A quick quiz question...

[Alan Eardley]

...this came up in a pub quiz the other night.

Which individual on the Allied side destroyed the most Axis aircraft in WW2? A clue - it is generally credited as 130, with 23 coming in one day.

PS, my team got it right, which shows what 'sad', retentive...err...people we are. Anyone out there equally lacking in a social life?

Alan

 

[PADDY]

Paddy's guess...

Lt.Col Blair "PADDY" Mayne (Special Air Service Regt.).

 

[Twitch]

Are you talking air to air, air to ground, commando teams on the ground destroying aircraft, bombers hitting airfields or factories, what?

The only meaningful scoring was in air to air combat in which Squadron Leader Marmduke Paddle heads the RAF list with 40+ victories. The number is not confirmed due to the loss of records on Malta where he fought but the number is universally agreed to be such that he is the leading Allied ace.

 

[Smithy]

I'm with Paddy about the other Paddy. I'm fairly certain it's him as well.

 

[Spitfire]

As far as I know Bong (USA) was credited 40 and Johnsson (UK) 38 - so it must be some russian pilot...but have no clue.[huh]

Edit: But planes destroyed ground to ground by driving around among them in a jeep with mashineguns...Paddy makes sence!

 

[Alan Eardley]

Paddy is, of course, correct (but then he has 'local knowledge').

The enclosed page about 'Pat' Pattle maybe of interest in the light of Fletch's point. He definitely destroyed more biplanes than anyone else - mainly while flying a biplane himself!

From the 'other side' Hans-Joachim Marseilles dwarfed even Mayne's total - over 150, of which all but four were fighter types.

Alan

 

[Twitch]

So do you know who scored the greatest number air to air in one day?

 

[Smithy]

I know Emil Lang bagged 18 in one day on the Eastern Front which must put him near the top of such a list.

 

[Twitch]

Yep, with Marseille hitting 17 once.