|
 |
Albert
Ball
|
| Country: |
United Kingdom |
| Born: |
14 August 1896 |
| Place of Birth: |
Nottingham |
| Deceased: |
07 May 1917 |
| Rank: |
Captain |
| Service: |
Royal Flying Corps |
| Units: |
8, 11, 13, 56, 60 |
| Victories: |
44 |
|
|
| Ball was the first British ace
idolized by the public. An engineering student
when the war began, he joined the Sherwood Foresters
before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps
in 1915. Described as an " introspective
little chap," Ball was a loner with strong
religious convictions who soon established a
reputation as a fearless pilot and excellent
marksman. On 22 August 1916, he scored his 11th
victory when he shot down Wilhelm Cymera's two-seater.
In just three months over the Somme, he scored
his first 30 victories. With the introduction
of the S.E.5, he reluctantly gave up his Nieuport
17. Flying the new scout, Ball's flight encountered
Jasta 11 on the evening of 7 May 1917 and Ball
was last seen by Cyril Crowe entering an extremely
dark thundercloud. In the confusion that followed,
Ball and Lothar von Richthofen both crashed.
Ball was killed but the German ace survived.
Officially listed as missing in action, it was
several years before the details of Albert Ball's
death were known. Although Germany officially
credited Lothar von Richthofen with downing Britain's
leading ace, there was little or no evidence
to substantiate the claim. Moments before he
crashed, Leutnant Hailer, a German officer on
the ground, witnessed Ball's undamaged aircraft
emerge alone from the clouds, 200 feet above
the ground in an inverted position with a dead
prop. Ball's death greatly disheartened the entire
Royal Flying Corps. |
|
|
|
|
