Nickodell
Donation Time
The RAF's top-scoring air gunner just died, aged 87.
Wallace McIntosh flew 55 missions as a tail gunner between February 1943 and June 1944, during which he was credited with eight confirmed kills and one "probable."
To put this in perspective; the overwhelming majority of RAF rear gunners never had the opportunity of firing their guns in anger. The lucky few completed their "tour" of 30 missions (and, often, after a "rest" training new aircrews, a further tour) without encountering any enemy plane. For the majority, flying at night, they never saw the attacking fighter until it opened fire, and in their exposed position almost invariably they would be the first to die.
Perhaps one in 100, peering into the black of night, managed to spot the incoming fighter before it got in range to attack and got off an accurate burst of fire, usually without fatally damaging it but driving it off to look for a less alert victim. Maybe one tenth of these actually destroyed a fighter. McIntosh shot down eight; possibly nine, giving him arguably the record for an air gunner in all air forces in all wars.
His greatest achievement came during the D-day operation, when he was creditied with downing three German fighters during a single mission in his Lancaster bomber, June 7 1944.
For this, he received the rare accolade of a telegram of congratulations from Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command. Only three such telegrams were ever sent.
Mr. McIntosh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the RAF's highest medal for bravery. That in itself was a singular achievement. Medals for air gunners were rare indeed; most of them went to pilots and navigators and, occasionally, bombardiers. To receive three "DFs" (the DFM was awarded to enlisted ranks, the DFC to officers - McIntosh was commissioned after receiving the DFM), even as a pilot, would be amazing. Only a handful received so many.
Wallace McIntosh flew 55 missions as a tail gunner between February 1943 and June 1944, during which he was credited with eight confirmed kills and one "probable."
To put this in perspective; the overwhelming majority of RAF rear gunners never had the opportunity of firing their guns in anger. The lucky few completed their "tour" of 30 missions (and, often, after a "rest" training new aircrews, a further tour) without encountering any enemy plane. For the majority, flying at night, they never saw the attacking fighter until it opened fire, and in their exposed position almost invariably they would be the first to die.
Perhaps one in 100, peering into the black of night, managed to spot the incoming fighter before it got in range to attack and got off an accurate burst of fire, usually without fatally damaging it but driving it off to look for a less alert victim. Maybe one tenth of these actually destroyed a fighter. McIntosh shot down eight; possibly nine, giving him arguably the record for an air gunner in all air forces in all wars.
His greatest achievement came during the D-day operation, when he was creditied with downing three German fighters during a single mission in his Lancaster bomber, June 7 1944.
For this, he received the rare accolade of a telegram of congratulations from Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command. Only three such telegrams were ever sent.
Mr. McIntosh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the RAF's highest medal for bravery. That in itself was a singular achievement. Medals for air gunners were rare indeed; most of them went to pilots and navigators and, occasionally, bombardiers. To receive three "DFs" (the DFM was awarded to enlisted ranks, the DFC to officers - McIntosh was commissioned after receiving the DFM), even as a pilot, would be amazing. Only a handful received so many.