Raymond Collishaw
Raymond Collishaw, was a distinguished Canadian fighter pilot, squadron leader, and commanding officer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service and later the Royal Air Force. He was the highest scoring RNAS flying ace and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of the First World War. He was noted as a great leader in the air, leading many of his own formations into battle. After the Great War, he became a permanent commissioned officer in the RAF, seeing action against the Bolsheviks in 1919–20, and subsequently commanding various Air Service detachments. During the Second World War, he commanded No. 204 Group in North Africa, achieving great success against the numerically and technologically superior Italian Air Force. He was retired in 1943.
Early life
Raymond Collishaw was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, on 22 November 1893. His father was John Edward Collishaw from Wrexham, Wales, and his mother Sarah "Sadie" Jones from Newport, Wales, but raised in Pantygog, Garw Valley. He was brought up in Nanaimo, though some of his schooling took place in Victoria, British Columbia and Oakland, California, due to his father's occasional pursuit of gold mining.In 1908, at the age of 15, thanks to his father's connection, Collishaw joined the Canadian Fisheries Protection Services as a cabin boy. He was a lower class sailor on board the Alcedo. He would continue working on ships and the coast for the next seven years – working his way up to First Officer, and in 1914, transferring to the Fispa. He was aboard when it sailed into the Arctic Circle in search of the Stefansson expedition – too late to rescue the Karluk.
First World War
Training
When war broke out in 1914, Collishaw's first idea was to join the Royal Navy, but did not hear from them for some time. Toward the end of 1915, Collishaw heard that the Royal Naval Air Service was hiring, and so he applied to them instead, and attended flight training at the Curtiss Aviation School in Toronto. He qualified as a probationary pilot in January 1916 and crossed the Atlantic on the Adriatic. His first posting was to the naval air station at Redcar, where he completed his pilot training, flying the Caudron G.3; his first solo taking place 16 June 1916. After attending the Gunnery School at Eastchurch, he was confirmed as a full flight sub-lieutenant.RNAS 3 Wing
On 2 August 1916 Collishaw was deployed to his first operational posting, joining the RNAS's 3rd Wing. The wing was operating out of Luxeuil, France and supporting the French 4th bombardment group, flying the British Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Some of the Sopwiths were equipped as bombers, while others were configured as two-seat fighters. Collishaw found these new aircraft "a revelation" to fly. His initial sorties were with the "fighter" Strutter configuration – which he noted, "doubtless influenced significantly my subsequent air force career."Collishaw's first encounter with a German aircraft was while flying escort duty on 3 Wing's first large-scale raid into Germany, against the Mauser Rifle Factory at Oberndorf, on 12 October 1916. The raid consisted of 27 aircraft from both British and French squadrons, and had multiple flights at different altitudes. Collishaw's was nearly at their target when they were attacked by three German Fokker D.IIIs. One of the Fokkers, flown by a Sgt. Hanstien, carried out effective attacks against two Collishaw's wing-mates on either side of him. Collishaw dived and fired, having Hanstein in his sights, but Hanstein then quickly evaded with a climbing maneuver. Collishaw's engine revved too high in the dive, shearing a wire and becoming under-powered, requiring him to return to base. Collishaw noted that while a significant event, the Oberndorf raid was of questionable success given the limited known target damage and allied aircraft losses, without any aircraft losses from the German side. The German pilots on-scene that day were quite experienced, and included the then-NCO Ernst Udet.
Collishaw's first confirmed victories occurred on 2 October, while he was ferrying a new Strutter from Wing Headquarters to his squadron's new forward base alone. Six German scouts spotted him and dived across the lines. As Collishaw recounted:
Collishaw then attempted to return to allied lines, but had become disoriented. He couldn't make out his compass, but based on the position of the sun, he flew in what he presumed was the correct direction, gaining altitude and flying for what seemed to him to be a long time. Finally he spotted an aerodrome, and so he went in for a landing.
Collishaw again flew for a long time, making sure to cross the trenches this time, and finally landed at a French aerodrome, 70 miles northwest of his intended destination. He received medical treatment for his eyes and returned to his unit.
3 Wing participated in a number of larger air raids on targets deep into German territory in November and December. Collishaw's usual post was as a "fighter" support, and in this capacity he had a few engagements, but with no conclusive outcomes. On 23 January 1917, returning from a wing raid at the blast furnaces at Burbach, he had a "particularly desperate" encounter with a Fokker D.III, and he was forced down on the allied side near Nancy. The next day, in recognition for his participation in the many raids of 3 Wing, he was informed he had been awarded the French Croix de Guerre.
No. 3 Naval Squadron
In February 1917, Collishaw was posted to No. 3 Naval Squadron, which had just been established at the beginning of the month and was operating in direct support of the army and RFC at Vert Galand near Somme plain, and equipped with the then-somewhat-dated Sopwith Pups. The squadron, though British, was a majority Canadian outfit at the time in terms of pilot membership. One thing Collishaw noticed was that the pace of missions had steeply increased: instead of flying raids every week or two, as had been done at 3 Wing, at Naval 3, pilots could expect one or more patrols every day, and rarely without some sort of enemy encounter. In addition, the squadron was within operational distance of some of the best German air units, including Jasta 11. Thankfully, as Collishaw noted, "many of the German pilots who flew the new Albatros and Halberstadt fighters seemed to be inexperienced and unable to get the most out of their machines." Collishaw had a number of combats while out on frequent patrols over the ensuing two months, but suffered regular frustrations due to gun and engine malfunctions. Still, he added two to his tally before suffering another incident where, in combat at high altitude, bullets once again hit his goggles, and in response he threw off his entire face-mask, causing his face to become badly swollen by frostbite. This required him to return to England for a few weeks on sick leave.No. 10 Naval Squadron
When Collishaw returned to service in late April, he was posted to No. 10 Naval Squadron as a flight commander. Once again, Collishaw discovered that the squadron was mainly Canadian by composition. Naval 10 was slowly being equipped with the new, fast-climbing and maneuverable Sopwith Triplane, and Collishaw found the aircraft "delightful", though still wished for a second forward-firing Vickers machine gun. He had his first combat in a Triplane on 28 April, firing on a two-seater in the morning, and then later in the day attacking four German fighters and possibly surprising them with its performance. He swirled onto the tail of one of them, and firing a few bursts, caused it to break-up mid-air. The other Germans then broke off. This was Collishaw's 5th victory, making him an "ace". He had another victory on 30 April, and on 10 May, downed his first opponent in flames. Collishaw again noted a jump in the number of daily sorties being flown, usually 2–4 per day, and sometimes more.By the middle of May, the Royal Flying Corps was badly in need of reinforcements. This was mainly due to the after-effects of Bloody April, but also because of preparations for a new offensive at Messines. Naval 10 had been earmarked as a unit to offer this direct support, a fact the squadron commander and pilots of the squadron had known for some time. Naval 10 shifted to a new aerodrome at Droglandt.
The Black Flight
Collishaw's "B" Flight of Naval 10 would initially be composed entirely of Canadians, and would later be nicknamed the "Black Flight", owing to the flight's black engine cowling and wheel covers. In addition, the flight decided to give their machines names in large white letters on either side near the cockpit. Ellis Vair Reid, of Toronto, flew Black Roger; John Edward Sharman, of Winnipeg, flew Black Death; Gerald "Gerry" Ewart Nash, of Stoney Creek, flew Black Sheep; Marcus Alexander, of Toronto, flew Black Prince; and Collishaw chose Black Maria. During their first two months they claimed a record 84 German aircraft destroyed or driven down – which, strangely enough, brought Collishaw and the unit no wide publicity, though garnered a great deal of renown among their German opponents in the area. Collishaw later claimed that this was because officials in the regular Royal Flying Corps were loath to give credit to naval pilots. In his autobiography, Collishaw noted that they did not always fly together, and operational conditions demanded that pilots of the various flights be available to sub-in on an as-needed basis – and on different machines. There were only a relatively small number of occasions where the full-strength "original" flight were in the field. He maintained that the squadron as a whole should be given credit in terms of whatever legend exists of the "Black Flight".The original group's first flight, a line patrol, took place on 18 May 1917. Gerry Nash was the first to score a victory, on 21 May, after diving on a flight of five German scouts, and leaving the pilot of his target slumping back in his cockpit, entering a side-slipping spin. Outnumbered, Gerry was then able to use the excellent climbing ability of the Triplane to exit the fight vertically. It was 31 May before Collishaw was able to properly engage two enemy aircraft, though indecisively.
Collishaw then began a week-long streak of kills, with at least one per day, starting on 1 June, when "B" Flight was out in full force, having three separate engagements within their 2½ hour sortie. Collishaw shot an Albatros down in flames, and Ellis and Gerry / Nash both scored victories. 2 June began with a hostile air patrol – Collishaw's flight being dispatched to intercept a German two-seater aircraft spotted over the lines. Sending it down out-of-control, their next sortie was escorting some F.E.2b reconnaissance aircraft. When a group of German scouts approached, Collishaw led the attack, and sent one down out-of-control. On 3 June Collishaw received his first promotion, to acting flight lieutenant. Members of "B" Flight were up on four separate occasions that day, Collishaw scoring one German Albatros in flames. The same day, flight sub-lieutant Percy McNeil, leader of "A" Flight, was shot down by German ace Karl Allmenröder, and John Sharman was appointed to lead "A" Flight, being replaced in "B" Flight by F/S/L D. F. FitzGibbon. 4 June saw Collishaw on another four sorties, with the last of them yielding another victory shot down in flames. 5 June started with a long-range high-altitude offensive patrol over Menin; Collishaw leading a whole-formation firing charge against a two-seater, which went down in flames. Later Collishaw dived below another two-seater, firing a long burst that sent the plane into a long spin, FitzGibbon also connecting a burst as it fell away. 6 June brought a coordinated effort, Collishaw's leading another flight in an offensive patrol. At 16,000 feet, the flight ran into a two-seater being escorted by some 15 German fighters. A dogfight ensued, Collishaw quickly downing two in flames, one after the other. Going after a third, his bullets made the pilot fall back as the aircraft plunged into a spin. Nash had gone after the two-seater, and put several bursts into it before it went down, all the way into the ground. He then fired a quick close-range burst at a German fighter, which resulted in it taking a nearly vertical nose-dive. Reid focused on a Halberstadt, maneuvering to keep peppering the fighter as it went down. Various other members of the Naval 10 patrol scored victories as well, and after 35 minutes, 10 of the German aircraft had been either destroyed or thrown from the dogfight in a spin, with no allied losses. Two subsequent large patrols that day, led by Collishaw, encountered no further German aircraft. Finishing the week, Collishaw shot-up one additional Albatros in another large dogfight on 7 June, which fell into a cloud.
9 June brought a close call, and the destruction of the original Black Maria. On the early-morning two-flight offensive patrol, Collishaw's flight dived on a formation of German Albatros D.IIIs. He got on the tail of a German fighter, who upon noticing his position, went into a wild series of tight turns, which Collishaw's Triplane could slightly out-perform. Getting into a favorable position, he was just about to open fire when a stream of bullets smashed into his cockpit, from a German aircraft that had made a diving attack out of the sun. Collishaw's controls were effectively disabled, and his plane drifted off to the side and began a series of turning swoops and dives. Initially terrified, Collishaw's descent over 15 minutes gave way to resignation, and he recalled "thinking rather wistfully how nice it would be to have a parachute." Miraculously, the Triplane's descent pattern of swoops ended up making contact with the ground at an angle that, while folding the Triplane into a mass of wreckage, left Collishaw with nothing but a few bruises. Luckier still, Collishaw had come down within striking distance of the forward British trenches, and a party of them recovered Collishaw, administering "the type of stimulant that one might be expected to appreciate after such an experience..." He vowed to never let himself be attacked out of the sun. Upon returning to base, Collishaw flew Nash's Triplane N.5492.
On 14 June, Collishaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross – his first British decoration. On the same day, Jasta 11 was transferred to Marcke, almost directly opposite Naval 10's aerodrome at Droglandt. Ten days later, on 24 June 1917, Naval 10 would meet Jasta 11 directly on the morning patrol. Losses would be registered on both sides, with Karl Allmenröder scoring one. The next day, 25 June, Allmenröder scored another. This time, however, it was an original Black Flight member, coming after they had scored an aggregate total of over 50 victories. Gerry Nash, after a desperate maneuvering battle, was hit and suffered a critical failure of his controls. He was forced to land in German territory – destroying his plane before he was captured. Collishaw and the rest of the flight were deeply grieved at the loss – they had not seen Nash go down – but heartened when they eventually learned he had not been killed.
Two days later, on 27 June 1917, Collishaw would encounter Allmenröder again. Out on patrol, Collishaw's flight spotted a formation of three Albatrosses below him, while also being aware of another flight of German fighters watching from above. He reasoned he could attack them quickly and climb away, so led his flight down in pursuit and from long range let off several bursts.
Indeed, Nash heard the church bells ring for the funeral of Allmenröder, whom his guard said had been shot down by the leader of the Black Triplanes.
6 July 1917 was Collishaw's most successful day. Diving to the aid of some beleaguered F.E.2d's who were surrounded by what he estimated to be around 30 German fighters, Naval 10's two flights turned the situation into a wild dogfight. Descending onto the rear of a red Albatros, Collishaw took a few burst shots which he thought connected with the pilot and it began going down. No sooner had he made this observation than he had to take violent evasive action to avoid an incoming attack. This whirlwind process continued five more times – each time yielding a damaged German plane exiting the battle. Other members of Collishaw's force scored victories as well, and had accounted for a further four aircraft before the dogfight dissolved. Collishaw was credited with six aircraft shot down out-of-control. The next day, Collishaw was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
Collishaw suffered two frightening experiences in mid-July. The first was an episode where he had to take very violent evasive action to avoid colliding with a German fighter, snapped his restraining straps and was ejected from the cockpit of his plane – only catching his arms around the top wooden struts, and only able to wrestle back into the cockpit after the Triplane had careened down about 10,000 feet. The second was when shrapnel from anti-aircraft fire sent two sizable pieces of his engine cowling flying, one catching in the wing wires, drastically changing the drag profile of the plane and throwing it into a dangerous spin. Managing as best he could to regain control and fly the plane, he had no choice but to have a hard landing just past the British line, breaking the plane's undercarriage, but nothing much else.
22 and 28 July were sad days for the squadron, and Collishaw especially, for they marked the losses of John Sharman and Ellis Reid, respectively – both being killed. Sharman's Triplane was struck by anti-aircraft fire and disintegrated mid-air. Reid, it was suspected, fell prey to pilots from Jasta 11. Reid had been Naval 10's second-highest scorer, with 19 kills.