Albert Ball

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Albert Ball, standing in front of a Caudron G.3.
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Albert Ball, standing in front of a Caudron G.3.
Ball's grave
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Ball's grave

Albert Ball, VC, DSO & 2 Bars, MC, Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Order of St. George (4th class) (August 14, 1896 - May 7, 1917) was an English First World War fighter pilot and recipient of the Victoria Cross. At the time of his death, he was the leading Allied ace with 44 victories[1] and only trailed the German's top ace, Manfred Von Richthofen. He ended up tied for 11th place with Captain J. Gillmore in the top 20 World War One pilots in the British Empire. [2]

Born in Nottingham and educated at Grantham Grammar School, Nottingham High School and Trent College.[3] Ball joined the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) at the start of the First World War. While in England, he took private flying lessons at Hendon. He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 and trained at Norwich, but was then sent to the RFC Central Flying School where he was awarded his wings on January 26, 1916. He was sent to France three weeks later, to No. 13 Squadron RFC, flying the BE.2c. On occasion, he managed to pilot the squadron's single seat Bristol Scout, finding the freedom of independent operations far more to his liking. His aggressive fighting spirit was actively encouraged by his CO. In May 1916, he was posted to 11 Squadron, flying a mix of FE2's and Nieuport 11 single seater biplanes. Ball's aircraft was easy to recognise as he had a red propellor boss from an LVG he had shot down fitted to his aircraft.

Transferring to No. 60 Squadron RFC in August (and now flying the improved Nieuport 17), the rest of 1916 saw Ball make steady claims for German aircraft shot down. Ball primarily fought as a 'lone-wolf', carefully stalking his prey from below until he was close enough to pull down his top-wing mounted Lewis gun and fire upwards into the belly of the enemy's fuselage.

On the ground too, Ball was very much a loner, preferring to live in his own hut away from the other squadron members. He spent his off-duty hours tending his small allotment garden and practicing the violin.

He was awarded his first decoration, the Military Cross, on June 27, 1916. By October, Ball had become the first person in the British Army to have a DSO and two bars. By mid October, Ball was sent to England for a well-earned rest. A national hero, the young aviator had destroyed 13 aircraft (including one balloon), sent one aircraft 'down out of control' and forced a further 19 to land. He then became flight conmmander in the newly formed No. 56 Squadron RFC, which was the first unit equipped with the new SE5 scout. Ball's opinion of the aircraft was it was under-developed, and was allowed to retain a Nieuport 17 for his own use when the squadron went to France in April 1917. His SE5 was -on his specific orders- extensively modified with both the cockpit 'greenhouse' and Vickers machine gun removed and the windscreen lowered to improve speed and performance.

He was 20 years old and a Temporary Captain when he performed the deeds for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, on 8 June, 1917.

From 26 April to 6 May 1917, flying over France, Captain Ball took part in 26 combats in the course of which he destroyed 11 hostile aircraft, brought down two out of control and forced several others to land. Flying alone, on one occasion, he fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British planes he attacked an enemy formation of eight - on each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy plane, and several times his plane was badly damaged. On returning with a damaged plane, he always had to be restrained from immediately going out in another.

On the evening of 7 May near Douai, eleven British aircraft from No. 56 Squadron RFC, including Albert Ball's, encountered German fighters from Jasta 11. In a running battle fought in deteriorating visibility, the aircraft became scattered and Lothar von Richthofen was engaged in a one-on-one dog fight with Ball, which ended with both aircraft crashing behind German lines. Ball was killed, but Lothar survived and was credited by the Germans with the victory, though it was likely Ball became disoriented and lost control(*). [4]

  • ) Ball got disorientated flying through a cloud and fell to earth - without the action of Lothar von Richthofen, who claimed a triplane and not Ball's SE5.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum (The Castle, Nottingham, England).

Ball had claimed 23 aircraft destroyed, 2 'out of control' and forced 21 to land. He was just 20 years old at the time of his death.

Contents

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ Albert Ball V.C.. The Lenton Listener (Issue 14, September - October 1981). Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
  4. ^ [3]

[edit] References


[edit] External links

  1. ^ [4]
  2. ^ [5]
  3. ^ Albert Ball V.C.. The Lenton Listener (Issue 14, September - October 1981). Retrieved on 2006-10-08.
  4. ^ [6]

[edit] Further reading

  • David Gunby, ‘Ball, Albert (1896–1917)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 2 July 2006

This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.

Aviation in World War I
Aces | Aircraft of the Entente Powers | Aircraft of the Central Powers | Zeppelins | Category: World War I Aircraft
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