April 20 1941 the
TOP “western allies” Ace, South African Sqn Ldr Marmaduke T. St. Pattle DFC & Bar with 51 Victories (3 July 1914-20 April 1941).
killed over Eleusis Bay in Athens area, leading a force of 15 Hurricane MkI defending the Greek capital from a massive air raid of almost 200 Ju-88, Do 17, Bf-110 and Bf-109
The day he was killed he suffered from severe influenza and combat fatigue, but instead of hospitalized he preferred to fight against the Luftwaffe...
CF Shores & C Williams, in their book Aces High “The Fighter Aces of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in World War Two” credit Pattle with 50 kills and 2 shared destroyed plus 7 and 1 shared probable between August 40 and April 41. Of the confirmed, 27.33 were Italian. He scored 15.33 confirmed on Gladiators, the rest in Hurricane MkIs. In the 20 days he lived in April 41 he claimed 25.33 kills, including 5 on the 14th of April and 6 on the 19th, with 4 more on the day he was killed.
“What a sight. I shall never forget it. What a shooting too”
Bill Winsland describing Pattle’s two M-109E kills on 6 April 1941, over Macedonia Greece.
(Shores-Cull-Malizia “Air war over Yougoslavia, Greece and Crete 190-41” book)
This is small tribute to the men that gave his life defending freedom, defending a common cause, fighting a war thousand of miles away from his home.
A
BIG <S> to you Marmaduke Pattle and for all that you have done for our country.
Top RAF victories over Greece Nov. 1940-May 1941 M. T. St. J. Pattle, sq 80, 33 victories 47-51, W. Vale 80 sq, victories 28, R. N. Cullen 80 sq victories 16, E.W.F. Hewett 80 sq victories 16, C.E. Casbolt 80 sq victories 10, J. F. Fraser 112 sq victories 10, V.C. Woodward 33 sq victories 9, L. Cattingham 33 sq victories 7, D.S. Gregory 80 sq victories 7, G.E.C Genders 80 sq victories 7, E.G. Janes 80 sq victories 6, H.P. Cochrane 112 sq victories 6,
G. M. Donaldson 112 sq victories 5, R.A. Aackworth 112 sq, 80 sq victories 5, C.H. Fry 112 sq victories 5, P.D.J. Sparkle 806 sq victories 5, R. McDonald Hall 806 sq victories 5
* (the 200 figure is mentioned in Ronald Dahl book “Going Solo”. Dahl served under Pattle command in 33 Sq )
. * Pattle was KIA in combat with Me-110s.
