Australian Fighter Aces

The Aces

As explained in more detail in our first article, no official list is available, as the RAF and the RAAF do not recognise the system. However, the list given here has been well-checked out with a variety of sources and is as accurate as possible. Once again, the author wishes to thank the Australian War Memorial and the RAAF History Section for their counsel and help in this and many other matters covered by our series.

A glance at our list will show that nearly half were serving with the RFC/RAF, or the RNAS, and not with any Australian units. In summary, the figures are as follows:

The reason for this is that there were many more volunteers wanting to fly than the infant Australian Flying Corps could accept, particularly in the early days. On the other hand, the British were always calling for volunteers to train as pilots and many hundreds of Australians responded, and were accepted. They entered the RFC, or the RANS, and remained with those services throughout the war.

In the present series of articles, it is proposed to only cover the stories of those Australians who actually wore the uniform of the Australian Flying Corps or, subsequently, that of the Royal Australian Air Force. The names of other Australians have been included here for the record, and to provide a comparison. We should note in passing, however, that the scores of Captain R. A. Little (47), serving with the RNAS, and Major R. S. Dallas (39), serving with the RFC, remain unbeaten to this day by any other Australian.

The top ace of the Australian Flying Corps was undoubtedly Captain, A. H. Cobby, DSO DFC & 2 Bars, with a total of 29 confirmed victories. His record also remains unbeaten by any other Australian, although Group Captain C. R. Caldwell, DSO DFC & Bar, came close indeed in World War II with a score of 28 ½. Nevertheless, Cobby remains the top scoring airman of any of the Australian services, and his record is even more remarkable when it. is realised it was achieved in only 10 months of front-line service. He is the natural choice to begin our series, and his story is told below. Cobby gained all his victories while with No. 4 Squadron, and before we go on to his exploits in more detail, it might be of interest to briefly trace the history of that unit.

No. 4 Squadron

With a score of 199 enemy aircraft and 33 balloons destroyed, the No. 4 squadron was the top-scoring squadron of the Australian Flying Corps. It produced 12 aces, including the top three of the AFC, and did it all in 11 months.

The unit formed at Point Cook on October 25, 1916, and left for England on January 17, arriving there on March 17, 1917. The unit was in no way ready for operations, and the next eight months were spent in training at Castle Bromwich (near Birmingham). On December 18 the squadron aircraft (consisting of 18 Sopwith Camels) were flown to France and the unit began operating from an airfield at Bruay, in northeastern France. Their first operational patrol took place on January 4, and they shot down their first enemy aircraft on January 24.

In March, the Germans launched an offensive, forcing the Allies to retreat. The squadron was switched to continuous bombing and strafing attacks, as were most other Allied aircraft. The enemy continued to advance until the aerodrome at Bruay came under heavy artillery fire. The squadron was forced to move several times before the German advance was halted, and the squadron could resume its normal role as a fighter squadron. However, from time to time they were again used in the ground attack role.

During September, the Allies launched their own offensive, and the Germans in turn began to retreat. This time the fighting left the airfields far behind the battlefront, and the squadron once again began a series of moves, and in October, all the squadron Camels were replaced by Sopwith Pups. At this time, and despite the moves and changing over to a new type, the squadron set a new Allied record. In the last five days of October, they destroyed 30 enemy aircraft, including 11 in one day. Their total for the month was 45, and they had five more victories before the war ended on November 11.

No. 4 Squadron was chosen as the only Australian unit to take part in the Army of Occupation in Germany. They were stationed at Cologne from December until February 1919, when they ceased flying and returned to England. The unit sailed from Southampton on May 7, in company with other members of the AFC, and arrived back in Melbourne on June 16, where it was disbanded.

The squadron was reformed in June 1940 as an army cooperation squadron and took part in operations in New Guinea and Borneo. It later became a fighter squadron and continued in that role until it was again disbanded on March 7, 1948.

The Ace

Captain A. H. Cobby, DSO DFC & 2 Bars, was the top ace of the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, and his record remains unbeaten. As well as shooting down 29 enemy aircraft, he is credited with destroying 1 3 enemy balloons. He was a member of the permanent RAAF between the two world wars, except for three years with the Department of Civil Aviation. He also served with the RAAF continuously during World War 11, during which he was awarded the George Medal for conspicuous gallantry. He also received a CBE and was awarded the United States Medal of Freedom, retiring at the end of the war as an Air Commodore. He rejoined the Department of Civil Aviation where he remained until his death in 1955.

Arthur Harry Cobby was born in Prahran, Melbourne on August 26, 1894. He started work at the age of 15, and by the time World War I broke out was a young executive in the newly formed Commonwealth Bank. He had joined the militia some years before, and in 1912 received a commission in the 46th Infantry (Brighton Rifles). He immediately applied to join the AIF, but the bank refused to release him, declaring his job a reserved occupation. Despite constant pressure from him, it was not until 1916, at the age of 22, that he was finally released. He chose to join the Flying Corps because several of his friends in the Brighton Rifles had already done so, and also he felt there was a better chance that way of being released from his “exemption”. As he notes in his autobiography: “High Adventure” by A. H. Cobby, Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne, 1942 “… my decision to join the Flying Corps was not based on any strong desire to fly. ”

He was sent to Point Cook for flying training in October 1916 and became an original member of No. 4 Squadron. By the time they sailed from Melbourne none of the pilots, including Cobby, had any more than 30 minutes of actual flying instruction, and on arrival in England they all went off to a variety of flying schools. After some initial training with the RFC, Cobby went on to complete his training with an Australian squadron to wings standard. He was then sent to do a conversion course on Sopwith Camels before he returned to No. 4 Squadron, and moved with the unit to France in December.

Cobby has recorded that at that time his total flying experience, both dual and solo, was 12 hours, and this had been obtained on no less than seven different types of aircraft. Some of the other pilots had even less experience and many, including Cobby, had not even fired their guns in the air. Again, in Cobby’s own words: “We were about 100 per cent novices. ”

After some weeks of familiarisation flights over the area, and some gunnery and formation practice, Lieutenant Cobby made his first patrol on January 9, but without any contact with the enemy. This came four days later when he was one of a flight of three Camels which were “jumped” by three Albatros’. The Australian formation broke up, and one of their numbers was forced down and taken prisoner, although Cobby and the other pilot got home safely.

Then, on February 3, he made his first “kill”. He was again in a flight of three, but this time they were able to surprise three enemy two-seaters by diving on them from above. There was quite a hectic dogfight, but they shot down all three of the enemy, scoring one each, without any damage to themselves.

On March 20, Cobby himself was leading a patrol of 1 O Camels, divided into two flights, when he had his first brush with the famous Richoften Circus. He was over enemy territory, but the countryside was obscured by a heavy mist, and Cobby was not too sure of his position. He could see a line of observation balloons poking up through the mist and decided to fly along them towards home. Suddenly three red Albatros’ poked their noses through the mist, followed by a string of other aircraft, all painted red. They were flying on a course parallel to Cobby’s formation, only a little lower, and about a hundred yards away. Cobby immediately attacked, and a wild dogfight began. In a few minutes, it was all over, with the enemy disappearing again into the mist. In the meantime, the Australians had destroyed five, two of which fell to Cobby, with no casualties to themselves.

The very next day a heavy German offensive began, forcing the Allies to retire, and the squadron became heavily committed to a ground attack role. In this activity, the aircraft were continuously exposed to ground fire by everything from field guns to rifle fire, and many of their aircraft were severely damaged, although casualties were extremely low. Cobby’s main complaint was that even if they did surprise an enemy machine everyone was too close to the ground for a proper dogfight, and such engagements usually became hit-and-run affairs. However, by the end of April, the Germans had been stopped, and the squadron resumed its normal offensive air patrols. Whereas in March the squadron had scored 27 victories, there was only a total of eight for April.

On May 21, Cobby started a new sport. On that day he shot down his own – and the squadron’s – first balloon. This may seem a simple task, but it was entirely the reverse. Balloons were always an attractive but dangerous target. They were usually protected by aircraft standing patrols and surrounded by anti-aircraft artillery and nests of machine guns. At the first approach by a hostile aircraft they would be pulled down by winch. If the attacker persisted in following the balloon down – and it took a lot of shooting before it would catch fire – he would come within range of fierce ground fire. Sometimes, also a balloon basket would be filled with explosives as an added hidden danger. Shooting down a balloon was thus often more hazardous than the destruction of an enemy aircraft. However, all the pilots were soon at it, and the squadron eventually was credited with the destruction of 33, of which 13 went to Cobby.

Cobby, by this time, was regularly leading the flight and carried out three or four patrols a day. He was also one of only three pilots remaining from the original batch. On May 25 he was promoted to Captain and given command of “A” Flight. The squadron score began to rise again in May, with Cobby’s own total increasing by another four during the month. For much of May, however, the squadron was again employed in ground attacks. In fact during the month they dropped 11 tons of bombs which is quite an effort when it is considered that each Camel only carried two 25Ib bombs.

The bombing and strafing continued into June, but Cobby still managed to shoot down another nine aircraft, plus one balloon during the month. For his courage and initiative, he received his first decoration, the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation reads as follows:

“Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to confer the above award on the undermentioned officer of the Royal Air Force, in recognition of gallantry in flying operations against the enemy: Lieutenant (temporary Captain) Arthur Henry Cobby (Australian Flying Corps). He has proved himself a very gallant and successful fighter and patrol leader, setting a fine example to the squadron. Within the last few months, he has destroyed a number of enemy balloons and aeroplanes. ” Within a month he had received a bar to his DFC, and almost immediately afterwards received a second bar. The citation for this last award speaks for itself: “One evening this officer, in company with another machine, attacked five Pfalz scouts, destroying two; one fell in flames, and one broke up in the air. The officer who accompanied him brought down a third machine out of control. While engaged in this combat they were attacked from above by five tri-planes. Displaying cool judgement and brilliant flying, Captain Cobby evaded this attack, and returned to our lines in safety, both machines being undamaged. A determined and most skilful leader, who has destroyed 21 hostile machines or balloons, accounting for three machines and two balloons in four days. ”

On August 16, the squadron took part in what, up to then, was the largest bombing raid carried out by the Allied air forces in France. The objective was the enemy aerodrome at Haubourdin. There were 65 aircraft in the raid, mixed AFC and RFC, and each carried four 25lb bombs which they dropped at roof-top height. Heavy damage was done to hangars and buildings and large numbers of enemy aircraft were destroyed. The attack was led by Cobby, and all our aircraft returned safely. An identical raid with 60 aircraft was carried out the next morning against an airfield at Lomme. Again the mass attack was led by Cobby, and again there was heavy damage inflicted on the enemy. All but one of our aircraft returned safely. For his leadership and gallantry in these two raids, Cobby received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order.

On September 14, Cobby was posted back to England to be a Wing Fighting Instructor at the Australian Training Wing, leaving behind him yet another record. For the whole of the time he had been leading “A” flight, both before and after he became flight commander, not a pilot had been lost on patrol computed answer was four seconds and 0. 5 seconds, depending on the problem.

Elapsed time and ETAS can be worked out on the Avstar. We found we could not compute calibrated airspeed (CAS), heading/TAS, or Course/GS combinations; but then, according to comparative analysis charts, neither can the Navtronic, Commodore, Heathkit or Texas Instruments computers.

Matching up comparative performances in terms of accuracy, with the other types mentioned, brought Avstar out on top or at level pegging with the best …

In ordinary maths work, the Avstar has all the capability of a ground-borne calculator of similar size, and has, as mentioned, an overwrite capability, a true memory with recall, loading minus and decimal signs, input error correction and other capacities.

True, perhaps Avstar is not the computer for the professional in some cockpits or flight decks. But its price and long battery life will make Avstar a sinecure for quick and sustained sales in most pilots’ shops catering for private, commercial, charter and flight school pilots and instructors.

AADR congratulates Moorabbin Aircraft Spares for its Foresight in clinching an Australian outlet for this highly desirable device. As can be imagined, he did not take too kindly to his new job and tried all he could to be returned to France. However, the end of the war saw him still with the training wing. He admitted that he found the strain of his work there far worse than flying in France, but he did well at it and became a Grade A 1 instructor.

Still in England for the first Anzac Day march, which was held in London on April 25, 1919, Cobby led a fly-past of the AFC. The salute was taken by the then Prince of Wales outside Australia House, and Cobby got so low that he was flying along the Strand. He was unable to get out again because of the overhead wires and had to fly along the street for nearly a mile before he could climb away at Trafalgar Square. This was definitely his last flight before he sailed for home in May.

After demobilisation from the AFC, he joined the newly formed RAAF as a foundation member with the rank of Flying Officer (Honorary Flight Lieutenant). He left the RAAF in March 1936, with the rank of Wing Commander, to join the Department of Civil Aviation as Controller of Operations. Cobby was into uniform again as a Group Captain as soon as the Second World War started and was appointed Director of Recruiting for the RAAF. By August 1942 he had been promoted to the rank of Air Commodore and was posted to the North Eastern Area, based in Townsville, as the Air Officer Commanding (AOC).

In December 1943 he was returning from a tour of inspection of his area, when the Catalina in which he was a passenger, crashed on landing on the water at Townsville. One of the depth charges on board exploded, and 13 of the 19 on board were killed. Cobby survived the original crash and explosion and managed to get clear. Although injured, and knowing there was still an unexploded depth charge, he nevertheless immediately re-entered the wreck in an attempt to rescue some of the survivors still trapped inside, and managed to save two. For his outstanding heroism on this occasion, he was awarded the George Medal.

After recovering from his injuries, Cobby was posted as Commandant of the RAAF Staff School for a year before taking up his next appointment as AOC First Tactical Air Force in October 1944. This information had been set up as the mobile striking force of the RAAF. It supported the Americans in their return to the -Philippines and was most active in support of the Australian operations in Borneo. Cobby took part in the actual landing at Tarakan, establishing his advanced headquarters there in May, 1945. Shortly afterwards he returned to Australia, but the war was over before he could be settled into any new appointment.

With the end of hostilities, Cobby returned to the Department of Civil Aviation, where he held several senior appointments before becoming the Director of Flying Operations. He died in Melbourne quite suddenly on November 11, 1955. He was 61 years old.

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE, WE WILL LEAVE THE FIRST WORLD WAR FOR A WHILE AND BEGIN THE STORY OF OUR AUSTRALIAN ACES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.