John Plagis

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John Plagis
DSO, DFC and Bar
A portrait photograph of a young man in an air force uniform
Plagis circa 1942, wearing his DFC and Bar
Birth name Ioannis Agorastos Plagis
Nickname "Johnny"[1]
Born (1919-03-10)10 March 1919
Gadzema, Southern Rhodesia
Died 1974 (aged 54–55)
Rhodesia
Allegiance
Service/branch Royal Air Force
Years of service 1941–48
Rank Wing Commander
Service number 80227[2]
Unit
Commands held
Battles/wars Second World War
Awards
Other work Businessman; electoral candidate for the Rhodesian Front in 1962; director of Central African Airways

Wing Commander Ioannis Agorastos "John" Plagis,[n 1] DSO, DFC and Bar (1919–1974) was a Southern Rhodesian flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War (1939–45), most noted for his part in the defence of Malta during 1942. The son of Greek immigrants, he was the war's top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin, with 16 confirmed aerial victories, including 11 over Malta. He held a number of commands towards the end of the war and finished it as Southern Rhodesia's most decorated serviceman, having won the Distinguished Service Order and other medals.

Initially turned down by Rhodesian recruiters as he was legally a foreign national, Plagis was accepted by the RAF, officially as a Greek, after Greece joined the Allies in late 1940. Following spells with No. 65 Squadron and No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron, he flew to Malta in March 1942 as part of Operation Spotter and joined No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron. Flying Spitfire Mk Vs, Plagis was part of the multinational group of Allied pilots that successfully defended the strategically important island against numerically superior Axis forces over the next few months. Flying with No. 185 Squadron from early June, he was withdrawn to England in early July.

After about a year as an instructor in the UK, Plagis returned to action in September 1943 as commander of No. 64 Squadron, flying Spitfire Mk VCs over northern France. He took command of No. 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron in June 1944, and led many attacks on German positions during the invasion of France and the campaign that followed; he was shot down over Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, but only lightly wounded. After converting to flying Mustang IIIs, he commanded a wing based at RAF Bentwaters that supported bombing missions. He finished the war with the rank of squadron leader and remained with the RAF afterwards, commanding No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron during the occupation of Germany.

Plagis retired from the RAF as a wing commander in 1948 and returned to Southern Rhodesia, where the capital city, Salisbury, had honoured his wartime contributions by naming a street in its northern Alexandra Park neighbourhood after him; he promptly received full citizenship. He set up home at 1 John Plagis Avenue, opened a bottle store bearing his name, and was a director of a number of companies, including Central African Airways in the 1960s. He contested the Salisbury City constitutiency in the 1962 general election, running for the Rhodesian Front, but failed to win. He died in 1974, reportedly by suicide.

Early life and education

John Plagis was born on 10 March 1919 in Gadzema,[3][4] a mining village near Hartley, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) south-west of the Southern Rhodesian capital Salisbury. His parents, Agorastos and Helen Plagis, were Greek immigrants from the island of Lemnos;[5] he had five siblings.[6] Christened with the Greek name Ioannis Agorastos, Plagis used the English form of Ioannis, John, from childhood, and attended Prince Edward School in Salisbury.[4]

Second World War

Southern Rhodesia and England

Having been interested in aviation since he was a boy,[5] Plagis volunteered for the Southern Rhodesian Air Force (SRAF) soon after the outbreak of war in September 1939, but was turned down as despite having lived in Rhodesia all his life, he lacked British citizenship, being the son of foreign nationals. After Italy invaded Greece in late October 1940, bringing the Greeks into the war on the Allied side, Plagis applied again—this time to join the Royal Air Force, which had absorbed the SRAF in April 1940—and was accepted.[7] Training first in Southern Rhodesia, then England, Plagis passed out with the rank of flight sergeant in June 1941 with above-average ratings in all of his flying assessments.[1][7]

Though he was officially in the RAF as a Greek, Plagis considered himself a Rhodesian flyer and wore shoulder flashes on his uniform denoting him as such.[8] He named each aircraft he piloted during the war after his sister Kay,[3] and painted that name on the side of each cockpit.[9] After briefly flying Spitfires with No. 65 Squadron RAF, Plagis joined No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron, an almost all-Rhodesian Spitfire unit, on 19 July 1941.[10] He served in the UK for about half a year (during which he was commissioned as a pilot officer), before he was posted to the Mediterranean theatre in January 1942.[1]

Malta

An aircraft carrier loaded with fighter aircraft. Another ship follows.
HMS Eagle (left) and HMS Malaya during Operation Spotter, the first of 13 reinforcements of Malta with Spitfires and pilots, on 7 March 1942. Plagis flew one of the Spitfires from Eagle.

Plagis's first major operation was Operation Spotter, the first of many British endeavours to reinforce the besieged island of Malta, of vital strategic importance, in the face of German and Italian assaults during the Battle of the Mediterranean. With the defence of Malta looking increasingly precarious at this time, Spotter was a plan to strengthen the British garrison there with 16 new Spitfire Mk Vs, which would be carried part of the way from Gibraltar on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, escorted by the battleship HMS Malaya, then flown to Malta; the pilots would then become part of the severely depleted No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron. The team of pilots comprised eight British airmen, four Australians, two New Zealanders and two Southern Rhodesians—Plagis and his close friend Pilot Officer Doug Leggo.[11]

The operation, carried out on 7 March 1942, was largely successful, with 15 of the 16 Spitfires reaching Malta; the 16th aircraft was found to be faulty just before take-off time, so it was left behind along with its pilot, Australian Flight Sergeant Jack Yarro.[12] Plagis and Leggo arrived to find a third Rhodesian, Flight Officer George "Buck" Buchanan, already attached to the squadron.[13] A further delivery of 16 Spitfires, Operation Picket I, was attempted on 21 March, but this was less successful; only nine of the planes arrived.[12] Thirteen of these Spitfire reinforcement operations were ultimately launched between March and October 1942, playing a key role in the siege.[14] The Luftwaffe and the Italian Regia Aeronautica meanwhile attempted to bomb Malta into submission, turning the airfields into "a wilderness of craters, the docks ... a shambles, Valletta a mass of broken limestone ..."[15]

The Luftwaffe launched a major attack against key Maltese airfields at dawn on 20 March. Leggo, who had not slept for over 24 hours, returned to the airfield in the early hours having spent the night with a girl, drinking. With the German planes approaching he was ordered to prepare to fly. Plagis attempted to stop his friend from going, but Leggo insisted on flying, and took off at 08:05 as part of a group of four Spitfires and 12 Hurricanes aiming to intercept a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 109s. He was soon seen to be flying poorly. A German pilot noticed this and attacked Leggo from close range, seriously damaging his aircraft and forcing him to bale out. Another Bf 109 then swooped and either fired at Leggo or collapsed his parachute with its slipstream, causing him to fall to his death. When Plagis learned what had happened, he was inconsolable, holding himself responsible.[13] In his journal, he vowed to "shoot down ten for Doug—I will too, if it takes me a lifetime".[16]

A young man in a Royal Air Force uniform; a tag marked "RHODESIA" is prominent on his shoulder
Plagis in July 1942

Plagis shot down his first enemy aircraft on 25 March, and on 1 April won four more aerial victories in a single afternoon, thereby becoming the Siege of Malta's first Spitfire ace.[1] His downing of four enemies in a few hours won him much praise from superiors and reporters, and contributed to his growing reputation as an aggressive but skilful combat pilot.[3] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 1 May 1942, the citation noting that he had "destroyed 4 and probably destroyed a further 3 hostile aircraft". "With complete indifference to odds against him, he presses home his attacks with skill and courage," it continued—"He has set an outstanding example."[17]

On 11 May, Plagis attempted to down an Italian Reggiane Re.2001 by flying straight at it to ram it; taking erratic evasive manouevres, the Italian aircraft stalled and almost crashed into the sea. Thinking he had downed the enemy, Plagis claimed afterwards to have won an aerial victory without firing a shot,[18] but the Italian flight actually reported no losses. Plagis's Spitfire was lightly hit during this engagement, and the Rhodesian had some luck returning safely; he landed with only three gallons (14 litres) of fuel left.[19] On 16 May, Plagis and an English ace, Pilot Officer Peter Nash, together destroyed a Bf 109 for a shared kill that was No. 249 Squadron's 100th aerial victory over Malta.[20] Amid the continuing siege, the need for a major supply convoy to Malta was becoming urgent; the colonial Governor Lord Gort warned Britain in early June that if no supplies came by August, he would have to surrender to prevent a famine.[21]

Plagis was promoted in the field to flight lieutenant on 4 June 1942 and transferred to No. 185 Squadron to command "B" Flight. He shot down two Re.2001s two days later to bring his kill count to ten (thereby fulfilling his pledge following Leggo's death), and destroyed a Bf 109 on 7 June.[1] A month later, he received a Bar to his DFC, having been adjudged to have shown "exceptional skill and gallantry in combat ... Undeterred by superior numbers of attacking aircraft, he presses home his attacks with great determination."[22] Plagis left Malta when his tour expired on 7 July 1942, flying first to Gibraltar, then the UK.[1] The British finally got vital supplies to Malta on 15 August with Operation Pedestal (known in Malta as the "Santa Marija Convoy"), a great strategic success for the Allies that is often cited by naval historians as a turning point in the siege and the whole war.[23]

England, Normandy and the Netherlands

Two men in air force uniforms stand in front of a fighter aircraft
Plagis (left) at RAF Hornchurch in Essex as commander of No. 64 Squadron, circa 1943

On arriving in England, Plagis was found to be suffering from malnutrition, scabies and physical and mental fatigue. He briefly convalesced in a nursing home,[24] then spent about a year as an instructor in England.[1] During this time he was officially promoted to flying officer on 1 October 1942.[25] He returned to action in September 1943, when he was appointed commanding officer of No. 64 Squadron, then flying Spitfire Mk VCs over northern France from RAF Coltishall in Norfolk. Plagis downed a Bf 109 over France on 24 September 1943, then a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 on 23 November,[7] and formally received the rank of flight lieutenant on 8 December 1943.[26]

At the start of June 1944, Plagis was put in command of No. 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron, a unit flying Spitfire Mk IXs that had been recently moved from Malta to assist in the invasion of Normandy. Six of the squadron's planes had been purchased by the Persian Gulf Spitfire Fund, and duly named after the donating sheikdoms; Plagis's aircraft, which he chose because of the large letter "K" on its tail (echoing his sister's name), had "Muscat" painted in English and Arabic script on its side. He added to this his usual personal decorations.[27]

Leading No. 126 Squadron on raids into Normandy during the Allied invasion, Plagis also took part in many of the attacks on German positions in northern France and the Low Countries that followed over the next few months.[1] He was shot down over Arnhem in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, but suffered only minor injuries and quickly returned to action.[6] He received the Distinguished Service Order on 3 November for having "participated in very many sorties during which much damage has been inflicted on  ... [German] shipping, radio stations, oil storage tanks, power plants and other installations".[28] The citation particularly stressed an engagement in which a small group of Allied fighters led by Plagis had taken on a far superior force of enemy aircraft and shot down five of them, Plagis himself downing two. Plagis was called "a brave and resourceful leader whose example has proved a rare source of inspiration".[28]

Plagis converted to Mustang IIIs along with the rest of his squadron at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk during December 1944 and January 1945, and spent the rest of the war flying bomber escort missions at the head of Bentwaters Wing, which included No. 126 Squadron.[1][29] Leading the wing despite being two ranks below wing commander, he was officially promoted to squadron leader on 28 March,[30] and retained this rank when Germany surrendered on 7 May 1945, ending the war in Europe.[31]

Plagis ended the war with a tally of 16 enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed (including two shared victories counted as half a kill each), two shared probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged.[27] This made him Southern Rhodesia's highest scoring ace of the war,[32] as well as the top-scoring ace of Greek origin.[33] He had furthermore received more decorations during the hostilities than any other Southern Rhodesian serviceman.[34]

Post-war service and later life

Plagis stayed with the RAF following the war and commanded No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron during the occupation of Germany.[31] He was awarded the Airman's Cross by the government of the Netherlands in October 1946.[35] In 1948 he retired (with the rank of wing commander) and returned home to Rhodesia,[6] where he was promptly given full citizenship.[8] A street in the north Salisbury suburb of Alexandra Park had been named after Plagis in recognition of his wartime contributions, and the Rhodesian ace soon moved into the house at the end of the road, 1 John Plagis Avenue.[34] Widely regarded as the colony's finest flyer of the war (as well as the most famous),[3] he married in 1954 and had three sons and a daughter.[4]

Plagis set up and ran a bottle store bearing his name in Salisbury,[34] and was involved in a number of businesses during the next three decades, serving as a director on several company boards, perhaps most prominently that of Central African Airways from 1963 to 1968.[4] He joined the Rhodesian Front on its formation in 1962, and ran for it in Salisbury City in that year's general election, losing to the United Federal Party's John Roger Nicholson by 631 votes to 501.[36] According to a report published by the Zimbabwe African National Union in 1969, Plagis was by then working in the office of the Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith (himself a former Spitfire pilot), with responsibility for the premier's written correspondence.[37]

In later life, Plagis became a close friend of the British ace Douglas Bader, a prominent supporter of Rhodesia's stand regarding its Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965 who often associated with him and Smith.[38][39] Plagis died in 1974, aged 54 or 55;[40] according to Lauren St John, an author from Gadzema, he had committed suicide, having never truly readjusted to civilian life.[6]

Notes and references

Footnote
  1. ↑ Greek: Ιωάννης Αγοραστός "Γιάννης" Πλαγής
References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Nichols 2008, p. 92.
  2. ↑ Salt 2001, p. 263.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Government of Southern Rhodesia 1945, pp. 38–42.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Who's Who of Southern Africa 1973, p. 1230.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Charousis 2010, p. 115.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 St John 2008, p. 145.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Shores & Williams 1966, p. 247.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nichols 2008, p. 20.
  9. ↑ Price 2004, p. 41.
  10. ↑ Salt 2001, p. 93.
  11. ↑ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 109.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Nichols 2008, p. 15.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Nichols 2008, pp. 19–20.
  14. ↑ Nichols 2008, p. 50.
  15. ↑ O'Hara 2012, p. 54.
  16. ↑ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 130.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35542. pp. 1903–1904. 1 May 1942. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  18. ↑ Nichols 2008, p. 35.
  19. ↑ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 260.
  20. ↑ Nichols 2008, p. 90.
  21. ↑ O'Hara 2012, p. 57.
  22. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35621. pp. 2979–2980. 7 July 1942. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  23. ↑ Latimer 2002, p. 87.
  24. ↑ Nichols 2008, p. 52.
  25. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35819. pp. 5395–5396. 11 December 1942. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  26. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36280. pp. 5383–5384. 10 December 1943. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Price 2004, p. 52.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36777. pp. 5034–5035. 3 November 1944. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  29. ↑ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 657.
  30. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37074. pp. 2483–2484. 11 May 1945. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 King 1947.
  32. ↑ Shores & Williams 1966, p. 73.
  33. ↑ Charousis 2010, p. 117.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Parker 1972, p. 104.
  35. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37758. pp. 5079–5080. 15 October 1946. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  36. ↑ Willson 1963, p. 202.
  37. ↑ ZANU 1969, p. 29.
  38. ↑ Francis 2008, p. 193.
  39. ↑ Lucas 1981, p. 262.
  40. ↑ Charousis 2010, p. 118.
Journal articles
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