Frank Glasgow Tinker

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Frank Glasgow Tinker
US Naval Academy graduation photo, 1933
BornJuly 14, 1909 (1909-07-14)
Kaplan, Louisiana
DiedJune 13, 1939(1939-06-13) (aged 29)
Little Rock, Arkansas
Allegiance United States
Republicans
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Republican Air Force
Battles/warsSpanish Civil War
Alma materUnited States Naval Academy (BS)

Frank Glasgow Tinker (July 14, 1909 – June 13, 1939) was an American volunteer fighter pilot for the Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española ("Air Forces of the Spanish Republic"; FARE), during the Spanish Civil War.

Tinker was credited officially with shooting down eight enemy aircraft and was the highest-scoring American

air ace of the war.[1] However, Tinker's logbook suggests that he claimed 19 victories, which would make him the sixth-highest scoring pilot in FARE. That relatively few of his claims were officially recognized was due to the complex system of verifying air kills used by FARE and the financial incentive paid to mercenaries: many victories were not verifiable because the downed aircraft crashed in an enemy-held area and/or an incentive would not have to be paid.[2] In addition, Tinker and other pilots from Escuadrilla La Calle ("La Calle's Squadron"), also known as 1ª Escuadrilla de Chatos (1st Chato Squadron"), shared a number of joint kills against Junkers Ju 52
bombers. He reported narrowly avoiding death at both the hands of enemy aviators and malfunctioning equipment.

He left a detailed record of his experiences as a fighter pilot for the Republicans in his memoir Some Still Live, published by Funk & Wagnalls Co in New York, 1938[3] and recently republished by The Clapton Press, London.[4]

Early years

Frank "Salty" Tinker was born in

US Naval Academy. In 1934, he was assigned to US Navy aviation and became a pilot of a reconnaissance floatplane of the USS San Francisco
cruiser. Because of problems with alcohol and brawls, he was dismissed from the Navy.

Later in 1935, Tinker joined the crew of a Standard Oil tanker running from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a third mate. By July 1936, he left his job with Standard Oil, and looked for a job as a pilot.

The I-15 Polikarpov No. 56 flown by F.G. Tinker in the 1st Sq Lacalle. He scored four victories in this aircraft. Occasionally he flew No. 58 as well.
The I-16 Polikarpov No. CM-023 flown by F.G. Tinker in the 1st Sq Moscas with which he shot down two German Bf 109Bs.

Spanish Civil War

After the start of the Spanish Civil War, Tinker offered his service to a Republican side, reportedly because of his aversion to

nom de guerre
Francisco Gómez Trejo, he went to Spain via France.

For a short time, from January 6, 1937, Tinker served in a light

Legion Condor over Teruel
.

On May 3, 1937, Tinker was assigned to 1st Escuadrilla de Moscas, commanded by the Russian, Ivan Lakyeyev, flying the faster Polikarpov I-16 "Mosca" monoplane fighters. On June 2 and June 16, he shot down another CR.32. On July 13, he became the first pilot to shoot down one of the most modern German fighters, a Messerschmitt Bf 109A, near Madrid. It was piloted by Unteroffizier Guido Honess of 2. Staffel/Jagdgruppe 88 (2./J 88), flying a Bf 109A believed to be marked 6–4. Honess, who was killed in the ensuing crash, was the first German pilot to achieve three victories with this new type of aircraft. On July 17, Tinker shot down another Bf 109A. This first version of the Bf 109 was not a "good climber" and Tinker caught it from behind while the German pilot tried to gain altitude after a dive on him – a lethal mistake according to Tinker. The scene is described in detail in his book Some Still Live. His final victory was over a Fiat CR.32 on July 18, 1937. Tinker flew his last missions on July 29, 1937, then returned to the U.S.

While in Spain, Tinker socialized with

15th International Brigade during the Battle of the Ebro
.

Later years and death

Eventually, Tinker fell victim to combat stress reaction due to the constant combat. After the war, Tinker was a guest speaker in New York on the radio program "We the People", discussing his feats in the Spanish Civil War. He wrote a number of articles including a series for the Arkansas Gazette Magazine describing his voyage from St. Charles (Arkansas County) down the White and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans with his fox terrier. Tinker also wrote a series of serial articles for The Saturday Evening Post titled "Some Still Live". These articles detailing his war experiences, were published in book form with the same name in 1938. Ernest Hemingway was notably a fan, lauding it to Maxwell Perkins. Hemingway's influence on the style is rather evident.[original research?]

However, soon after the book was published, Tinker died, a purported suicide by a gunshot to his head in a Little Rock hotel.

The reasons for his death are still controversial and may relate to the harsh treatment he received from the

Chinese Nationalist Air Force
. His signed request was found next to his death bed with an empty bottle of whiskey. On his tombstone, the local priest engraved the phrase in Spanish: ¿Quién Sabe?, meaning "Who knows?"

Arkansas Aviation Historical Society inducted Tinker into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999.[5]

On July 11, 2009, near the centennial of his birth, relatives, admirers and the Grand Prairie Historical Society participated in an observance and toast at Tinker's gravesite in DeWitt, Arkansas.[6]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0809496334
    . Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  2. ^ Andrés García La Calle, Mitos y verdades: La aviación de caza en la guerra civil española.; México: Lito Offset fersa, 1973.
  3. ISBN 0-8094-9633-X
    .
  4. ^ "Some Still Live, Frank G Tinker Jr, The Clapton Press, 2019". 9 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Frank Glasgow Tinker Jr. (1909-1939)". Arkansas Aviation Historical Society Collection. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  6. ^ "DeWitt's Hometown Aviation Hero" brochure.[permanent dead link] FrankTinkerCentennial.org 2009. Retrieved: September 28, 2009.

Bibliography

  • Edwards, John Carver (1997). Airmen Without Portfolio: U.S. Mercenaries in Civil War Spain. Westport, CT: Praeger.
    ISBN 0-275-95742-X
    .

External links
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