Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

You nailed it, SimonCraig1; and you are up. I've never understood why Collishaw gets so little notice. He was a great leader; he scored 60 victories and he led the famed Black Flight. Not to mention he served in WWII. Thanks; Ernie P.

Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1. This pilot has been largely forgotten, though he ranks among the truly “greats”.
2. He served in both world wars.
3. He was the highest scoring ace of his service.
4. He had to pay for his own flight training.
5. His initial service assignment was flying routine coastal patrols.
6. Then he was assigned to escort duty for bombing raids, flying a two seater.
7. It was there he scored his initial victory.
8. He was ferrying a replacement aircraft when he was attacked by six enemy aircraft.
9. Despite the odds, he destroyed two of the attacking enemy fighters.
10. He was awarded a medal for his actions, which were witnessed by thousands of friendly troops.


Answer: Raymond Collishaw

Air Vice Marshal Raymond Collishaw CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, DSC, DFC (22 November 1893 – 28 September 1976) was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of the First World War. He was noted as a great leader in the air, leading many of his own formations into battle. As a member of the RAF during the Second World War, he commanded No. 204 Group (which later became the Desert Air Force) in North Africa.

When war broke out in 1914, his first idea was to join the Royal Navy, but did not hear from them for some time. Toward the end of 1915, Collishaw heard that the Royal Naval Air Service was hiring, and so he applied to them instead, and attended flight training in Toronto (at his own expense) and then in England. He qualified as a pilot in January 1916. He spent seven months patrolling the British coast. Then, on 2 August 1916, he joined the RNAS's 3rd Wing which was operating at Ochey, France, flying the British Sopwith 1½ Strutters. Some of the Sopwiths were equipped as bombers, while others were configured as two-seat fighters.

Collishaw's first recorded victory came while he was flying escort on the Wing's first large-scale raid into Germany, on October 12th, 1916. The raid was against the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf, Germany. The bombers had nearly reached their target when they were attacked by six German Fokkers. Collishaw got into position to allow his observer to fire on one, and he evidently damaged it. Lt. Collishaw then turned, gained height, and fired a burst with the front gun. The Fokker dived out of control, and, according to the British crews, crashed to the ground, a total wreck. According to the German authorities, they lost no aircraft during the engagement, but it was not unheard of for combatants to attribute their losses to accident rather than enemy action.
Collishaw's next two victories were properly witnessed by thousands of French troops. He was ferrying a new aircraft from Wing Headquarters when six enemies dived out of the clouds and attacked him. It was six to one, and the Germans had the advantage of height. Collishaw, like Barker and McKeever, was happiest when close to the ground in such a spot. He went down. At tree-top level the advantage of numbers meant much less. In two quick bursts, he sent two Albatroses crashing into the trees, after which the others flew off. The flight so impressed the French that they awarded him the Croix de Guerre.[SUP][4][/SUP]

On December 27th, while returning from a raid on the steel works at Dillingen, Collishaw's machine was damaged in flight; he only just succeeded in gliding back over French lines near Nancy [France], where he crashed, and his plane was a total wreck. It was the first of a number of crashes, and Collishaw on that occasion set the pattern which he followed throughout. He stepped out of the wreckage grinning, and ready to fly again."[SUP][5][/SUP]
In February, 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 Naval Squadron, which was operating with the army near Cambrai. During his two months there, Collishaw was employed as escort to the Corps Squadron bombers, downing one German aircraft in the process.[SUP][6][/SUP] In April, he returned to the coast, being transferred to No. 10 Naval Squadron, engaging in mainly coastal patrols.[SUP][1][/SUP]

By the end of May, the Royal Flying Corps was badly in need of reinforcements, much due to the after-effects of Bloody April. As a result, Collishaw was posted to his previous No. 10 Naval Squadron as a flight commander. Collishaw's "B" Flight would be composed entirely of Canadians. Although British commanders had strongly discouraged pilots painting their aircraft, Collishaw's flight painted their Sopwith Triplanes black (though appearing dark brown), and called themselves the All-Black Flight, later known more simply as the Black Flight.[SUP][7][/SUP]
The aircraft of the All-Black Flight were christened with suitable names. Ellis Reid, of Toronto, flew Black Roger; J. E. Sharman, of Winnipeg, flew Black Death; Gerry Nash, of Hamilton, called his machine Black Sheep; and Marcus Alexander, of Toronto, christened his plane the Black Prince. The flight commander, Collishaw, flew a machine which gloried in the name Black Maria.[SUP][8][/SUP]

During their first two months they claimed a record 87 German aircraft destroyed or driven down – which, strangely enough, brought Collishaw and the unit no wide publicity, though garnered a great deal of renown among their German opponents in the area. Collishaw later claimed that this was because officials in the regular Royal Flying Corps were loath to give credit to naval pilots.[SUP][9][/SUP]