Roderic Dallas

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Roderic Stanley Dallas

Roderic Stanley Dallas (born July 30, 1891 in Esk , Queensland , Australia, † June 1, 1918 in Liévin , France) was a successful Australian fighter pilot of the First World War . He is officially credited with 39 aerial victories.

Life

Dallas was born on a farm near Esk, Queensland, Australia to a farm laborer. Later his father worked as a miner in Mount Morgan , Queensland. As a child, Dallas joined the Australian Army Cadets , a youth organization of the Australian armed forces, and was accepted into the Australian Army Reserve as a young man . When the First World War broke out , Dallas volunteered for the young Australian Air Corps , but was turned away . Dallas then traveled to England at its own expense and applied equally unsuccessfully to the Royal Flying Corps . Another application to the English naval aviators was successful. Dallas began his naval aviation training in June 1915 and received his pilot's license on August 5, 1915.

War effort

On December 3, 1915, Dallas came to Dunkirk , from where he flew his first war missions in a single-seat Nieuport 11 and two-seat Caudron G.IV. On April 23, 1916, Dallas came to his first victorious air combat as a fighter pilot on a Nieuport 11, with which he scored three more enemy aircraft kills. From June 23, 1916, Dallas flew a Sopwith Triplane and later became one of the most successful pilots of this type of aircraft.

Dallas was awarded the French Croix de guerre in the summer of 1916 and the British Distinguished Service Cross on September 7, 1916 . On June 9, 1917, Dallas received its second Distinguished Service Cross for special achievements in aerial combat on April 23, 1917. On June 23, 1917 - with more than 20 aerial victories - Dallas was appointed commander of its unit, the No. 1st Naval Squadron promoted. On April 1, 1918, Dallas was named major and commander of No. 40 Squadron who flew the Royal Aircraft Factory SE5 . On April 26, 1918, Dallas had increased the number of its aerial victories to 37 and was awarded the British Distinguished Service Order .

As of June 1, 1918, Dallas was appointed lieutenant colonel and squadron commander. He never heard of this promotion: On the same day, Dallas took off alone on a patrol flight along the front, from which he did not return. It was later determined that he had been shot down by airmen of the German Jagdstaffel 14. His machine crashed with him into the no man's land between the fronts, where she and his remains were recovered by volunteers. Dallas is buried in Pernes , France.

Remarks

  1. ↑ There are sources that give the number of his aerial victories as 32, as well as those that award him 51 aerial victories. See the discussion and list of recognized kills in the English language Wikipedia.
  2. ↑ engl. wing

literature

  • Peter C. Firkins: The Golden Eagles . St. George Books, Oxford 1980, ISBN 978-0-86778-001-7 .
  • Norman Franks , Bailey, Frank W .; Guest, Russell: Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914–1918 . Grub Street, London 1993, ISBN 0-948817-73-9 .
  • Norman Franks: Nieuport Aces of World War 1 . Osprey , Oxford 2000, ISBN 1-85532-961-1 .
  • Norman Franks: SE5 / 5a Aces of World War 1 . Osprey, Oxford 2007, ISBN 1-84603-180-X .
  • Norman Franks: Sopwith Triplane Aces of World War 1 . Osprey, Oxford 2004, ISBN 1-84176-728-X .
  • AD Garrisson: Australian Fighter Aces 1914-1953 . Air Power Studies Center, Fairbairn, Australian Capital Territory 1999, ISBN 0-642-26540-2 .
  • Peter Hart: Aces Falling: War Above the Trenches, 1918 . Weidenfeld & Nicolson , London 2007, ISBN 978-0-297-84653-6 .
  • Adrian Hellwig: Australian Hawk Over the Western Front: A Biography of Major RS Dallas DSO, DSC, C de G Avec Palme . Grub Street, Fyshwyck, Australian Capital Territory 2005, ISBN 978-1-904943-34-1 .
  • Dennis Newton: Australian Air Aces . Aerospace Publications, Fyshwyck, Australian Capital Territory 1996, ISBN 1-875671-25-0 .
  • Christopher Shores: British and Empire Aces of World War 1 . Osprey, Oxford 2001, ISBN 1-84176-377-2 .
  • Christopher Shores, Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell: Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces, 1915-1920 . Grub Street, London 1990, ISBN 0-948817-19-4 .
  • David Wilson: The Brotherhood of Airmen . Allen & Unwin , Crows Nest, New South Wales 2005, ISBN 1-74114-333-0 .
personal data
SURNAME Dallas, Roderic
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dallas, Roderic Stanley
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian fighter pilot of the First World War
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH at Esk , Queensland , Australia
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1918
Place of death near Liévin , France