Edward Mannock VC, DSO and two bars, MC and bar, was almost certainly the highest-scoring British Empire ace of the war. Known as Mick to his close friends, he was from an Irish family, born in 1887 (so already 29 when he became a fighter pilot in 1917); he grew up in Canterbury, Kent. At the outbreak of the war, he was working as a telephone engineer in Turkey, and was interned there, and only repatriated to Britain when he became very ill and the Turks considered that he would be of little use to the war effort. On recovery, he rejoined the Royal Army Medical Corps (in which he had served as a Territorial before the war) but managed to transfer to the RFC and was commissioned. From April 1917 he flew Nieuports with 40 squadron, transferring to 74 sqdn in January flying the SE5a, and took command of 85 squadron at the beginning of July. His score is now usually stated to be 61 (e.g. by Franks, Shores and Guest in "Above the Trenches"; they include Out of Control victories as well as Destroyed, but state that his score has a "higher than average degree of verifiability"). Some older references will give his score as 73; this appears to derive from the efforts of his biographer Ira Jones, himself an ace who had flown with Mannock in 74 sqdn; he seems to have wanted to boost Mannock’s score above that of Billy Bishop, which was believed at the time to have been 72. Mannock was killed on 26th July 1918; like many of the greatest pilots he was never defeated in aerial combat but was killed otherwise, in his case by ground fire. He had taken a new pilot, Donald Inglis, on patrol, to help him start his score - not all leaders took such a personal interest in their new pilots. He flew far too close to the ground on this occasion, following his last victim down; like von Richthofen he broke the rule which he had repeatedly hammered into his men, not to do this. But also like von Richthofen, he was seriously fatigued, having been in action with only short breaks for over a year, and may have hardly cared any more. His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously a year later, after much lobbying by his supporters including Jones. If I was asked who I considered to be the greater, McCudden or Mannock - a most difficult and invidious exercise - I would just about plump for Mannock. Their skill and courage in combat was in both cases among the very best. But Mannock was probably the better patrol leader; he certainly had the reputation of crediting his victories to beginners, and possibly more than McCudden he inspired love and loyalty as well as respect. But more than this: he was a man who succeeded in spite of his weaknesses. On his early patrols, he showed excessive caution and some wondered if this amounted to cowardice. He overcame this, at least in terms of his performance, but for the rest of his career he was often physically sick before a patrol. Of course we will never know how McCudden felt, but certainly he was able to keep his emotions buttoned. Mannock was an ardent Socialist at a time when this was far from fashionable. But he was also an ardent supporter of the war; he saw the Germans as enemies of civilisation for whom a victory would return Europe to the dark ages. (These two positions are not incompatible; it was only after the Second World War, with the prospect of nuclear armageddon, that it became expected that to be left-wing also meant to be a pacifist. Note that even after the horrors of the Western Front, how many young left-wing intellectuals went and fought in Spain during the Civil War). But Mannock felt no need to subscribe to any concept of chivalry. After von Richthofen’s death, he famously remarked “I hope the ******* burned”. After his own victories, when a victim had gone down in flames, he would come into the mess-room and describe the event as “Sizzle, sizzle, wonk!” or “Flamerino!”. Of course, it could well be that he was over-compensating for his own feelings; going down in flames was something that he greatly feared. The ace Keith Caldwell remarked “I don’t believe [this hatred] was true, it was calculated or assumed to support his own morale. He was a sensitive chap, very human; he didn’t hate people at all really”. And then again, perhaps Mannock was just being more honest than many of the others who saw war as a sport. To quote Marlon Brando’s “Renegade Colonel” character in “Apocalypse Now!”: “The greater sin is not just to kill without mercy, but to kill without judgement”. And all the posturing has to be weighed against the testimony of his friend Jim Eyles, who recalled that during a brief period of leave, he saw Mannock sitting alone, with tears rolling down his face, sobbing until his whole body shook. Clearly, by the time of his death, Mannock was heading for a breakdown, as was Guynemer, and Ball, possibly even von Richthofen, to say nothing of countless others less famous. In later wars they would have been ordered off combat duties. And yet he kept on going. Perhaps, whereas McCudden was the Superman, the professional soldier, Mannock was Everyman, typical of all the volunteers who would never have opted for a military career, but when faced with a cause greater than their own, gave of themselves to their limit and beyond. Adrian Roberts
That's a great piece Adrian ! I thought you may enjoy this ! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx-NKpgM7EQ Annie
Annie thanks for the Youtube link - though I think there must be a second half somewhere as this one only goes up to his training. The SE5a on its nose at the end is a 2 sqdn Australian Flying Corps aircraft - note the boomerang marking. I note that my quote of Mannock's description of von Richthofen's parentage was censored - does this happen automatically or have the mods become very prudish? It wasn't that naughty a word! Adrian
I'll try and find the other part for you ... if there is one Adrian !! I believe the censoring is an automatic thing - happens on nearly all the sites I visit ... but if I'm wrong somebody will tell us .... all I know is - it wasn't me !! Annie
I read a quote of Euripides ........ "a coward turns away - but a brave man's choice is danger" Bravery is facing things that are truly fearful and Mick Mannock was truly a brave man ! I just can't imagine the terror that goes along with going into battle at that time ..... "nerves " were part of the daily routine .... for flyers soldiers and sailors .... I'm in awe of them all !
I came across Mick's 15 Rules ....... thought I'd post them ! Edward ‘Mick’ Mannock was a highly successful fighter pilot in World War One. By the time of his death in July 1918, he was credited with over 70 ‘kills’ and in recognition of his exploits Mannock was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. In June 1917, Mannock became a flight commander and he issued his ’15 Rules’ to the pilots under his command. Such was their importance, that they were still used in World War Two despite the huge changes in aeroplane design etc. Pilots must dive to attack with zest, and must hold their fire until they get within one hundred yards of their target. Achieve surprise by approaching from the East. (From the German side of the front.) Utilise the sun's glare and clouds to achieve surprise. Pilots must keep physically fit by exercise and the moderate use of stimulants. Pilots must sight their guns and practise as much as possible as targets are normally fleeting. Pilots must practise spotting machines in the air and recognising them at long range, and every aeroplane is to be treated as an enemy until it is certain it is not. Pilots must learn where the enemy's blind spots are. Scouts must be attacked from above and two-seaters from beneath their tails. Pilots must practise quick turns, as this manoeuvre is more used than any other in a fight. Pilot must practise judging distances in the air as these are very deceptive. Decoys must be guarded against — a single enemy is often a decoy — therefore the air above should be searched before attacking. If the day is sunny, machines should be turned with as little bank as possible, otherwise the sun glistening on the wings will give away their presence at a long range. Pilots must keep turning in a dog fight and never fly straight except when firing. Pilots must never, under any circumstances, dive away from an enemy, as he gives his opponent a non-deflection shot — bullets are faster than aeroplanes. Pilots must keep their eye on their watches during patrols, and on the direction and strength of the wind.
