Restricted flying for RFC COs?

[Muskoka]

I've come across references to Commanding Officers of squadrons restricted from flying over enemy lines, except for special missions. (Although apparently many flew combat missions anyway. ) One source stated that they were officially allowed to fly behind the lines for recreation and training. Can anyone elaborate on this?

[Adrian Roberts]

I've been thinking about this but the only specific orders or policies that I can find is that the Air Department of the Navy circulated a directive in early 1917 that it was undesirable that officers of Wing Commander rank and above should take part in routine operations.

This is quoted in the autobiography of Vice-Admiral Richard Bell-Davies VC, Sailor in the Sky. He had taken part several major operations (e.g. the raid on the Oberndorf munitions works in late Sept 1916) as an RNAS Wing Commander, but I can't find many other examples. Certainly it was rare for Lt-Cols or above to fly in combat. I have seen FF Waldron, KIA with 60 sqn on 3/7/16, described as a Lt-Col, but his CWGC reference gives his rank as Major. Brigadier-General Gordon Strachey Shepherd was killed in a Nieuport 27, but I don't know if that was accidentally or in action.

As far as Majors (or RNAS Squadron Commanders) are concerned, I've seen the occasional reference to Majors being too busy with admin to do much flying, but this was not universal. Hawker, Mannock and many others were killed flying over the enemy lines as Majors, and there appears to have been no policy to stop them.

My impression is that Officers of above Major in the flying services were exposed to less risk than their counterparts in other services, and less than in WW2 when a considerable number of RAF Wing Commanders and a few Group Captains were KIA.

[Dolphin]

I've been looking for an authoritative reference to the policy of restricting RFC squadron commanders to their own side of the lines, ie something that would give a date to the direction, but so far without success. I know I've read of the decision somewhere, and that it was the result of the expansion of the RFC and the consequent need for experienced men to lead the new units. The direction wasn't popular with many Majors who led squadrons, as they naturally found it difficult to order their men to take risks that they were forbidden to share.

In Richard Townsend Bickers' The First Great Air War the author is commenting on Major General Hugh Trenchard, the commander of the RFC on the Western Front: "Early in the year [1917] he had forbidden squadron commanders to cross the enemy lines. The best ones ignored the order as often as they could."

Regards

Gareth

[Muskoka]

Thanks both for your input. I came across the reference in The Courage of Early Morning: The Story of Billy Bishop, by Bishop's son, and he adds that many disregarded the order anyway. Would "recreational flights" have been for the purpose of keeping up their skills, supposing that they didn't fly combat as much as their men?

[Dolphin]

I think that the Commanding Officers would have flown for a number of reasons, including maintaining their flying ability, being familiar with the aircraft type flown by their squadron (they would have to know the machine's strong points and limitations) and showing the men under their command that they weren't entirely desk-bound.

Clearly, some COs allowed themselves to wander close to, or over, the Front during these familiarisation flights.

Gareth

[Gibbo]

The following quotes are from Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920 by Christopher Shores, Norman Franks & Russell Guest.

'As Commanding Officer [Lanoe Hawker] did not get much chance to fly himself...Flying with his squadron whenever he could in order to encourage his pilots, he became involved in a dogfight with...Manfred von Richthofen on 23 November 1916...[and] was shot down and killed.' p. 188.

In the RNAS, Raymond Collishaw took 'command of 13(N) Squadron in November 1917...at this time he claimed at least two more victories. In January 1918, he was...posted to 3(N) squadron...but was initially ordered not to fly combat...in June he again entered action, claiming 19 further victories by the end of September.' p. 115.

'On 9 February 1918, [Geoffrey Bowman] was posted...to command 41 Squadron...on...10 October 1918...he received an order which stated "Major Bowman is forbidden to leave the ground on any pretext whatsoever, without the personal permission of the GOC II Brigade", since he was now considered such an experienced and valuable pilot that the authorities wished to keep him alive!' p. 83.

From these examples, it can be seen that at least some COs were ordered not to fly combat missions but others were killed on operations. I suspect that the level of paperwork required of a British CO would have limited the amount of time that he could spend in the air. I also wonder from what stage of the war it would be normal for a full squadron to fly together? Would it be considered inappropriate for a squadron CO to supplant a flight commander & lead a flight on operations?

I do have a vague recollection of reading elsewhere (i.e. not in Above the Trenches) that RFC squadron COs were forbidden to fly behind enemy lines at one point, but that this order was rescinded during the German 1918 Spring Offensive, when all pilots were needed. Mannock became a Squadron CO in June 1918 & was killed in July of that year.

[fitzee]

In Courage of the Early Morning,Arthur Bishop was probably referring to Major Jack Scott who was C.O of 60 squadron

in the spring of 1917. Scott was indeed a very active combat pilot. He was also in his forties and needed two sticks to walk with as the result of a flying accident!

At one point, the losses among the two seater reconnaissance machines was so high, It was decided to fit cameras in single seat Nieuports scouts thinking they would have a better chance of surviving. When 60 squadron was ordered to take photos of an area some seven miles behind the lines using the new equipment,Scott insisted on flying the first mission

After the war Scott wrote "History of 60 Squadron"

Fitzee

[MartinWills]

Another flier who was discouraged from flying as he gained seniority was Hubert Harvey-Kelly - he was the first RFC man to land in France and survived (as I recall) until around mid 1917.

[Adrian Roberts]

Another flier who was discouraged from flying as he gained seniority was Hubert Hrvey-Kelly - he was the first RFC man to land in France and survived (as I recall) until around mid 1917.

He was shot down by Manfred von Richthofen on 29/4/17, flying Spad VII B1573 while commanding 19 sqdn

[MartinWills]

HD Harvey Kelly is buried east of Arras - I just happened upon the headstone while visiting the cemetery on day.

Maurice Baring wrote of him that "he was the gayest of gay pilots" - quite a complement in those days

[Martin Bennitt]

Bit second-hand as I don't have the original but Denis Winter's 'The First of the Few' quotes Yeates in 'Winged Victory' as saying that 'when COs were forbidden to fly over the line in early 1917 a newly appointed squadron commander (showed his authority) by stunting smoothly at 1,000 feet over the aerodrome, passing his wing tips to within a few feet of the ground before sideslipping into his hangar'.

cheers Martin B

[Muskoka]

I just finished reading Yeates' Winged Victory, and recall that. He also talks about one of his COs, shortly after taking over, leading the entire squadron on a mission to show off and crashing into one of his own pilots, both of them then crashing. Some of the other COs didn't seem to do much flying, or at least weren't often mentioned.