Just as an aside .... I posted this in the RAF forum but since it has no classified information I thought I'd share it here:
In this event it is my intent to take on the persona of an American who came to fight for the RAF.
Historically (well, arguably, as you will see) there were only 9* (prior to the formation of the official Eagle squadrons, which was after BoB):
William M.L. Fiske (No. 601 Squadron - not depicted in this event)
Fiske was born in New York in 1911, the son of Beulah and William Fiske, a New England
banking magnate. He attended school in Chicago, and then went to school in France in
1924, where he discovered the sport of bobsled at the age of 16. Fiske attended Trinity Hall,
Cambridge in 1928 where he studied Economics and History.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Fiske was recalled to the New York offices of
Dillon, Reed & Co, but on 30 August 1939 he returned to England aboard the Aquitania
accompanying a bank colleague who was also a member of No. 601 (County of London)
Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. Fiske pretended to be a Canadian. He joined the Royal Air
Force Volunteer Reserve and was promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer on 23 March 1940.
Flying Officer Carl R. Davis (No. 601 Squadron - not depicted in this event)
Born in Krugersdorp, Transvaal in South Africa to American parents, Davis was educated
in England at Sherborne School, and Trinity College, Cambridge (Bachelor of Arts) and at
McGill University, Montreal (Bachelor of Arts qualifying as a mining engineer). Becoming a
British citizen in 1932.
(the so-called "Millionaires' Squadron")
Pilot Officers Eugene Tobin, Vernon C. Keough and Andrew Mamedoff (No. 609 Squadron - depicted in this event - 6 aircraft [Spitfire I])
Eugene Tobin
Born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Ignatius Quimby Tobin and Mary Alicia Tobin
(nee O'Fallon). Tobin initially came to Europe to fight on the side of Finland against the
Soviet Union's invasion of that country, but hostilities had ceased before he arrived. He
was already a qualified pilot, having learned to fly in the 1930s.
Vernon C. Keough
At 4' 10" Keough was the smallest pilot in the RAF and had to use two cushions in his
Spitfire to see out of the cockpit. Born in Brooklyn, New York around 1912, the son
Charles and Constance Theresa Keough. He had earned a civil pilot's license in America
and was also a professional parachute jumper with over 500 jumps, performing at air
shows across America.
Andrew Mamedoff
Born in Thompson, Connecticut, where his White Russian family had settled in the early
1910s. Interestingly, it is believed that he was Jewish of Russian heritage. Mamedoff
attended Bryant College in the early 1930s. He had learned to fly in the USA and even
had his own plane with which he performed at airshows. He and Eugene Tobin had been
flying friends at Mines Field in California before the war. He was attempting to set up
charter services in Miami immediately prior to the war. Mamedoff initially came to Europe
to fight on the side of Finland against the Soviet Union, but hostilities had ceased before
he arrived. In 1941 Mamedoff married an English woman, Alys Laird "Penny" Mamedoff
(née Craven) at Epping. He became the first of the Americans to take a war bride during
World War II.
(
PRoP! - I love it. Now this would be a good skin to add. Someone [who is skilled], please don't make me try.) Pilot Officer Phillip H. Leckrone (No. 616 Squadron - not depicted in this event)
Leckrone was from Salem, Illinois, the son of William and Lottie Leckrone. He was married
to Mackenzie A. Leckrone. He was an experienced pilot, owning his own aircraft.
Pilot Officer Arthur G. Donahue (No. 64 Squadron depicted in this event - 6 aircraft [Spitfire I])
Donahue was born to Frank and Ada Donahue on 29 January 1913 and was raised on a
dairy farm near St. Charles, Minnesota. As a teenager, he learned to fly at Conrad Flying
Service, operated by Max Conrad, an aviator known as the "Flying Grandfather" who set
numerous world records for distance and endurance flying. After learning how to fly and
becoming Minnesota's youngest commercially certificated pilot at the age of 19, Donahue
worked for Conrad helping to run the flight school until he left to join the Royal Air Force.
Donahue had heard that pilots were being recruited in Canada, so he traveled there,
claimed to be Canadian, and was accepted.
John K. Haviland (No. 1 Squadron [not depicted in this event] and No. 151 Squadron - depicted in this event - 6 aircraft [Hurricane I])
Born in Mount Kisco, New York, the son of a US Navy officer and an English mother,
Haviland was educated in England from the age of five and was educated at Nottingham
University and the University of London. He joined the Royal Air Force Reserve in July
1939 and was called up for war service in September of the same year.
De Peyster Brown (1 RCAF Squadron - not depicted in this event)
Born December 1915 in Pennsylvania. Brown joined the Royal Canadian Air Force claiming
to be of Canadian nationality on 9 September 1939[4] and was posted to No. 112 Squadron
RCAF. On arrival in England he was sent to No. 5 OTU RAF Aston Down to convert to
Hurricanes and then to No. 1 Squadron RCAF at RAF Northolt on 2 September 1940.
On 27 September 1940 he claimed a Dornier Do 17 destroyed and a shared Junkers Ju 88.
On 5 October he was badly shot up in combat with Bf109's but nevertheless pursued one into
cloud, being later credited with a 'damaged'. His own aircraft crashed on landing back at Northolt
but he was uninjured.
Brown transferred to the United States Army Air Forces on 25 May 1942. He was given the rank
of Lieutenant, later promoted Captain, and held the rank of Major when he retired. He remained
in the service for 12 years after the end of World War II and after the war was involved with the Berlin
Airlift.
Regrettably, neither No. 64 nor No. 609 squadrons have skins for the Spit I. As mentioned earlier, some of the above individuals later became members of the three Eagle Squadrons
made up of exclusively of American pilots and formed between September 1940 and October 1941; No 71,
121 and 133 Squadrons.
And it seems I may have to adopt an accent of some sort, no matter ... except for the fact that there's
already a pinch of virtual alternate reality (kinda like that Pearl Harbor movie - now I need a beer for the bad
taste in my mouth).
(In a later post I discussed discrepancies about the list of U.S. pilot participants over time)
From Bruv:
(Thank you)
Wiki (some refuse to take this as a valid source but it is oft my first step used in online research .... yielding to more sources with time) considers this a comprehensive list of U.S. pilot participants in the Battle of Britain:
Pilots
According to Kenneth G Wynn's Men of the Battle of Britain published in 1999, and the list currently held by the Royal Air Force,[3] 11 American pilots qualified for the 1939-1945 Star with Battle of Britain clasp:
De Peyster Brown – No. 401 Squadron RCAF
Carl Raymond Davis – No. 601 Squadron (born in South Africa to American parents. Took British citizenship in 1932)
Arthur Gerald Donahue – No. 601 Squadron
William Meade Lindsley Fiske – No. 601 Squadron
John Kenneth Haviland – No. 151 Squadron
Vernon Charles Keough – No. 609 Squadron
Phillip Howard Leckrone – No. 616 Squadron
Andrew Mamedoff – No. 609 Squadron
Otto John Peterson – No. 401 Squadron RCAF (?)
Eugene Quimby Tobin – No. 609 Squadron
Alexander Roman Zatonski – No. 79 Squadron (?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-British_personnel_in_the_RAF_during_the_Battle_of_Britain#United_States_contribution(note Reilly's omission [ I originally had him listed] and Peterson and Zatonski's addition - Reilly's family successfully challenged the widespread claim of his U.S. citizenship)
to all