Eugene Esmonde

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Eugene Kingsmill Esmonde
1 March 1909–12 February 1942

Place of birth Wortley, South Yorkshire
Place of death English Channel
Allegiance United Kingdom
Years of service 1939–1942
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Commands held No. 825 Naval Air Squadron
Battles/wars World War II
* Battle of the Denmark Strait
* "Channel Dash"
Awards Victoria Cross
Distinguished Service Order

Lieutenant Commander Eugene Kingsmill Esmonde VC DSO, F/Lt, RAF, Lt-Cdr (A) RN (1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942) was an Irish VC recipient and distinguished pilot for the British Fleet Air Arm in World War II. He was a posthumous, by birth English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

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[edit] Life Prior to World War II

Esmonde was born in 1 March 1909 in Thurgoland, near Barnsley, Yorkshire where his father Dr. John Joseph Esmonde (1862–1915) was in temporary General Practice. Though by birth English, his parents were from Ireland and he returned to his family's ancestral home of the Esmonde Baronets in Drominagh, co. Tipperary as a boy and was educated by the Jesuits, first at Wimbledon College in London and then at Clongowes Wood College in co. Kildare, Ireland.

He had three elder half-brothers from his father's first marriage, Sir John Lymbrick Esmonde, 14th Baronet, who served in the Great War, Lt. Geoffrey Esmonde (1897–1916) who was killed in action in WWI serving with the 4th Tyneside Irish Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and Sir Anthony Esmonde, 15th Baronet.

During the early 1930s Eugene Esmonde served first in the Royal Air Force and then the Fleet Air Arm, serving in the Mediterranean. Upon leaving the RAF he flew for Imperial Airways.

[edit] Early wartime career

At the start of the war he returned to the Fleet Air Arm with the rank of lieutenant commander. His first posting HMS Courageous was sunk in September 1939. He returned to sea, after a period with shore stations, with HMS Victorious. It was on the night of the 24 May 1941 during the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck, after the battle of the Denmark Strait in which HMS Hood had been sunk, that he led No. 825 Naval Air Squadron's 9 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers in an attempt to stop the battleship. Flying off from Victorious the biplanes made a 120 mile flight in foul North Atlantic weather. In face of the conditions and the Bismarck's anti-aircraft fire the squadron achieved a single torpedo hit which pre-empted the last battle of the battleship Bismarck. Esmonde received the Distinguished Service Order for this action on the 11 February 1942.

By the time he received his award he had already been involved in another dramatic event. His squadron had been posted to HMS Ark Royal. She was torpedoed in November 1941. Attempts to tow her to Gibraltar were abandoned and on 14 November 1941 she sank. The Swordfish of the squadron had flown off before she sank taking some of the ship's crew with them.

[edit] VC

He won his VC when he led his squadron against elements of the German Fleet which made the "Channel Dash" (Operation Cerberus) from Brest to their home bases at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel through the English Channel.

He was by then 32 years old. On 12 February 1942 off the coast of England, Lieutenant Commander Esmonde led a detachment of six Fairey Swordfish in an attack on the two German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which had already managed to get from Brest without hindrance. At the time of receiving his orders the ships with a strong escort of surface craft were entering the Straits of Dover. He waited as long as he felt he could for confirmation of his fighter escort but took off without it. One of the squadrons (10 Supermarine Spitfires of No. 72 Squadron RAF ) met up with them but shortly after take off his flight and their escort were attacked by enemy fighters of JG 2 and JG 26.

Despite their planes having been damaged and their escort separated, the Swordfish continued onto the ships. The enemy destroyers were throwing up large amounts of anti-aircraft fire. Even after Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde's plane sustained a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire taking away most of the port wing he still continued the run-in towards his target taking his flight through the destroyer screen. He was still some 2,700 metres from his target when he was hit again his plane bursting into flames and crashing into the sea. The remaining aircraft continued the gallant attack, but all were shot down. Only 5 airmen survived and four of them were wounded. All were given medals. The four officers received the DSO, and the non-commissioned seaman was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

The courage of the Swordfish crews, all of whom were shot down while pressing their attacks, was particularly noted by friend and foe alike. Admiral Ramsay later wrote: "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed", while Admiral Otto Ciliax in the Scharnhorst described "The mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day". As he watched the smoking wrecks of the Swordfish falling into the sea, Captain Hoffman of the Scharnhorst exclaimed "Poor fellows, they are so very slow, it is nothing but suicide for them to fly against these big ships". Willhelm Wolf aboard the Scharnhorst wrote: "What an heroic stage for them to meet their end ! Behind them their homeland, which they had just left with their hearts steeled to their purpose, still in view".

He was remembered in Winston Churchill's famous broadcast speech on 13 May 1945 "Five years of War", as having defended Ireland's honour:

"When I think of these days I think also of other episodes and personalities. I do not forget Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde, V.C., D.S.O., Lance-Corporal Kenneally, V.C., Captain Fegen, V.C., and other Irish heroes that I could easily recite, and all bitterness by Britain for the Irish race dies in my heart. I can only pray that in years which I shall not see, the shame will be forgotten and the glories will endure, and that the peoples of the British Isles and of the British Commonwealth of Nations will walk together in mutual comprehension and forgiveness."

[edit] References

[edit] See also

  • Eugene Esmonde was the great-nephew of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Esmonde.

[edit] External links