes at the funeral, and were investigated under a law banning the display of Nazi symbols. The Federal Minister of Defence Manfred Wörner declared that the flight of the aircraft had been a normal training exercise.

Summary of military career

Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions on the Eastern Front of World War II. The majority of these were undertaken while flying the Junkers Ju 87, although 430 were flown in ground-attack variants of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. He was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, severely damaging the battleship Marat, as well as sinking a cruiser (incomplete and heavily damaged Petropavlovsk), a destroyer (the Leningrad-class destroyer Minsk) and 70 landing craft. Rudel also claimed to have destroyed more than 800 vehicles of all types, over 150 artillery, anti-tank or anti-aircraft positions, 4 armored trains, as well as numerous bridges and supply lines. Rudel was also credited with 9 aerial victories, 7 of which were fighter aircraft and 2 Ilyushin Il-2s. He was shot down or forced to land 30 times due to anti-aircraft artillery, was wounded five times and rescued six stranded aircrew from enemy-held territory.

Hrabak, Rudel & Hentschel receive awards from Hitler

Rudel received the following decorations:

• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe as Oberleutnant in a Sturzkampfgeschwader (20th October 1941)
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (10th November 1939) & 1st Class (15th July 1941)
• Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
• Knight’s Cross on 6th January 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2
• 229th Oak Leaves on 14th April 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”
• 42nd Swords on 25th November 1943 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”
• 10th Diamonds on 29th March 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”
• 1st, and only, Golden Oak Leaves on 29th December 1944 as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”
• Pilot/Observer Badge In Gold with Diamonds
• Wound Badge In Gold
• German Cross In Gold
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Diamonds and a badge for 2,000 missions
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th class
• Sudetenland Medal
• Eastern Front Medal
• Silver Medal of Military Valor (Italy)
• 8th (1st and only foreign) Hungarian Gold Medal of Bravery (14th January 1945)

Ju 87 equipped with the anti-tank cannon

Panzerkampf 1/72nd scale diecast Junkers Ju-87G1 10 Stuka (PZ)

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Hobbymaster updated photo gallery.

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Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard

Flying Tigers.

The post Hans-Ulrich Rudel , New Panzerkampf Aircraft Model Announcements, COBI Bricks Arrivals and Hobbymaster Updates. appeared first on Flying Tigers.

A U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady from the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron taxis to the runway for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Dec. 2, 2010. The U-2 is a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft that reaches altitudes above 70,000 feet. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Eric Harris) (RELEASED)

The 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 9th Operations Group, Air Combat Command, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The squadron is equipped with the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft.

The 99th is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, first being organized as the 99th Aero Squadron on 21st August 1917 at Kelly Field, Texas. The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a Corps observation squadron.

During World War II the unit served both in the Panama Canal Zone as an anti-submarine unit and in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) as part of Twentieth Air Force as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber squadron. During the Cold War was part of Strategic Air Command equipped with Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bombers, and later with the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

Harvard Business School profiled the 99th and its innovation efforts in a 2019 case study.

Mission

The 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is responsible for providing critical intelligence for use by the highest levels of the U.S. government. Squadron pilots fly the Lockheed U-2S aircraft as they continuously train to upgrade from normal aircraft commander status to that of instructor pilot status.

The current mission statement of the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is “To deploy and employ warrior Airmen and execute effective and sustained U-2 operations globally in support of National Objectives.”

History

World War I

Organized at Kelly Field, Texas, on 21st August 1917, the 99th Aero Squadron moved to Garden City, New York, in early November and sailed for France on the fourteenth. After training in the Sopwith 1½ Strutter and the Salmson 2, the squadron began flying combat missions in June 1918.

Assigned to the V Corps Observation Group, United States First Army Air Service, the 99th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) was assigned to the Toul Sector of the French Western Front on 22nd June. It served as a school squadron with V Army Corps Infantry Liaison School. On 19th July, was assigned to the St. Die sector during which time one flight of unit, operating in Vosges region of Alsace and Lorraine where it participated in combat with French XXXIII Corps.

Between 12 and 16 September the squadron flew reconnaissance missions and directed artillery fire in support French 8th Army and the American V Army Corps during the St. Mihiel offensive. It also participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive between 26th September – 11th November 1918 when the Armistice with Germany was reached.

The 99th Aero Squadron remained in France until 8th May 1919, then moved to Mitchel Field, New York, where the unit was demobilized; the men who had served in France were returned to civilian life.

Men of the 99th Aero Squadron with their Salmson 2A2s at Parois Airdrome, France, November 1918.

Inter-war period

The 99th was retained after World War I as part of the permanent United States Army Air Service, and after a series of administrative moves in which the squadron was an administrative unit, was assigned to Bolling Field, District of Columbia, where it was organized as 99th Corps Observation Squadron. It was manned largely with veterans of the AEF who remained in the Air Service and was equipped with war surplus Dayton-Wright DH-4s and some British Royal Aircraft Establishment Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5s that had been shipped from Britain during the war as engineering models to license produce in the United States. At Bolling Field, the pilots of the squadron trained in aerial reconnaissance and also trained with Army units in Northern Virginia on battlefield observation maneuvers and artillery spotting and adjustments, similar to the combat missions the squadron flew on the Western Front during the way. However lack of funding for training and the general feeling in the United States that the peace lessened the need for a strong military led to many of the combat veterans to leave the service. As a result, the proficiency of squadron aircrews deteriorated until the 99th had no one proficient enough to participate in the 1929 bombing and gunnery matches.

In 1927, the 99th moved to Kelly Field, Texas, where it was assigned to the Air Corps Training Center. It was inactivated on 31st July. On 9th November 1928, it was reactivated at Mitchell Field, New York, and was equipped with a series of observation aircraft, and performed operational testing on the planes, and various variants over the next several years. With the creation of the GHQ Air Force on 1st March 1935, the group became the 9th Bombardment Group and the 99th became a bombardment squadron. With the new mission came new airplanes. The new bombardment squadron received American-made Martin B-10s in 1936 and Douglas B-18 Bolos in 1938. Squadron members trained hard learning the tactics and maneuvers of their new aircraft and new mission.

World War II

Antisubmarine warfare

As part of the buildup of Air Corps forces in the Panama Canal Zone prior to the United States entry into World War II, the 99th was transferred to Rio Hato Field, Panama on 13th November 1940. It was almost immediately redesignated as the 99th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), and equipped with Douglas B-18 Bolos. Its mission was to patrol the Pacific approaches to the Panama Canal.

Tragedy struck the 99th early in its Panama assignment. On 27th February 1941, one of its B-18As, piloted by 1st Lieutenant Jack L. Schoch and with six other crew members aboard, crashed into Panama Bay just off Venado Beach, with the loss of all on board. The cause of this mysterious loss were never determined, although rescue efforts continued late into the night. With its remaining four B-18As, the unit continued its intensive training program from its base at Rio Hato until, on 25th August 1941, it received one of the new Boeing B-17B Flying Fortresses assigned to the Command.

A Douglas B-18A Bolo assigned to the 99th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on patrol from Zandery Field, Dutch Guiana, 1942.

Just before the Pearl Harbor Attack, on 3rd December, the Squadron was ordered to distant Zandrey Field, Dutch Guiana (by way of Piarco Airport, Trinidad), under an agreement with the Netherlands government-in-exile, by which the United States occupied the colony to protect bauxite mines. However, to the disappointment of the crews, the squadron had to leave its B-17 behind. It was, however, reinforced with additional B-18As, bringing squadron strength up to six aircraft. At Zandry, the unit shuttled from Zandery to Atkinson Field, British Guiana and, by January 1942, had eight Curtiss P-40C Warhawks assigned. The P-40s were, in actuality detached for airfield defense by the Trinidad Base Command, under which the 99th fell at the time.

The intensive flying of the first two months of the war soon took its toll, however, and by the end of February 1942, the squadron was forced to report that it had but three B-18A’s operational at Zandery and that ” …. none of them are airworthy at this time.” Apparently the unit was quickly reinforced and by 1st March strength was back up to six aircraft, and seven combat crews, all of whom had more than 12 months experience.

Operations From Zandry Field consisted of coastal, convoy and anti-submarine patrols until 31st October 1942. Just prior to which time the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron was attached to the Squadron between 9th and 16th October. At this point AAF Antisubmarine Command took over the mission of the 99th and the men and aircraft of the squadron were reassigned. The squadron was detached from Sixth Air Force and reassigned to Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, without personnel.

At the AAFSAT, the squadron trained units at various airfields in central and northern Florida, the squadron trained cadres for 44 bomb groups in organization and operations, performed bombing pattern tests, experimented with 3-plane formations to attack moving ships, and performed over a hundred equipment tests.

B-29 Superfortress era

On 3rd March 1944, the squadron was again moved without personnel or equipment to Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, where the 99th was assigned to the 313th Bombardment Wing, with a mission to organize and train for Boeing B-29 Superfortressoperations in the Western Pacific. The 99th helped to develop operational bombardment tactics and tested special devices and equipment during this time.

In 1944 the 99th moved to Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, where it began training on the new Superfortress as part of the 313th Bombardment Wing, to organize and train for B-29 operations in the Western Pacific. The 99th helped to develop operational bombardment tactics and tested special devices and equipment during this time. It then moved to McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska, in May 1944 where it trained in earnest for its own combat deployment.

After six months in the new B-29, the 99th transferred to North Field (Tinian), in the Mariana Islands, just east of the Philippines. Arriving at Tinian on 28th December 1944, the 99th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy flew its first bombing raids on 27th, 29th and 31st January 1945, against Japanese installations in the northern Marianas. On 25th February the 99th joined an all-out Allied effort against Tokyo’s port and industrial areas.

For the remaining months of the war, squadron B-29s repeatedly struck Japanese aircraft factories, chemical plants, naval bases and airdromes. It also participated in night, low-level incendiary bombing attacks on urban areas.

During these months the 99th won two Distinguished Unit Citations. The first came for 15th–16th April 1945 bombing raids on Kawasaki, Japan’s industrial center, which furnished components for Tokyo and Yokohama’s heavy industry. The squadron won the second award in mine-laying operations beginning in mid May 1944 in the Shimonoseki Straits, which controlled access to the Inland Seas. This operation crippled Japan’s efforts to ship food, raw materials, war supplies, troops, and combat equipment to and from the homeland.

The 99th Bomb Squadron continued its attacks on Japan until flying its last mission, a low-level night incendiary attack on Kumagaya on 14th August 1945. With the end of World War II, the squadron moved to Harmon Air Force Base, Guam on 17th March 1946 and inactivated there on 20th October 1948.

B-29 Superfortress “Limber Richard” of the 99th Bombardment Squadron flying toward Japan with other squadron bombers, 1945

Strategic Air Command

The Air Force established the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base (later Travis Air Force Base, California, on 25th April 1949 and activated it on 1 May as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit. 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron flew Boeing RB-17 Flying Fortresses and, later, Boeing RB-29 Superfortresses, and a few Convair RB-36 Peacemakers. Their mission was to conduct visual, photographic, electronic, and weather reconnaissance operations.

Squadron reconnaissance operations were short-lived, however, as on 1st April 1950, the Air Force redesignated the wing as the 9th Bombardment Wing and the 99th as a bombardment squadron. The 99th continued to fly B-29s at Travic until 1st May 1953, when SAC moved the wing and its squadrons to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. By June 1955, the 99th Bombardment Squadron had replaced its B-29s with new Boeing B-47 Stratojets. In November 1955 the 99th and other wing squadrons demonstrated SAC’s ability to strike anywhere in the world making several deployments to England and Guam.

Squadron B-47s flew nonstop from the 8,300 miles from Mountain Home to New Zealand. The 99th flew nuclear deterrent missions for ten years. In November 1965, SAC agreed to transfer Mountain Home to Tactical Air Command. The 99th’s B-47s were retired and by 1st February 1966 all squadron aircraft were gone.

In January 1966 the first production Lockheed SR-71 Blackbirds had landed at Beale Air Force Base, California. This new aircraft gave SAC a reconnaissance capability that far exceeded any then available in terms of speed, altitude, and coverage. The SR-71 flew at more than three times the speed of sound (Mach 3+) at altitudes above 80,000 feet. It carried the most advanced observation equipment in the world. The 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated at Beale AFB on 1 January 1965 as the SR-71’s parent unit. In October 1965 Fifteenth Air Force suggested the Air Force redesignate the 9th Bombardment Wing as the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing to continue the wing’s proud history. The Air Force agreed and on 25th June 1966 the wing became the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and the 99th a strategic reconnaissance squadron. The 9th replaced the 4200th SRW at Beale AFB.

At Beale, the 99th trained with the SR-71 to bring the aircraft and crews to mission-ready status. By March 1967 the aircraft was ready. The SR-71 quickly deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, and began flying operational missions over Southeast Asia. Squadron pilots and reconnaissance systems operator gathered photographic and electronic data for U.S. commanders in South Vietnam from 1967 until 1st April 1971 when the squadron inactivated.

Lockheed U-2, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron

In November 1972, the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was re-activated at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand. The squadron was equipped a combination of U-2s, DC-130s and CH-3s flying classified missions over Southeast Asia until 30th  June 1976. When the U-2 joined the SR-71 under the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, the 99th Strategic Reconnaissthance Squadron returned to Beale.

The U-2, although slower than the SR-71, cost much less to operate and provided more “on-station” time. As intelligence collection increased throughout the 1980s, 99th U-2 pilots manned detachments at sites around the world. With the SR-71’s retirement in 1990, the U-2 assumed responsibility for all of America’s manned high-altitude reconnaissance.

During Operation Desert Shield, 99th Squadron pilots immediately deployed to Saudi Arabia and flew their first missions of 19th August 1990, just 17 days after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Throughout Desert Shield/Storm, squadron pilots provided vital reconnaissance that kept coalition commanders informed on the positions and movement of Iraqi troops. This information made air attacks more effective and helped reduce casualties in the ground war.

Modern era

Operational missions include extensive reconnaissance efforts during Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm and operation Iraqi Freedom as well as humanitarian efforts covering wildfire and earthquake damage in California and Midwestern United States floods. 99th personnel are currently temporarily assigned to four overseas detachments.

The 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron deployed to RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, in the United Kingdom in September 2019.

Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady 80-1083, 99th ERS / 9th RW, RAF Fairford

Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady 80-1083, 99th ERS / 9th RW, RAF Fairford , 2021

Check out the latest Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady ” Go Tigers!” which is available to pre-order from Flying Tigers today. Please click on the image/ links below to go straight to the model page to order your now.

HA6906 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady 80-1083, 99th ERS / 9th RW, RAF Fairford , 2021  RRP £130.00  Flying Tigers only £97.99

HF8002 Hobbymaster 1/8th scale U-2 “Dragon Lady” Pilot Figure  RRP £113..00  Flying Tigers only £102.99

Hobbymaster updated photo gallery.

Check out the latest HM photos below. Please click on the images or links to go straight to the model page to order your model now.

HA4542 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15A “Satellite Killer” 76-084, USAF, Sept 1985  RRP £126.00  Flying Tigers only £94.99

HA19097 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4F Phantom II 38+20, JG 74 “Molders”, 1982  RRP £104.00  Flying Tigers only £77.99

HA3117 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-102A Delta Dagger 54-1373, 199th FIS, Hawaii ANG, 1960s (case X wing)  RRP £110.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA9706 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-31E Foxhound “MAKS 2005” 903, Russian air Force, 2005 RRP £144.00  Flying Tigers only £107.99

HA9351 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo “Gerry’s Clown” AF56-176, 45th TRS “Polka Dots”, 1969  RRP £118.00  Flying Tigers only £87.99

HA6723 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado IDS “Norm 83B” 45+95, JaBoG 31 “Boelcke”, Nörvenich, Germany, 2008  RRP £106.00  Flying Tigers only £79.99

HA9551 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Sukhoi Su-30Mk multi-role fighter 502, Russian Air Force, 2011  RRP £128.00  Flying Tigers only £96.99

HA1437 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Douglas A-4M Skyhawk “Diamondbacks” 160024, VMA-131, US Marines, 1993  RRP £90.00  Flying Tigers only £67.99

HA9705 Hobbymaster MiG-31K Foxhound D Bort 36, Russian Long Range Aviation Command, Russian Air Force (with KH-47 missile)  RRP £140.00  Flying Tigers only £105.99

HA19061 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4E Phantom II 67-351,497th Squadron, South Korea,1985  RRP £104.00  Flying Tigers only £77.99

Hobbymaster models due to arrive soon at Flying Tigers.

The following Hobbymaster models are due to arrive soon and are available to pre-order at Flying Tigers today.

Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands !

Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or  CLICK HERE  to see them all.

HA4539 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15E Strike Eagle “Liberator” 92-0364, 48th FW, USAF, Lakenheath 2022  RRP £126.00  Flying Tigers only £95.99   ONLY FEW LEFT

HA9801 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Dassault Mirage IIICJ “first Shahak kill” No. 59, flown by Yoram Agmon, 101 Squadron, IAF, Hatzor Air Base, July 1966  RRP £100.00  Flying Tigers only £74.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA1338 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Thunderbolt II A-10C “Memphis Belle III” 78-0651, Capt Lindsay “Mad” Johnson, David-Monthan AFB, 2023-24  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £84.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA19059 Hobbymaster F-4J Blue Angels “Cdr. Harley Hall” 153812, Cdr Harley Hall & AMHI Guy Giuffrai, US Navy, 1970 to 1971  RRP £108.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA19097 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4F Phantom II 38+20, JG 74 “Molders”, 1982  RRP £104.00  Flying Tigers only £77.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA3582 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18C “Finnish Air Force RIAT 2023” HN-411, Finnish Air Force, RAF Fairford, July 2023  RRP £102.00  Flying Tigers only £76.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA3583 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18C “Death Rattlers” 165220, VMFA-323, US Marines, 2021  RRP £108.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA4540 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15SG Multi-role Fighter Aircraft 8328, 149 Squadron, RSAF  RRP £120.00  Flying Tigers only £89.99   ONLY 1 LEFT

HA9351 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo “Gerry’s Clown” AF56-176, 45th TRS “Polka Dots”, 1969  RRP £118.00  Flying Tigers only £87.99   ONLY 1 LEFT

HA9706 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-31E Foxhound “MAKS 2005” 903, Russian air Force, 2005  RRP £144.00  Flying Tigers only £107.99   ONLY 1 LEFT

HL2025 Hobbymaster 1/200th scale Douglas C-54Q Skymaster 56501, US Navy Test Pilot School, 1973  RRP £70.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HL2026 Hobbymaster 1/200th scale Douglas R5D-3 “Operation Deep Freeze” 56528, US Navy, 1950s  RRP £70.00  Flying Tigers only £61.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

SM8011 Skymax 1/72nd scale TBD-1 Devastator “Battle of Coral Sea” white T-1, Lt. Cdr. James Brett, VT-2, USS Lexington, May 1942  RRP £88.00  Flying Tigers only £65.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

SM8012 Skymax 1/72nd scale TBD-1 Devastator “Battle of Midway” black 1, Lt Cdr EE Lindsey, VT-6, USS Enterprise, 4th June 1942  RRP £88.00  Flying Tigers only £65.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HA8908 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Grumman F4F-4 “Battle of Midway” white 11, Lt. Scott McCuskey, VF-3, USS Yorktown, June 1942  RRP £94.00  Flying Tigers only £69.99  ONLY 2 LEFT

HA8910 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Grumman F4F-4 “Battle of Santa Cruz” white 19, Lt. Swede Vejtasa, VF-10, USS Enterprise, Oct 1942  RRP £94.00  Flying Tigers only £69.99   ONLY 2 LEFT

HG0116 Hobbymaster 1/56th scale Tiger 1s.pZ.Abt. 504 Medjez el Bab Tunisia April 1943  RRP £43.00  Flying Tigers only £37.99

That’s all for this week.

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

The post 99th Reconnaissance Squadron , Hobbymaster New Model Arrivals & Updated Photos. appeared first on Flying Tigers.

Grumman A-6 Intruders USN VA-165 Boomers

VA-165, nicknamed the Boomers, was a long-lived Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established on 1st September 1960, and disestablished 35 years later on 30th September 1996. The squadron operated in the region of Vietnam, Laos, and Korea during the 1960s and early 1970s. VA-165 transferred to the Persian Gulf after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and also served near the Philippines during the late 1970s. During the 1980s, VA-165 was moved from the Middle East to Central America, particularly Nicaragua, back to Iran in the Middle East, off to South Korea, and then to the Middle East again for Kuwait. During the 1990s, the squadron worked in the United States, the Middle East, and Taiwan.

History

1960s

VA-165 was commissioned on 1st September 1960. In November 1963, the USS Oriskany, with VA-165 embarked, operated in the South China Sea during a crisis in South Vietnam and the coup that overthrew President Diem. The squadron began participation in combat operations over Laos in February 1965.

An A-1J Skyraider of VA-165 in 1966.

On 4th April 1966, VA-165 deployed to Vietnam as a component of CVW-10 embarked on USS Intrepid. This was the first all attack air wing and the first to deploy. Two squadrons flew the A-1 Skyraider and the other two squadrons flew the A-4 Skyhawk.

The 26th of January 1968 saw the USS Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, operating on Yankee Station, being ordered to the Sea of Japan following the capture of USS Pueblo on 23rd January by the North Koreans. Ranger and VA-165 operated in the area until relieved on 5th March 1968. In April 1969, following the shooting down of a Navy EC-121 aircraft by the North Koreans on 15 April, Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, left Yankee Station and proceeded to the Sea of Japan for operations off the coast of Korea.

1970s

On 26th May 1970: The squadron’s commanding officer, Commander F. M. Backman, flew the newest update version of the A-6 Intruder, the A-6C, into combat for the first time. In April 1972, VA-165 participated in Operation Freedom Train, tactical air sorties against military and logistic targets in the southern part of North Vietnam. It also provided support for forces in South Vietnam following a massive invasion by North Vietnam on 1st April 1972. In May, the squadron participated in the early phase of Operation Linebacker I, heavy air strikes against targets in North Vietnam above 20 degrees north latitude.

In November 1974, VA-165, part of the CVW-9 team embarked on USS Constellation, operated in the Persian Gulf. This was the first time in 26 years that an American carrier had entered and operated in the Persian Gulf. In March 1979: Constellation, with VA-165 embarked, was ordered to make a high speed transit to the Indian Ocean from the Philippines in response to the conflict between North and South Yemen.

An A-6A of VA-165 preparing for launch aboard the Constellation on April 25th, 1972.

1980s

In October 1981, the squadron received the A-6E TRAM Intruder and became the first operational A-6 unit to deploy with the capability to fire the AGM-84A Harpoon. Between July–August 1983, USS Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, was ordered to operate off the coast of Nicaragua in response to the possible invasion of Honduras by Nicaragua. From October 1983–January 1984: Ranger, with VA-165 embarked, was extended on station in the Arabian Sea due to the threat by Iran to block oil exports from the Persian Gulf. In September 1988, USS Nimitz, with VA-165 embarked, operated in the Sea of Japan in support of the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, Republic of Korea. In November, their aircraft participated in Operation Earnest Will, the escorting of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf. In 1989, While deployed near the United States, their aircraft participated in the filming of Flight of the Intruder.

1990s

In 1990, VA-165 transitioned to the A-6E SWIP Intruder. That same year, the squadron sailed with the Constellation as the carrier moved back to East Coast around Cape Horn for its SLEP (Service Life Extension Program) overhaul.

Between February 25th and August 24th, 1991; the squadron made deployment to the Persian Gulf region in the aftermath of the Gulf War. On February 2nd, 1993, they deployed again to take part in Operation Southern Watch. This was the last deployment that the KA-6D Tanker made with the US Navy, with VA-165 retiring it after their return.

An A-6E SWIP Intruder of VA-165 aboard the USS Nimitz in 1992.

VA-165’s last deployment began on November 27th, 1995. On the 19th of December, the squadron along with the Nimitz transited the Taiwan Strait during the early period of the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. During the first part of 1996, the squadron flew missions in support of Southern Watch. However, when the Taiwan Strait crisis worsened in March 1996, VA-165 and the Nimitz Battlegroup were ordered to rush to the Taiwan Strait. On 26th July 1996, VA-165 held its decommissioning ceremony, with squadron being formally disestablished on 30th September 1996.

Aircraft assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:

AD-6/A-1H Skyraider – 4th Oct 1960
A-1J Skyraider – Jun 1963
A-6A Intruder – May 1967
A-6B Intruder – Nov 1969
A-6C Intruder – 27th Feb 1970
KA-6D Intruder – 28th Mar 1971
A-6E Intruder – 20th Jan 1975
A-6E TRAM Intruder – 1981
A-6E SWIP Intruder – 1990

Grumman A-6E Intruder USN VA-165 Boomers NG511 1990

Century Wings 1/72nd scale Grumman A-6E Intruder USN VA-165 Boomers NG511 1990 available to pre-order from Flying Tigers.

Check out the latest Grumman A-6 Intruder announced by Century Wings, and is available to pre-order from Flying Tigers now. Please click on the image/ links below to go straight to the model page.

CW001648 Century Wings 1/72nd scale Grumman A-6E Intruder USN VA-165 Boomers NG511 1990 RRP £138.00  Flying Tigers only £109.99

Century Wings 1/72nd scale CW001647 Century Wings Lockheed SR-71A new model announcement available to pre-order from Flying Tigers.

Check out the latest Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird announced by Century Wings, and is available to pre-order from Flying Tigers now. Please click on the image/ links below to go straight to the model page.

CW001647 Century Wings 1/72nd scale Lockheed SR-71A U.S.A.F 9th SRW 61-7976 1990 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio  RRP £150.00  Flying Tigers only £119.99 Limited Edition only 900 pieces worldwide !

Hobbymaster & Skymax New Models now in stock at Flying Tigers.

The following  Hobbymaster & Skymax  models have just arrived at Flying Tigers today.

If you want any of these models be quick to order yours now as stocks are very limited.

If you have already pre-ordered your model(s) they will be sent to you over the next few days.

Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands !

Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all in the  New Models in stock section.

HA6716 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado GR.1 “Debbie” ZD790, 31 Squadron, Bahrain 1991 ‘Operation Granby” RRP £100.00  Flying Tigers only £74.99

HA4597 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15E “Strike Eagle Prototype” 71-0291, USAF, 1980 RRP £138.00  Flying Tigers only £104.99

HA4534 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15J Eagle 52-8951, 306th TFS, JASDF, Komatsu Air Base, Japan  RRP £122.00  Flying Tigers only £101.99

HA4431 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-35A “Aggressor” 11-5021, 65th AGRS, Nellis AFB, June 2022  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £83.99

HA4432 Hobbymaster Lockheed F-35I Adir 921, 140 Squadron “Golden Eagle”, IAF  RRP £109.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99

HA5012 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Grumman EA-6B Prowler 161350, VAQ-132 Scorpions, November 2006  RRP £136.00  Flying Tigers only £102.99

HA6519 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Mikoyan MiG-29A Fulcrum 231st FS, Cuban Revolutionary Air Force, San Julian Air Base, 1997  RRP £109.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99

HA6520 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Mikoyan MiG-29A Fulcrum Red 32, 960th FR, Russian Air Force, 1997  RRP £109.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99

HA19044 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II No. 2 airplane, US Blue Angels, 1969  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £84.99

HA19045 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II US Blue Angels, 1969 (with decal for No.1 to No.6 airplanes)  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £84.99

HA8515 Hobbymaster  1/48th scale P-51B Mustang “Steve Pisanos” 36798, 4th FG, 334th FS, May 1944  RRP £96.00  Flying Tigers only £71.99

HA8515B Hobbymaster 1/48th scale P-51B Mustang “Steve Pisanos” 36798, 4th FG, 334th FS, May 1944 (with pilots’s signature plate)  RRP £110.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA8516 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale P-51C “Princess Elizabeth” 43-25147, United Kingdom, 1944  RRP £94.00  Flying Tigers only £70.99

HA8718 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale BF 109E-3 “Spanish Civil War” flown by Hptm. Siebelt Reents, Staffelkapitän of 1.J/88, Spring of 1939  RRP £98.00  Flying Tigers only £72.99

SM4008 Skymax 1/72nd scale Hawker Tempest Mk.V EJ705/ W2-X, No.80 Squadron RAF, 2nd TAF, Autumn 1944  RRP £68.00  Flying Tigers only £59.99

SM4009 Skymax 1/72nd scale Hawker Tempest Mk.V EJ762, F/Lt. David C. Fairbanks, 274 Sqn., Netherlands, November 1944  RRP £68.00  Flying Tigers only £59.99

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard.
Flying Tigers.

The post VA-165 Boomers (U.S. Navy) , Century Wings Announcements , Hobbymaster New Model Arrivals and Bank Holiday Sale! appeared first on Flying Tigers.

Squadron Leader Marmaduke Thomas St John “Pat” Pattle, Officer Commanding No. 33 Squadron RAF standing by a Hawker Hurricane at Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.

Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle, DFC & Bar (3rd July 1914 – 20th April 1941), usually known as Pat Pattle, was a South African-born English Second World War fighter pilot and flying ace (an aviator credited with the destruction of five or more enemy aircraft in aerial combat) of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Pattle applied to join the South African Air Force at 18, but was rejected. He travelled to the United Kingdom and joined the RAF in 1936 on a Short Service Commission. Pattle was a pilot by 1937 and was posted to No. 80 Squadron based in Egypt upon the outbreak of war in September 1939. In June 1940, Italy entered the war on the side of the Axis Powers and he began combat operations against the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force), gaining his first successes during the Italian invasion of Egypt.

After the Italian invasion, his squadron was sent to Greece in November 1940, where Pattle achieved most of his victories. Pattle claimed around 20 aircraft shot down and in March 1941 was promoted to squadron leader. After the German intervention, and in fourteen days of operations, Pattle claimed victories 24–50. Pattle claimed five or more aircraft destroyed in one day on three occasions, which qualified him for ace in a day status. Pattle achieved his greatest success on 19th April 1941, claiming six victories. The following day, having claimed more aerial victories than any other Western Allied pilot, he took off against orders, while suffering from a high temperature, to engage German aircraft near Athens. He was last seen battling Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters. His Hurricane crashed into the sea during this dogfight and Pattle was killed.

Pattle is sometimes noted as being the highest-scoring British Commonwealth pilot of the war. If all claims made for him are correct, his total could have been more than 51. It can be stated that his final total was at least 40 and could exceed this number. Log-books and semi-official records suggest this figure, while personnel attached to his squadron suspect the figure to be closer to 60. A total of 26 of Pattle’s victims were Italian; 15 were downed with Gloster Gladiators, the rest with Hawker Hurricanes. He is considered to be the highest-scoring ace on both Gladiator and Hurricane (35 victories) fighters.

Early years

Childhood and education

Pattle was born in Butterworth, Cape Province, on 3rd July 1914, the son of South African-born parents of English descent, Sergeant-Major Cecil William John “Jack” Pattle (b. 5 September 1884) and Edith Brailsford (1881–1962). Marmaduke was named after his paternal grandfather, Captain Thomas Marmaduke Pattle, who resigned his commission in the Royal Horse Artillery and emigrated to South Africa from England in 1875. Thomas became the first military magistrate of Butterworth. Jack Pattle followed his father into the British Army at the age of 15. He fought in the Second Boer War and the Natal Rebellion. Afterwards, he studied law and became a civilian attorney. Jack Pattle met Edith Brailsford in 1909. Brailsford was an English nurse who had lived in South Africa since the age of five. Jack Pattle and Edith Brailsford married in 1912. Within two years, two sons had been born, Cecil and Marmaduke.

As a child, Marmaduke was academically gifted and also a keen boxer and long-distance swimmer. He also took a keen interest in mechanical things, particularly combustion engines, and was building Meccano models of aircraft and other vehicles by the age of 12. In his early teens, he became an avid amateur mechanic, fixing the family motor car and learning to drive. Marmaduke was never a hard worker and did not embark upon an academic career, but was considered to possess above average intelligence. In 1929, he passed the Junior Certificate Exam with first class honours. The certificate qualified him for Victoria Boy’s High School from which he graduated in 1931.

Although he had considered a career as a mining engineer, Pattle sent in an application to join the South African Air Force in 1932 and was employed in menial jobs while waiting for a response. For several months, he worked at a petrol station owned by an uncle.

Military service

On 22nd March 1933 he was invited for an interview for a commission in the Air Force in Pretoria. One of 30 applicants vying for three places, he was rejected for lack of flying experience. Determined to rectify this weakness, he went to Johannesburg and began taking flying lessons. To fund his new ambition, he worked for a mining company, Sheba Gold Mine. He enjoyed the work so much he considered studying for a degree in mining engineering. His passion for flying subsided, but an impromptu visit by a transport aircraft gave Pattle a close glimpse of it, which rekindled his interest. At around the same time, the Ministry of Defence created the Special Service Battalion to employ South African youth who were struggling to find work because of the Great Depression. He joined up in 1936 hoping it would lead to a career in the Air Force. He undertook basic training and national service on the understanding that he would be given an opportunity to enter the Air Force as an instructor at the end of his four-year service.

Pattle worked toward this goal for some time until, in late 1935, by chance, he picked up a copy of the Johannesburg Star newspaper. The paper contained an advertisement by the Royal Air Force (RAF) which was offering five-year short service commissions for cadets throughout the British Empire. The RAF expansion schemes required a great influx of capable personnel into the organisation as rearmament and the need for fighting men heightened. Pattle decided that a career in the RAF offered better prospects than as an instructor in South Africa and applied. Early in 1936, he was invited to Britain as an applicant. He flew to London at his own expense to attend the selection processes and was offered a commission by the selection board. He immediately returned to South Africa to arrange his migration to Britain and left aboard SS Llandovery Castle on 30th April 1936.

RAF career

Pattle was assigned to a civil flying school at RAF Prestwick which was run by Scottish Aviation Limited. He formally began his training on 29 June 1936. He progressed well in his theory examinations, gaining 99 percent for gunnery and 91 percent for airmanship. He flew a single-engined De Havilland Tiger Moth training biplane and gained his A Licence at the end of July, partly because he was a capable pilot and also because the Air Ministry was anxious to produce trained pilots. He completed his training within two months and was classified as above average after passing his examination with ease. Pattle was give the service number 39029.

Pattle was sent to No. 10 Elementary Flying School at RAF Ternhill in Shropshire. He spent three months with the Initial Training Squadron and three further months with the Advanced Training Squadron. On 24th August 1936, he became an acting pilot officer. In November, he passed his technical exams, achieving 98 percent in aero engine mechanics and 96 percent in meteorology while scoring 95 percent in applied mechanics. The basic flight training came to an end and Pattle scored 88.5 percent. His advanced training began in November 1936 on the Gloster Gauntlet. He completed his training somewhat later than planned, in March 1937, owing to bad weather which curtailed flying. He was rated as “exceptional” in his final report.

Pattle joined No. 80 Squadron RAF. The squadron was in the midst of re-forming at RAF Kenley and he was able to fly the Gloster Gladiator fighter for the first time in May 1937. In June, the unit moved to RAF Debden. Here, they practised aerial combat against RAF Bomber Command squadrons which staged mock raids against London. During these exercises, he mastered deflection shooting. Pattle developed his own air tactics. He preferred attacking at higher altitudes than his quarry, meeting head-on, then waiting for the enemy to fly by before rolling over and diving to attack from the side and rear of the enemy. He usually held his fire until very close to the target to make sure of hitting his opponent. His qualities as an officer led to him being promoted to squadron adjutant. A gifted flyer and natural marksman, he took pains to improve both talents, doing exercises to improve his distance vision and sharpen his reflexes. He progressed in rank with the squadron and was duly promoted to pilot officer on 27th July 1937.

On 29th April 1938, Pattle accompanied the unit to Egypt having been tasked with the defence of the Suez Canal. While in Egypt, Pattle carried out ground attack duties against Arab rebels. He fired on the enemy several times as local rebellions against British rule took shape and then died away.

Second World War

North African campaign

Following the outbreak of war, the unit, flying the Gloster Gladiator, moved up to the Libyan border, where in August 1940, Pattle first saw action. 80 Squadron received the order to deploy one of its flights to Sidi Barrani in anticipation of Italian air attacks. “B” Flight, commanded by Pattle, moved to the forward airfield. On 4th August 1940, Pattle claimed his first victories. While escorting a Westland Lysander, Pattle and his flight engaged first a force of six Breda Ba.65/A80s of the 159a Squadriglia (“squadron”) and six Fiat CR.42 quarters of the 160a Squadriglia. Pattle claimed a Breda, but was then attacked by the escorting Fiat CR.42s. He managed to hit one, that he saw falling spinning, but later was himself attacked by another formation of Bredas and CR.42s. The Bredas dived and delivered attacks from the quarter and beam. Pattle avoided them by turning away and opening fire on the nearest target as they dived past to gain speed, climbed, and then engaged Pattle again. The Gladiator’s guns jammed one by one, leaving him without any form of defence, other than bluff attacks. After 15 minutes of battle, while avoiding one enemy fighter, he flew into the line of sight of another and was hit. Pattle’s rudder controls were shot away, so he climbed to 400 ft and bailed out.

He was shot down most probably by Italian Spanish Civil War ace Tenente (Lieutenant) Franco Lucchini of 90a Squadriglia, 10° Gruppo (“group”), 4° Stormo (“wing”). He landed, winded, and played dead to avoid being strafed. He started to walk towards the Allied lines and crossed the border at around midday the following day. After two days, he was rescued by a detachment from the 11th Hussars, who returned him to Sidi Barrani. Pattle was annoyed. He considered being shot down by the Italians as an embarrassment and regarded the episode as a slur on his reputation. After his forced march to friendly lines, he was also determined not to get lost in the desert again so he flew to Alexandria and bought a compass which he never flew without.

On 8th August, Pattle claimed two more victories (nos 3–4). While leading 14 Gladiators of 80 Squadron in a surprise attack against 16 Fiat CR.42s from 9° and 10° Gruppi of 4° Stormo, over Gabr Saleh inside the Italian territory. Sergente (Sergeant) Rosa, Dallari and Valla bailed out and Sotto Tenente Querci, Sergente Gino and Poli force landed. One pilot, Norino Renzi, a Regia Aeronautica pilot since 25th December 1930 and a pre-war member of 4° Stormo’s aerobatics group, was killed. “Shorty” Graham, Pattle’s wingman that day, confirmed he saw two fall to Pattle. On 3rd September 1940, Pattle was promoted to flight lieutenant.

Three days later, the Italian invasion of Egypt began. Much to Pattle’s distaste, the squadron was heavily involved in close air support operations and ordered specifically to avoid air-to-air combat unless attacked. On occasion, he chanced upon Italian aircraft, but the Gladiator’s limited speed denied Pattle further success. Pattle succeeded in damaging a Savoia-Marchetti S.79 bomber which emitted black smoke but dived away and Pattle could not catch it. The speed of the Savoia-Marchetti S.79 enabled it to escape the RAF fighters on a consistent basis. The unit withdrew to Habbaniyah to re-equip with Mark II machines, but was then ordered to Greece after the Italian attack.

Greco-Italian War

In November, the squadron was transferred to the Balkans to help the Greek Air Force oppose the Italian invasion. On 8th November, the squadron and its new Gladiator IIs moved from their base at Sidi Haneish to Abu Suweir. There the pilots were granted two days leave. On 16th November 1940, the squadron arrived in Athens and moved to airfields north of the capital. Pattle’s aerodrome was situated at Eleusis. They stayed to organise the squadron into flights but moved to the Albanian–Greek border town of Trikkala hours later.

Pattle (sixth from the right, resting on his left elbow), with 33 Squadron c. 1941.

Here Pattle was to enjoy significant success. On 19th November 1940, Pattle with eight other pilots from 80 Squadron, attacked Fiat CR.42s and Fiat G.50bis near the Italian airfield at Korçë. In this combat, the RAF claimed nine and two probably destroyed while 160o Gruppo Autonomo (Independent Group) lost three Fiat CR.42s and one damaged while 355a Squadriglia, 24o Gruppo Autonomo, lost one G.50. Four Italian pilots were killed, while the RAF lost a Gladiator. Pattle claimed two CR.42s in the battle — his wingman Heimar Stucky (himself wounded in action later on) witnessed both catch fire and crash in the vicinity of Korçë with the pilots killed. Pattle’s guns jammed during the battle and he was forced to break off combat. Pattle also noted the inferior speed of the Gladiator against the Fiat G.50 Freccia. The Italian pilots could easily outrun the Gladiators if outnumbered. His combat reports also noted the ineffective fire of the Italians who fired and broke away from too far away. Having regained pressure in his guns, he encountered a lone G.50. Though respectful of its advantages, he was convinced of his own flying ability. He placed the Gladiator below and in front of the Italian fighter to tempt the enemy pilot, but could not persuade it to accept battle.Between 27th and 29th November, Pattle made four claims. Flying as escort for Bristol Blenheims, Pattle engaged three SM.79s and shared two destroyed with 11 other pilots. On 29th November, he shared with William Vale with both claiming two shared damaged.

On 2nd December, he claimed two victories (nos 7–8). In the Gjirokastër area, Pattle shot down an IMAM Ro.37bis from 42a Squadriglia, 72o Gruppo, and Sergente Luigi Del Manno and his observer, Tenente Michele Milano, were both killed. In the afternoon, Pattle shot down another Ro.37bis from 72oGruppo near Përmet, killing Capitano Fuchs and Sergente Vescia. On 4th December 1940, the RAF claimed nine Fiat CR.42s destroyed and two probables. Pattle — whose own aircraft was hit in the main fuel tank and a wing strut — claimed three CR.42s plus another and a Fiat CR.42 as probable victories — he had seen two of his victims bail out. According to Italian combat records, 150° Gruppo, involved in that combat, lost just two CR.42s. Tenente Alberto Triolo and Sottotenente Paolo Penna were killed in action.

Pattle achieved further success on 20th December 1940. On this day he achieved 12 or 13 air victories. Covering the withdrawal of Blenheims from 211 Squadron over the Kelcyre sector, he missed the rendezvous. Instead, Pattle opted to fly a patrol between Tepelene and Kelcyre. He intercepted a flight of escorted SM.79s and attacked them before the escort could react. He downed one via a head-on attack. The crew bailed out and the bomber crashed near Tepelene. Two Gladiators had been damaged and withdrew after being hit by withering return fire. Soon he spotted another formation of much slower Savoia-Marchetti SM.81. He expended all his ammunition and watched the Italian pilot attempt a crash-landing, only for the bomber to hit a tree and disintegrate 15 miles north of Kelcyre. His victims were from 104° Gruppo and drawn from 252a and 253a Squadriglia. His first victim was piloted by Tenente Andrea Berlingieri. Berlingieri and his crew were killed. On 21st December, he downed a CR.42, but his unit suffered the loss of Squadron Leader Hickey. Hickey bailed out and was subsequently shot in his parachute. Pilot Officer Ripley was killed also — Pattle witnessed his death. The squadron claimed a number of victories in return. Pattle’s 15th and last victory in the Gladiator was claimed on 9th February 1941. In between these dates, on 28th January 1941, he took a third share in the destruction of a CANT Z.1007 and a half-share in a Fiat BR.20. In view of his actions, Pattle was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 11th February 1941.

No. 80 Squadron was re-equipped with newer model Hawker Hurricane Mk Is on 20th February 1941. That day, Pattle, flying Hurricane Mk I V7724, was leading a group of six Hurricanes escorting 16 Blenheim light bombers — eight from No. 84 Squadron RAF, six from No. 211 Squadron and three from No. 30 Squadron RAF—to Berat. Fiat G.50bis from the 361a and 395a Squadriglia, 154° Autonomo Gruppo were scrambled from Berat airfield, but they were attacked by the higher altitude Hurricanes. Pattle led his section straight towards four Fiat G.50s and selected the leading aircraft as his own target. It was the first time he had fired the eight guns of the Hurricane, and the G.50 exploded. The Fiat G.50 was from 154° Gruppo and it was the first Hurricane victory that Pattle claimed. Tenente Livio Bassi was killed in this battle. Another CR.42 fell to Pattle on 27th February 1941 — his 17th victory. His Hurricane sustained a bullet hole in the fuel tank.

On 28th February, British pilots in Greece celebrated their biggest success in combat. No. 80 Squadron claimed 27 Italian aircraft without loss in 90 minutes of air combat. Pattle himself claimed three Fiat CR.42s shot down in less than three minutes. The Regia Aeronautica claimed that day it lost just one CR.42 (as confirmed by Italian pilot Corrado Ricci, a participant in those battles), plus four Fiat BR.20s and two G.50bis. The Italians claimed six Gladiators and one Supermarine Spitfire — none would be in the Mediterranean Theatre until March 1942 — while in fact only one Gladiator of No. 112 Squadron was lost, while two Blenheims, attacked by CR.42s had to crash-land returning to base. In a previous fight south of Vlorë, Pattle had to return to base with the windscreen covered by oil from a shot down enemy bomber. His tally was now 21 air victories. Later sources suggested two of Pattle’s claim were from the 37° Stormo.

On 4th March 1941, Pattle claimed three enemy Fiat G.50bis fighters (nos 22–24) belonging to 24oGruppo. He claimed the first, while Nigel Cullen — another leading fighter ace — flew as his wingman. Escorting Blenheims to attack Italian warships, the pair were engaged by a lone G.50. Pattle engaged the Fiat and shot it down — its landing gear dropped down and it rolled over and into a mountainside just north of Himare. Pattle searched for Cullen, expecting him to be behind him but saw no sign of the Australian. He assumed Cullen had gone off to scout for more enemy aircraft after missing out on Pattle’s victory. Now alone, he was attacked by another lone G.50bis while flying towards Vlorë. After a brief combat, he shot down the Fiat. It crashed into the sea southwest of Vlorë harbour. He then became involved with a third such fighter over Valona harbour and claimed to have shot this down into the sea in flames on the west side of the promontory. After his return to base, he was informed Cullen had been posted missing in action. Pattle and the squadron considered he had most likely been shot down and killed.

A crashed Fiat CR.42, North Africa circa 1940/41. Pattle claimed 14 of these aircraft—more than any other type.

Squadron leader

On 12th March 1941, Pattle was promoted to squadron leader. The following day, the squadron returned to Eleusis north of Athens. There, Pattle was reassigned to No. 33 Squadron. Pattle received a Bar to his DFC on 18th March 1941, for which the citation read: “In March 1941, during an engagement over Himara Flight Lieutenant Pattle shot down three enemy fighters. This courageous and skilful fighter pilot has now destroyed at least 23 enemy aircraft”.

Pattle arrived in Athens and was immediately unimpressed by No. 33 Squadron. The group was already indignant and many of the veterans believed one of their number should have been promoted instead. He gathered the pilots together and made a statement of his intent:

This is my first command. I intend to make it a successful one. You have done well in the desert, but you are not a good Squadron. A good Squadron looks smart. You are a scruffy looking lot! Your flying, by my standards, is ragged. Flying discipline starts when you start to taxi and doesn’t end until you switch off your engine. In future you will taxi in formation, take off in formation, and land in formation at all times unless your aircraft has been damaged, or in an emergency.

After the lecture, Pattle took another pilot, Pilot Officer Ping Newton, up for dogfight practice. The squadron watched. They climbed to 10,000 feet, separated and then began a head-on attack so neither would have an advantage. Soon, Pattle had moved onto his tail and Ping could not shake his leader off. He criticised the pilot for being too smooth on the controls and urged his men to be rough with them in combat. Within a week, constant practice had moulded the squadron into an effective team. He impressed on his pilots one critical point about his own approach to combat:

You must be aggressive in the air but not to the extent of recklessness. Always be ready to take the initiative, but only when you have the enemy aircraft at a disadvantage. You must be ready to react instinctively in any situation and you can only do this if you are alert both physically and mentally. Good eyes and perfect co-ordination of hands and feet are essential. Flying an aeroplane in combat should be automatic. The mind must be free to think what to do; it must never be clouded with any thought on how it should be done.

On 23rd March, Pattle flew his first missions with No. 33 Squadron, now based at Larissa. They flew as escort for Blenheims from No. 84 Squadron over the Pindus Mountains and Paramythia. Supported by No. 112 Squadron Gladiators, they flew to raid Berat. The cloud base was low and thick and they descended below it at 1,900 feet. The bombers attacked and two Hurricanes were badly damaged by ground fire. One of the squadron was shot down by a Fiat G.50 and bailed out — the Italians disappeared before they could retaliate. In the afternoon, he was briefed to strafe the heavily defended Fieri airfield. It was an unpopular sort of mission. At 25,000 feet, they were intercepted and a dogfight began with G.50s and Macchi C.200s. Only Pattle and one other Hurricane attacked the airfield. Furious, Pattle berated the pilots for not carrying out their primary assignment. He had claimed one enemy fighter as a probable and proceeded to the airfield to claim another victory — his 25th — and claimed another three on the ground.

Battle for Greece

On 6th April 1941, Adolf Hitler resolved to end the conflict in the Balkans and subjugate Allied-sympathetic states. The Invasion of Yugoslavia began in the morning. The German Wehrmacht also intervened in Greece thus beginning the Battle of Greece. Italian failures had allowed another British foothold on the continent too close to the Romanian oilfields — Germany’s ally.

No. 33 Squadron was immediately put on alert. At noon, Pattle was ordered to fly a fighter patrol over the Rupel Pass, Bulgaria, another Axis partner. Here he had his first encounter with the Luftwaffe. No. 33 Squadron attacked 20 Bf 109s and claimed five without loss. Pattle claimed two victories over Bf 109Es over the Rupel Pass —Oberleutnant Arno Becker was killed and Leutnant Klaus Faber was captured. These successes represented his 26th and 27th aerial victories. Thereafter, details vary as to his score as all records were destroyed.

No. 33 Squadron: Pattle, (6th from right), in Greece, circa 1941. Timber Woods (9th from the right).

The following day, he acted as escort for No. 11 Squadron RAF. Only one enemy aircraft was sighted by Pattle, though none of the squadron could see it. He left them in order to deal with the intruder. Thirty seconds later, they witnessed an explosion and a CR.42 fall to the ground while Pattle rejoined them. It is believed he attacked a reconnaissance Dornier Do 17 from Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (“dive bomber wing 2”) which he claimed destroyed, though it appears it made it back to German lines damaged. On 8th April, despite bad weather, Pattle led an attack on Petrich in Bulgaria and left a number of enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground.

The air war intensified after a period of bad weather and the Luftwaffe began exerting severe pressure on communications and Allied ground forces. On 9th April, Pattle claimed a Junkers Ju 88 (actually a Do 17) damaged. He left the burning machine as it disappeared into cloud. Pattle received confirmation that the aircraft crashed and he drove out with a member of the squadron to bring back souvenirs. On 10th April, he flew as fighter escort for No. 11 Squadron Blenheims on a mission over Betjol, Yugoslavia. They were attacked by flights of Messerschmitt Bf 110s and Bf 109s. Pattle shot down a Bf 110 which was seen to crash in flames and a Bf 109 whose pilot bailed out. On Good Friday, Pattle led his squadron into battle against German bombers minelaying over Volos harbour. He dispatched a Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 into the sea. The successes represented his 33rd and 34th aerial victories.

Pattle’s success in the air was overshadowed by events on the ground. The Allied forces were routed at Vevi and the Battle of the Metaxas Line had ended in total defeat for the Greek Army on 9th April. Covering the Greek forces from Larissa, Pattle claimed another Do 17 and SM.79 along with a Bf 109 damaged for his 35th and 36th aerial victories. Interceptions would now be more difficult for the port of Salonika fell. Observers at the port had been able to telephone his operations hut to warn him of approaching enemy aircraft over Mount Olympus. Pattle had to send pairs of fighters to patrol the area, which helped act as a rudimentary warning system. The effect was that there was little warning of impending attacks. The Germans, now operating from forward airfields, slipped through unnoticed. On 13 April, Pattle witnessed 15 Bf 109s strafe the airfield as three Hurricanes took off. Two veteran pilots were killed in the very brief battle in exchange for two Bf 109s. Pattle searched for the Hurricane pilots and found one fighter with a parachute beside it but no pilot. Pattle was to be further disheartened. One of the German pilots bailed out and Pattle watched in horror as the Greek soldiers guarding the airfield shot him dead as he floated down in his parachute. One of the Bf 109s crash-landed perfectly. He ordered that no-one should approach the Bf 109 in case it was rigged with explosives. The pilot was likely Hans-Jakob Arnoldy.

Pattle claimed four victories during five sorties on 14th April. One Bf 109, one Ju 88 and a Bf 110 were claimed as destroyed. His final victory was an Italian SM.79 in the afternoon. The day took his tally to 40 enemy aircraft. As the wreckage of some old Greek aircraft and a captured SM.79 was being cleared up after the attack on 13th April, John D’Albiac, Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Greece, arrived to warn him of the Allied collapse in the north. After seeing the AOC off in a Lysander aircraft escorted by five squadron Hurricanes, Pattle evacuated his squadron to Eleusis.

During the journey, Pattle developed a fever and high temperature. Nevertheless, on 19th April he took to the skies in several missions. By this date, Pattle’s fever had metamorphosed into influenza and his condition had worsened. He did not want his squadron to know he was unwell. Pattle feared the effect it would have on morale and vowed to continue flying. The officer commanding No. 80 Squadron, Tap Jones, visited Pattle the day before and noticed he was very gaunt, drawn and that he had lost weight. Jones helped the weakened Pattle change into his flying gear. Jones was acting wing commander, but did not ban Pattle from operations. Pattle claimed six victories this day — three Ju 88s and three Bf 109s — plus one Henschel Hs 126 shared and two probables (a Ju 88 and a Bf 109). The battle with the Bf 109s took place over Eleusis and Tanagra airfields. He engaged III./Jagdgeschwader 77 (Fighter Wing 77 or JG 77) in a head-on position and executed an Immelmann turn which took him behind and above the Messerschmitts and allowed him to claim three of them shot down. No. 33 Squadron claimed four Bf 109s (three were lost). Among the victims was the German ace, Kurt Ubben. Ubben landed in Allied territory and was picked up by a Fieseler Fi 156, escaping to his own lines.

Death over Piraeus Harbour

By dawn on 20th April 1941, the Germans were well aware that British and Allied forces had begun preliminary withdrawal operations from ports in southern Greece. The Luftwaffe made substantial attacks against these departure points in a bid to prevent or forestall an evacuation. On Sunday 20th April, the Luftwaffe mounted mass attacks against Allied shipping in Piraeus Harbour. On this very morning, at roughly 05:00, large formations appeared over the capital, Athens. The remaining Allied fighter units in the area committed themselves to defending the Allied ships in what became known as “the Battle of Athens”. Barely 15 Hawker Hurricanes, the entire Allied air presence in Greece at the time, participated in a series of defensive missions over Athens.

Pattle had flown several patrols that morning and was suffering from a high temperature and fever. He had downed a Ju 88 and two Bf 109s on a morning interception to interdict German air operations. One of his victims, a Bf 109 from III./JG 77 crash-landed at Larissa. His success took Pattle’s total from 47 to 49. At 17:00 in the afternoon, another raid approached. He was seen, just before an air raid alarm, in the mess, lying on a couch, shivering under the blankets. He was detailed to take a patrol over the lines but during the mission briefing, around 100 German bombers with fighter escort attacked the capital, seeking to attack Allied shipping in the harbour. He ran for the door towards a Hurricane. His adjutant, George Rumsey, tried to stop him, but Pattle was determined to fly. On the way to his fighter, he narrowly avoided being killed in a strafing attack by a low-flying Bf 110. He took to the skies minutes later. Pattle climbed to gain altitude and headed for Piraeus Harbour at 20,000 feet.

A JG 77 Bf 109: believed to be Pattle’s 47th victim. Unteroffizier Fritz Borchert was captured.

At this time, other Hurricanes were already in action with Bf 110s from Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26). The Irish ace Timber Woods attacked a formation of Bf 110s positioned above him. One of the Bf 110s detached itself and dived on the RAF pilot. Pattle, instinctively knowing that the German had the advantage and the Hurricane pilot had acted foolishly, dived toward the Bf 110. He engaged the Bf 110, knowing he too would likely be followed and attacked from behind. He succeeded in shooting it down in flames, but not before it had fired at point-blank range into the Hurricane, with the same effect. Woods died when his fighter crashed into the harbour. Pattle avoided a German counter-attack and climbed instead of attempting a dive, since the Bf 110s could out-dive the Hurricane. He fired into another Bf 110 and avoided a collision with a third. No RAF pilot saw Pattle die for certain. Jimmy ‘Kettle’ Kettlewell, one of Pattle’s unit, arrived on the scene moments after Pattle had scored his victory. He saw a lone Hurricane diving towards the sea, its pilot slumped forward over the controls and flames engulfing the engine compartment. Two Bf 110s were still firing at it. Seizing the opportunity, he engaged and shot one of them down watching it and the Hurricane hit the sea simultaneously. Kettle did not specify the fate of the German crew — the victory was his fifth, making him an ace. It is possible Kettlewell’s victim was one of two 5./ZG 26 Bf 110s that were lost: Bf 110E (Werknummer 4272—factory number), Oberfeldwebel Georg Leinfelder and Unteroffizier Franz Beckel who were killed in action or Bf 110E (Werknummer 4299), Oberleutnant Kurt Specka and Günther Frank. A third Bf 110 crash-landed with severe damage. Kettlewell was shot down and wounded in the same battle.

Surviving records show that the German claimants included Staffelkapitän Hauptmann Theodor Rossiwall and Oberleutnant Sophus Baagoe who were credited with kills against Hurricanes, taking their scores to 12 and 14 respectively. Baagoe would be killed in action within a month, on 14th May 1941. It cannot be known for certain which one shot down Pattle since three other German pilots made claims in the air battle. One of the 80 Squadron pilots involved in the battle, Roald Dahl, records five Hurricanes were downed in several air battles that day, with four pilots dying. One of those was Pattle.

List of victories

While most of Pattle’s victories were claimed while flying Hurricanes, at least 15 were downed in Gladiators. His claims included 26 Italian aircraft.

Pattle was provisionally credited with 50 air victories (and two shared), seven (and one shared) probable victories, and four (and two shared) damaged. It is likely that his total was at least 40 enemy aircraft destroyed a figure which biographer Edgar Baker has compiled through a list of semi-official records and log-books. Baker asserts that the true figure could be higher, owing to the inability of post-war researchers to identify an exact figure, due to the loss or destruction of British records in the retreat from Greece or during the subsequent occupation. Recent research into Pattle’s claims has shown that 23 claims can be directly linked to records by March 1941. The Air Historical Branch contains information collated through memory. Baker’s work suggests another 17 were claimed in April 1941. Other research dedicated to the history of German bomber units, some of which took part in the air battles against Pattle’s unit, have drawn attention to the fact that 97–98 percent of all German primary records belonging to the Luftwaffe have been lost either through Allied bombing or through Hermann Göring’s order to destroy all records in the first week of May 1945. This makes any research into German bomber losses difficult.

Memorials

Pattle is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial at El Alamein together with 3,000 other Commonwealth airmen who lost their lives in the Middle Eastern Theatre during the Second World War, and who have no known grave.

Air Marshal Sir Peter Wykeham, recalled: “Pat Pattle was a natural. Some fighter pilots did not last long because they were too kind to their aircraft; others were successful because they caned it half to death. And their victories were accompanied by burst engines, popping rivets, stretched wire, wrinkled wings. But Pat was a sensitive pilot, who considered his machine, but, somehow he got more from it than anyone else, and possibly more than it had to give.”

Pattle is mentioned in Roald Dahl’s second autobiography, Going Solo. He flew with Pattle in Greece and called him “the Second World War’s greatest flying ace.”

The novel Signed with their Honour (1942), by war correspondent James Aldridge, is a fictionalized but realistic account of 80 Squadron’s activities in Greece. It is dedicated to Pattle and 80 Squadron’s CO, Hickey, who was also killed in action in Greece.

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HA5910 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-17 Fresco C 2047, flown by Nguyen Van Bay, 923rd Fighter Rgt., 1972  RRP £96.00  Flying Tigers only £72.99

HA8224 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale F4U-4 Corsair “Medal of Honor” White 205, flown by LTJG Thomas (Lou) Hudner, VF-32, USS Leyte, 4th December 1950  RRP £110.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA8225 Hobbymaster  1/48th scale F4U-4 Corsair White 211, flown by Ensign Jesse L. Brown, VF-32, USS Leyte, 4th Dec 1950  RRP £110.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA38012 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-16D Fighting Falcon “MiG Killer” 90-0778, 310th FS, Luke AF Base, June 2022  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £84.99

HA5810 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk “Toxic Death” 79-10781, 1991  RRP £130.00  Flying Tigers only £99.99

HA38008 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-16C Fighting Falcon “Shark” 86-0272, 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Sqn., Nellis AFB, March 2017 RRP £102.00  Flying Tigers only £77.99

HA1335 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale A-10A Thunderbolt II “Mi-8 Killer” 81-0964, 21 FS, 507th ACW, Shaw AFB, December 1991  RRP £116.00  Flying Tigers only £85.99

HA2630 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale AV-8B Harrier II Plus BuNo 165581, VMA-311, USMC, Afghanistan 2013  RRP £102.00  Flying Tigers only £76.99

HA38011 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale F-16C Fighting Falcon 87-0332, 100th FS, 187th FW, Alabama ANG, 2021  RRP £110.00  Flying Tigers only £82.99

HA6804 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-57 Stealth Fighter Red 52, Russian Air Force, 2022 (with 4 x KH-59MK2 missiles)  RRP £146.00  Flying Tigers only £111.99

HA1071 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-104G Starfighter “JaboG 33 Farewell” 22+67, Luftwaffe, 1985  RRP £94.00  Flying Tigers only £71.99

HA1072 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-104G Starfighter 4347, Captain S. L. Hu, 3rd TFW, 8th TFS, ROCAF, 1967  RRP £100.00  Flying Tigers only £74.99

HA19042 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale F-4F Phantom II “Norm 81” 38+56, JG 71 “Richthofen”, GAFTIC 86, CFB Goose Bay, Canada, May 1986  RRP £113.00  Flying Tigers only £85.99

HA3574 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale F/A-18A “RAAF 3 Sqn 100th Anniversary Scheme” A21-27, RAAF Base Williamtown , 2016  RRP £109.00  Flying Tigers only £81.99

HA3613 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-106A Delta Dart 0-90062, 84th FIS, 1970s  RRP £116.00  Flying Tigers only £87.99

HA4532 Hobbymaster McDonnell Douglas F-15C “Mod Eagle” 84-0025, 53rd FS, 52nd FW, USAF, Spangdahlem Air Base, mid 1990s  RRP £118.00  Flying Tigers only £89.99

HA4616 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II ZM158, 207 Sqn., RAF, Jan 2022  RRP £106.00  Flying Tigers only £79.99

HA4616B Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II ZM158, 207 Sqn., RAF, Jan 2022 “Beast Mode”  RRP £121.00  Flying Tigers only £92.99

HA4908 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale S-3B Viking BuNo 159390, VS-30 CAG, 2005 RRP £106.00  Flying Tigers only £79.99

HA4909 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale S-3B “VS-21 decommissioning scheme” BuNo 160604, VS-21, USS Kitty Hawk, January 2005  RRP £106.00  Flying Tigers only £79.99

HA5131 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18E Super Hornet 07/165792, VFC-12, US NAVY, NAS Oceana, June 2021  RRP £132.00  Flying Tigers only £99.99

HA5230 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale Grumman F-14A “Queen of Spades” 162689, VF-41 “Black Aces”, Operation Desert Storm, June 1991  RRP £142.00  Flying Tigers only £107.99

HA5242 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Grumman F-14A Tomcat “Cdr. Snodgrass” 162705, VF-33, USS America, 1990  RRP £142.00  Flying Tigers only £107.99

HA6017 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-27SM Flanker B Red 06/RF-92210, Russian Air Force, 2013  RRP £142.00  Flying Tigers only £107.99

HA6619 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Eurofighter Typhoon 414, Kuwait Air Force (pseudo scheme)  RRP £116.00  Flying Tigers only £86.99

HA6620 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Eurofighter Typhoon “D-Day 70th Anniversary” ZK308, England, May 2014 (with 2 x ASRAAM, 4 x AIM-120)  RRP £112.00  Flying Tigers only £84.99

HA8758 Hobbymaster  1/48th scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 “Gerhard Barkhorn” Commanding Officer of II./JG 52, Ukraine, September 1943  RRP £98.00  Flying Tigers only £74.99

HA8760 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 ” Mato Dukovac ” 15. (kroat)/JG.52, Croatia Air Force, Crimea, April 1944  RRP £98.00  Flying Tigers only £74.99

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard

Flying Tigers.

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