From: "Jim Franklin", [EMAIL PROTECTED] A trubute to such a gallant gentlemen deserves to be reproduced in full, however the contents of the penultime paragraph will be of special interest. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic telegraph 31/1/01 AIR Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, the leading Allied fighter ace of the Second World War, died yesterday aged 85. Family friends described his death as the end of a era, with the passing of "the last of the Few". Johnson, who became a great friend of Douglas Bader, crashed his first Spitfire four days after flying it for the first time. But he dominated the skies from the final days of the Battle of Britain to the end of the war. He had 38 confirmed "kills" and his tally might have been higher had he not missed the beginning of the Battle of Britain because of a rugby injury. The injury made flying difficult and at first he was suspected of cowardice, or "lack of moral fibre" in the terminology of the day. But he convinced his CO otherwise by choosing to have an operation so that he could get into combat. After getting into double figures as Bader's wingman he was given command of the Canadian wing at Kenley where he fought in the skies over the Normandy landings. In 1,000 combats he was never brought down and admitted to being hit only once when he was "jumped" by six Messerschmitts. Johnson died from cancer at his home in Derbyshire in the early hours after a long illness. A family friend, Jill Lucas, widow of the Malta fighter ace P B "Laddie" Lucas who died in 1998, said last night: "It is absolutely awful. He really is the last of the great fighter pilots of the war. "I remember him so well, with Douglas Bader and Laddie being so happy and marvellous together despite what was going on around them. They have all gone now, one after the other. It is very sad. I doubt we will see their type again." James "Johnnie" Johnson was born at Barrow-upon-Soar, near Melton Mowbray, Leics, in 1915. He was educated at Loughborough College and Nottingham University, where in 1937 he qualified as a civil engineer. He was rejected by the Auxiliary Air Force and the RAF Volunteer Reserve. He eventually joined the Territorial Army, but when war broke out was called to the RAFVR to start flying training. In late 1940 he joined Bader's Tangmere wing, where he learned a great deal about air combat from the legless pilot. Johnson attributed his skill at shooting down German aircraft to his practice with a shotgun, generally killing two animals with three shots. He said: "The principles of deflection shooting against wildfowl and aeroplanes were exactly the same, except that aeroplanes could sometimes return your fire. The best fighter pilots were usually outdoormen who had shot game and wildfowl." Johnson retired from the RAF in 1966 after winning a DSO with two bars and a DFC with a bar. ------------------------------------------------------------ Jim Franklin Orpington KENT. UK PGP key on request Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ____________________________________________________________ T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
