Alan McLeod, RFC (and from Canadiastan too!)

[BanzaiCat]

This is a pretty crazy story about a Canadian pilot in World War One:

http://www.constable.ca/caah/mcleod.htm

He wanted to fly in the worst way and was continuously denied due to his age, but finally when he turned of age he enrolled and was a natural. Instead of fighters, though, he was sent to bombers as his CO thought he was too young for fighter combat (bombers often suffered a worse attrition rate).

That might not sound all that interesting, but it's what this guy did with his bomber, an Armstrong-Whitworth AK-8. He basically treated it like a fighter and hardly shied from engaging enemy fighters:

He and gunner Lt. Comber, became famous on the front. Under attack by three Fokker Dr.I triplanes, Comber kept them off until they made it over the lines to Allied territory. The Fokkers peeled off, not willing to chase them into British airspace. McLeod seeing they had dismissed the Ack-W as lost to them, wheeled around in a wide circle and made for the nearest Hun aircraft. He managed to sneak up on the German, who wasn't expecting such audacious behaviour from a bomber, and fired when the pilot filled his gun site. The Dr.I reared up, stalled and fell over onto a wing and dropped to the ground. He was awarded a "Destroyed" victory only after a British balloon observer corroberated his story. No one would believe him or Comber, bombers just did not shoot down enemy fighters.

Unfortunately he died before the war ended, but not from enemy action. More at the link above.

[Martok]

Cool story, BC!  Thanks for sharing. 



...Is it just me, or does Canuckistan seem to produce a disproportionate number of badass mo-fos?