Rudolph
09-13-2008, 07:45 PM
http://users.iafrica.com/j/jr/jrp/pattle.jpg
'Pat' Pattle
"Pat" Pattle was born in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa), on 3 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_3) 1914 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914), the son of English parents who had emigrated to the Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa). He attended Keetman's Hoop Secondary School, South West Africa, and Victoria Boy's High School, Grahamstown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grahamstown).
He joined the South African Air Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Air_Force) as a cadet on leaving school, but in 1936 transferred to the RAF. On 24 August (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_24) 1936 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936), he was granted a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_Officer).[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-0) He completed his training in the UK in 1937 and in June 1937 as a Pilot Officer (he was confirmed in the rank on 27 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_27) 1937 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937))[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-1) joined 80 Squadron, which had just re-equipped with Gloster Gladiator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Gladiator) biplanes.
In April 1938, he accompanied the unit to Egypt, where by 1939 he had become a flight commander.
His final "score" will probably never be known, as official squadron combat reports and RAF documents for the time were lost in the retreat from Greece and Crete.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-8) Existing records up to early April 1941 list Pattle as claiming at least 34 confirmed kills, and many more probables. Aviation historian Christopher Shores, in his book of Commonwealth fighter pilots, Aces High, by cross-checking squadron diaries, reviewing Pattle's aircraft rigger's (W.J. Ringrose) personal journal and the Luftwaffe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe) and Regia Aeronautica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regia_Aeronautica) loss records, claims Pattle's final score as 50 individual and two shared victories. Andrew Thomas reports the same score in Osprey Aircraft of Aces 57: Hurricane Aces 1941–1945.
Recent research of his 50 claims has shown that at least 27 can be directly linked to specific Italian and German losses, while only six claims discounted as no Axis losses are recorded.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-9) This suggests Pattle's true total could be at least 27–44 kills, making him the highest scoring RAF biplane ace, one of the top Hurricane pilots of the conflict, and possibly the top RAF ace of the war. (Johnnie Johnson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Johnson_(pilot))'s victory total stood at 34.) Even while suffering from high fever, he scored nine air kills in his last four days.
Pattle is mentioned in Roald Dahl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl)'s second autobiography, Going Solo. Dahl calls him the Second World War's greatest flying ace, and flew with him in a formation of 12 Hawker Hurricanes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane) — the entire Allied air presence in Greece at the time — on a prestige mission over Athens to bolster morale for the Greeks. They were attacked by Axis fighters in what became known as the Battle of Athens. Dahl records five Hurricanes were downed, with four pilots dying. One of those was Pattle.
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A gifted flyer and natural marksman he took infinite pains to improve his talents, doing exercises to improve his distance vision and sharpen his reflexes. His first 15 victories were in the antiquated Gloucester Gladiator, 9 more victories followed in a Hurricane, and then in 33 Squadron over 39 days he shot down no less than 26 enemy aircraft. The end came on 20 April, even though sick and exhausted, he went to the aid of a fellow pilot hard pressed by a Bf110 over Eleusis Bay. He was set upon by other 110s and killed. What he might have achieved over Europe in a Spitfire we will never know.
Sources:
http://www.vulch.clara.co.uk/heroe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_pattle.htm - A very comprehensive biography
'Pat' Pattle
"Pat" Pattle was born in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa), on 3 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_3) 1914 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914), the son of English parents who had emigrated to the Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa). He attended Keetman's Hoop Secondary School, South West Africa, and Victoria Boy's High School, Grahamstown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grahamstown).
He joined the South African Air Force (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Air_Force) as a cadet on leaving school, but in 1936 transferred to the RAF. On 24 August (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_24) 1936 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936), he was granted a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_Officer).[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-0) He completed his training in the UK in 1937 and in June 1937 as a Pilot Officer (he was confirmed in the rank on 27 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_27) 1937 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937))[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-1) joined 80 Squadron, which had just re-equipped with Gloster Gladiator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Gladiator) biplanes.
In April 1938, he accompanied the unit to Egypt, where by 1939 he had become a flight commander.
His final "score" will probably never be known, as official squadron combat reports and RAF documents for the time were lost in the retreat from Greece and Crete.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-8) Existing records up to early April 1941 list Pattle as claiming at least 34 confirmed kills, and many more probables. Aviation historian Christopher Shores, in his book of Commonwealth fighter pilots, Aces High, by cross-checking squadron diaries, reviewing Pattle's aircraft rigger's (W.J. Ringrose) personal journal and the Luftwaffe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe) and Regia Aeronautica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regia_Aeronautica) loss records, claims Pattle's final score as 50 individual and two shared victories. Andrew Thomas reports the same score in Osprey Aircraft of Aces 57: Hurricane Aces 1941–1945.
Recent research of his 50 claims has shown that at least 27 can be directly linked to specific Italian and German losses, while only six claims discounted as no Axis losses are recorded.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle#cite_note-9) This suggests Pattle's true total could be at least 27–44 kills, making him the highest scoring RAF biplane ace, one of the top Hurricane pilots of the conflict, and possibly the top RAF ace of the war. (Johnnie Johnson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Johnson_(pilot))'s victory total stood at 34.) Even while suffering from high fever, he scored nine air kills in his last four days.
Pattle is mentioned in Roald Dahl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl)'s second autobiography, Going Solo. Dahl calls him the Second World War's greatest flying ace, and flew with him in a formation of 12 Hawker Hurricanes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane) — the entire Allied air presence in Greece at the time — on a prestige mission over Athens to bolster morale for the Greeks. They were attacked by Axis fighters in what became known as the Battle of Athens. Dahl records five Hurricanes were downed, with four pilots dying. One of those was Pattle.
---
A gifted flyer and natural marksman he took infinite pains to improve his talents, doing exercises to improve his distance vision and sharpen his reflexes. His first 15 victories were in the antiquated Gloucester Gladiator, 9 more victories followed in a Hurricane, and then in 33 Squadron over 39 days he shot down no less than 26 enemy aircraft. The end came on 20 April, even though sick and exhausted, he went to the aid of a fellow pilot hard pressed by a Bf110 over Eleusis Bay. He was set upon by other 110s and killed. What he might have achieved over Europe in a Spitfire we will never know.
Sources:
http://www.vulch.clara.co.uk/heroe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaduke_Pattle
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_pattle.htm - A very comprehensive biography