I recall reading about the WW1 exploits of Bill Barker (A Canadian from Manitoba) when I was a kid -
William George "Billy" Barker, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & two bars….

I recently looked up his last battle again and it struck me that it might be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) air engagements ever. One pilot, just 24 years old emerging alive and victorious after a forty-minute lone battle against at least 60 enemy aircraft, which led to him winning the Victoria Cross. I cannot even picture what 60-1 looks like (my poorly created graphic below only has about 35 attacking aircraft).

Photos below show him at earlier stages in the war with a Sopwith Camel and also sat on a downed foe (wearing a wrist watch but not sure which brand…)

Already a famous Ace with 46 kills under his belt he was supposed to be heading for a safe posting in England… but instead of Flying towards the English Channel, he first deliberately strayed over enemy lines searching to add more kills to his record before being due to be grounded for a while. He should have been heading 230 miles home (Forest of Mormal area near the Belgium border to Hounslow England – see map). He was flying a recently introduced Sopwith Snipe – a new cutting edge fighter of the day.

He spotted a German reconnaissance plane at twenty thousand feet (immune from most aircraft but not the Snipe). Without hesitation Barker attacked. In the resulting engagement his plane received light damage but the 2-seater was shot down (47). I have read the pilot parachuted to safety and that Barker was mesmerized by this, as sadly parachutes were not standard / common issue even at this late stage in the war due to unfounded fears around cowardice. Barker had forgotten his tail and was attacked by a Fokker Triplane. He was wounded in his right thigh as bullets tore into his aircraft. Managing to pull a steep turn and with superb marksmanship he destroyed the Fokker as it overshot him (48). Pressing his leg against the cockpit to stem the bleeding he hoped to make La Targette before he passed out when the sky became full of enemy aircraft. He tried to count them out of habit and reached fifty before he lost count. As one flashed past he instinctively pressed the trigger and saw the pilot slump dead (49). The enemy fighters were taking turns to fire on him now. Bullets whizzed past his head and through the wings and fuselage. With two on his tail he throttled down and put a burst in one as it shot past him cutting off its entire tail (50). Attacked from below bullets shattered his left leg and he blacked out. Cold air from the dive revived him and he managed to pull up at 12000 feet. A Fokker was heading straight at him guns blazing and being so weak and with shattered legs he decided to ram it – matching every turn and aiming straight for the aircraft. He suddenly saw an opportunity to fire and the enemy plan exploded at the last seconds before impact. He flew straight through the cloud of blazing fragments and by a miracle emerged unscathed (51). It was at this point his left arm was hit, his elbow shattered by a bullet and for the second time he slumped unconscious at the controls as the plane spiralled out of control. Again, the cold air brought him round and he recovered the plane as chasing enemy aircraft dived past. Amazingly his extraordinary reflexes and marksmanship kicked in and using his special peep sight he fired both Vickers at a passing enemy plane, killing the pilot with the first few rounds (52). Low over Allied territory the enemy disengaged. His erratic and suicidal flying, being seemingly impervious to enemy fire, the accuracy of his shooting, the loss of height, the location, the timing in the war and experience levels of the enemy pilots – we will never know what saved him being shot down but something made them disengage. It is possible the sheer number of enemy aircraft prevented a more coordinated attack. He was still in a desperate situation being incapacitated and only able to move his right arm + having lost a lot of blood. With cheering troops from the Highland division below and using his superb flying skills, with just the stick he flew the battered oil slicked and smoking plane in for a crash landing near a balloon crew. The Snipe hit hard and bounced, falling on its back in a cloud of dust and dirt. Nearby soldiers pulled him barley alive from the wreckage. He was still hovering on the edge of death at Rouen hospital when the armistice was signed on 11/11/1918.
He did make a recovery but sadly the adrenaline buzz pushed him to become a test pilot and he was killed in 1930.

 

You can see the actual plane at the Canadian war Museum

https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/1040113/?media_irn=5522603

There is also a picture of the actual crash site (poor quality as photos at the front line were banned / highly regulated).

 

Below are the official combat reports and VC citation….

Combat report
...8.25 a.m. Observed enemy two-seater at 21,000 feet N. E. of Forêt de Mormal. Enemy aircraft climbed east and Major Barker following fired a short burst from underneath at point-blank range. Enemy aircraft broke up in the air and one of the occupants jumped with a parachute. He then observed a Fokker biplane 1,000 feet below stalling and shooting at him, one of the bullets wounding him in the right thigh. He fell into a spin from which he pulled out in the middle of a formation of about 15 Fokkers, two of which he attacked indecisively, both enemy aircraft spinning down. He turned, and getting on the tail of a third which was attacking him shot it down in flames from within 10 yards range. At this moment he was again wounded in the left thigh by others of the formation who were diving at him. He fainted and fell out of control again. On recovering he pulled his machine out and was immediately attacked by another large formation of 12 to 15 enemy aircraft. He got on the tail of one and from a range of less than 5 yards shot it down in flames. At this moment he received a third wound from the remainder of the formation who were attacking him, the bullet shattering his left elbow. The enemy machine which wounded him closed to within 10 yards. He again fainted and fell out of control to 12,000 feet, and recovering was at once attacked by another large formation of enemy aircraft. He then noticed heavy smoke coming from his machine and, under the impression he was on fire, tried to ram a Fokker just ahead of him. He opened fire on it from 2 to 3 yards range and enemy aircraft fell in flames. He then dived to within a few thousand feet of the ground and began to fly towards our lines, but found his retreat was cut off by another formation of 8 enemy aircraft who attacked him. He fired a few bursts at some of them and shaking them off dived down and returned to our lines a few feet above the ground, finally crashing close to one of our balloons...

VC Citation Barker won the Victoria Cross for an action that took place on 27 October 1918. His citation reads: "On the morning of the 27th of October, 1918, this officer observed an enemy two-seater over the Foret de Mormal. He attacked this machine, and after a short burst it broke up in the air. At the same time, a Fokker biplane attacked him, and he was wounded in the right thigh, but managed, despite this, to shoot down the enemy plane in flames. He then found himself in the middle of a large formation of Fokkers, who attacked him from all directions, and was again severely wounded in the left thigh, but succeeded in driving down two of the enemy in a spin. He lost consciousness after this and his machine fell out of control. On recovery, he found himself being again attacked heavily by a large formation and singling out one machine, he deliberately charged and drove it down in flames. During this fight, his left elbow was shattered and he again fainted, and on regaining consciousness he found himself still being attacked, but notwithstanding that he was now severely wounded in both legs and his left arm shattered, he dived at the nearest plane and shot it down in flames. Being greatly exhausted, he dived out of the fight to regain our lines, but was met by another formation, which attacked and endeavored to cut him off, but after a hard fight, he succeeded in breaking up this formation and reached our lines, where he crashed on landing. This combat in which Major Barker destroyed four enemy machines (three of them in flames), brought his total successes up to fifty enemy machines destroyed, and is a notable example of the exceptional bravery and disregard of danger which this very gallant officer has always displayed through his distinguished career. Major Barker was awarded the Military Cross on 10 January, 1917, first Bar on 18th July, 1917, the Distinguished Service Order on 18 February, 1918, 2nd Bar to Military Cross on 16th September, 1918, and Bar to Distinguished Service Order on 2nd November, 1918.

 

The Germans may have been reluctant to pursue him into range of the many antiaircraft batteries that were normally set up around any observation balloon emplacement.
They also may have seen he was on his last legs and expected him to crash, which he did in the end.

 

Its a good theory (he was on no legs at that point in effect) - I certainly think he deliberately landed near the balloon to avoid trenches and know he was near help. Maybe he was also thinking about putting the opposition off further (which would be an amazing feat considering his injuries). He may have been scoping the ground for a while during the fight and considering his options to escape. Looking at the pictures above I just noticed in his medals / official shot he is wearing his watch on his right arm (and covers his left arm). But in the wartime shot sat on the downed plane he is wearing it on his left in the Standard way. I imagine he changed over as his left arm never fully recovered - as shown in the post war shot below with King George …. Tommy Sopwith, HRH The Prince of Wales, William Barker VC in 1919. Mr (later Sir) Sopwith looks slightly anxious as he watches a one-armed aviator about to test-fly the heir to the throne in his latest creation.

 

Or just figured he was bat-shvt crazy and wanted nothing to do with him

 

Great story of heroism, and bravery under fire... but, as you stated, he was supposed to be heading for a safe posting in England… but instead of Flying towards the English Channel, he first deliberately strayed over enemy lines searching to add more kills, perhaps a bit of a vainglorious personality.
I have always heard it said that World War 1 or the Great War, was the last war fought in which honor and civility existed the gentleman's war. Is it true, I don't honestly know, but, maybe, this is why the Germans did not pursue him and honor the Canadian's valiant bravery against insane odds.

"Some of the more amazing stories of cooperation in warfare come from the trenches of World War I. During the Christmas truces in 1914, and to a lesser extent in 1915, not only did 100,000 British and German soldiers in WWI unofficially stop fighting, but in some places in Belgium, German soldiers who decorated their trenches with candles and trees and sang carols were met with British soldiers singing in kind; eventually, the two sides mingled in No Man’s Land, exchanging gifts, food, and souvenirs, and even engaging in short, casual football games."
Source: https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2014/chiu-war

"The gentlemen of the air: How WW1 pilots on opposing sides co-operated to bury dead and even gave each other places to land in case of engine trouble"
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ead-gave-places-land-case-engine-trouble.html

 

I have nothing to say but thank you.
I have something interesting to do tomorrow with the internet.
Superb story

 

Probably a few gasps of mustard gas might make one wonder how gentlemanly the war was being fought, just guessing it’s not like I was there

 

No sooner were parachutes introduced for observers in balloons than balloon busters began machinegunning them as they hung there helpless after bailing out.
Contrary to popular belief during WW2 the strafing of airmen who bailed out over their own or contested territory was not only common practice but specifically ordered if an airman might make it back to his own lines. Those who did so never bragged about it, nor did many object on either side.

 

There is no such thing as a civil war, but, I do believe, the conduct and honor of the men fighting in WW1 was different then future wars, especially in the early years of the war, chivalry still existed. I'm sure there were atrocities, but not too the extent in the wars that followed. The civilian death in WW1 was more a result of famine and disease whereas in WW2 the civilian population was actively targeted. The first world war seems more chivalrous to us, but this is a combination of different societal norms as well as a result of circumstance. Unfamiliar technology like planes and tanks meant restrained and guarded use of them in combat, countryside trench warfare made attacks on civilians and large cities impractical and tactically unnecessary, and perhaps most importantly, unlike in WW2, soldiers were not fighting with the idea that their nation, culture, or way of life would be annihilated by the enemy—this is readily seen in treatment of POWs, where relations between captor and prisoner were quite amicable.

My Grandfather was gassed in Belgium, however, when he first went to Europe he was in the cavalry, but, by the end of the war he was in the artillery as the horses were being used to pull the artillery. Many associate cavalry as being chivalrous, but, perhaps it was more an indicator of being behind the times.

 

Are you referring to WW1 or WW2? .. just to be clear.
From Wikipedia:
"Targeting parachutists became an issue during the First World War when fighter pilots targeted manned enemy observation balloons. After shooting down a balloon, most pilots refrained from firing at the balloon observers as they escaped by parachute, because they felt it was inhumane and unchivalrous. The extension of this courtesy to enemy pilots began towards the end of the First World War when parachutes were provided for pilots of fixed-wing aircraft, but it was again widely perceived that once aircrew were forced to bail out of a damaged aircraft, presuming they did not offer any further resistance, they were considered to have been honorably defeated in battle and should not be "finished off".

By July 1918, German and Austro-Hungarian Air Force parachute escapes had become routine. The Heinecke chutes that German and Austro-Hungarian pilots received were not perfect and sometimes failed to operate safely. Some were destroyed by fire before they could open, and occasionally pilots faced the peril of being shot at by Allied fighters. British flying ace James Ira T. Jones had no compunction in doing this. "My habit of attacking Huns dangling from parachutes led to many arguments in the mess," he said. "Some officers of the Eton and Sandhurst type, thought it 'unsportsmanlike'. Never having been to a public school, I was unhampered by such considerations of 'form'. I just pointed out that there was a bloody war on, and that I intended to avenge my pals."[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_parachutists

 

yeah I didn’t mean anything by it I got what you were trying to say I just needed to comment to be my usual annoying self

 

All good... enjoy many of your comments.

 

The best way to study things is often in extreme conditions (like the large hadron collider for particle physics). War, exploration, disasters and accidents create extreme circumstances which do cast a stark light on the human condition and our potential for good, evil and also courage, redemption and mercy. These extreme environments also drive technical innovation and through science and philosophy maybe help unpick whatever the underlying big thing point of it all is. I think reading about events like these also keeps our own mortality in sharp focus (writers used to keep a skull in the office for the same effect I believe).

Barkers story is complex – he clearly did want to be the best which meant achieving the highest number of kills. He came from humble roots, was proficient at hunting / shooting and riding. He saw action in the trenches before becoming a pilot. He also flew as a gunner observer before moving into fighters. All these things must have added value to his fighting skills as a pilot and attitude to war. It also offered him a unique opportunity to gain status and cut through the class divide. For sure at the point they tried to rotate him out of action he must have been suffering a form combat fatigue so was probably not totally rational. The link below gives one of the more detailed accounts of his story and war service:-

https://www.constable.ca/caah/barker.htm

He made an unauthorised raid (ground attack) on a German airfield Xmas day 1917. Ernest Hemmingway who also saw first hand the suffering and carnage WW1 inflicted immortalised this attack in his short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro which describes one of Barkers fellow officers calling him a murderous bastard. Hemmingway coined the phrase the lost generation which can be taken as the end of the American dream / a deep post war Sinicism. In the UK is can also be taken more literally with people saying the flower of youth and the best manhood of the people had been lost (The physicist Henry Moseley and poets like Wilfred Owen for example). The future would have been very different had they survived and it would have been interesting to see how the class system would have evolved in those circumstances.

Its funny but George Beurling the most successful Canadian fighter pilot of WW2 also did not drink , pushed against authority and engaged in dangerous aerobatics. He was also a crack shot and likely suffering combat fatigue based on some of his extreme behaviours. He also died in a plane crash after the war well on route to work as a mercenary pilot - clearly still craving the excitement and danger + needing cash (George ‘’Buzz’’ Beurling). Unlike Barker he did seem to relish killing. He failed on the after-dinner circuits as his vivid and brutal war descriptions such as decapitating enemy pilots with cannon fire did not sit well with the home audience. How much the war changed him and how much was always in him we will never know.

http://www.century-of-flight.freeola.com/Aviation%20history/WW2/aces/George%20Beurling.htm

An overlong post but it is a very complex topic – I would recommend Sagittarius Rising (WW1 first hand account by Cecil Lewis). Some of the book is represented in the film Aces High. Lewis was a very well-educated chap, it is an excellent account and he seems able to put the horrific events into context. He went on to have a long and successful career. How much the class system played into that it is hard to say. He achieved 8 kills so some way off Barker and Beurling. Lewis was the last surviving flying ace of WW1. He witnessed / his plane was hit by mud and debris at 4000 feet from the Allied mines at La Boiselle (Somme)- still amongst the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever. I think on the day the Germans suffered about 6000 killed but their counter attack held. The UK lost around 20,000 men killed in the attack (in a single day). That is killed (not including the injured).

 

I'd wager that chivalry in war, or the lack thereof, is a function of opportunity. For some, the opportunity to hold onto a vestige of humanity, for others the opportunity to get away with something without being caught.