Gerald Stapleton
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Basil Gerald Stapleton | |
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Second World War
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Awards | BOAC pilot |
Basil Gerald "Stapme" Stapleton,
Early life
Born on 12 May 1920 in
Military career
In January 1939 he signed up for a short service commission with the RAF, and following pilot training, and after a short period flying Blenheim night fighters, he was transferred to No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron at RAF Montrose, Scotland, in October 1939.
In the early months of the war, Scotland endured many German bomber raids mainly targeting the shipyards of the Clyde. On 16 October 1939, Stapleton's squadron intercepted the first German air raid on the British Isles, during which the first enemy aircraft of the Second World War were shot down. During this raid Stapleton shared two German bombers shot down in the estuary of the Firth of Forth.[4]
Battle of Britain
For the first period of the Battle of Britain, 603 Squadron remained in Scotland. On 27 August 1940, 603 were sent south to join 11 Group based at RAF Hornchurch in Essex. This was during the critical phase of the battle, when the fighter airfields were being attacked. Pilot attrition was high, as 603 found out the next day.
Stapleton recalled:
603 Squadron arrived at Hornchurch from Scotland on 27 August and were embroiled in the action the very next day, losing three pilots killed.
Flight Lieutenant Laurie Cunningham died when we were bounced by 109s whilst still trying to gain a height advantage. Macdonald was on his first patrol and had only fifteen hours on Spitfires while Laurie Cunningham was experienced with over 160 hours. Neither knew what hit them. On our last patrol of the day we were bounced again and Pilot Officer Noel Benson was shot down. Almost certainly killed instantly by cannon fire, 'Broody' had over 160 hours on type. He had been so eager to get at the Germans but never had the chance. Experience didn't really count for much when you were bounced.[citation needed]
To avoid it happening again, the CO, Squadron Leader 'Uncle' George Denholm, employed a system of climbing on a reciprocal heading to that given by the controllers after take-off. Only when he believed they had gained sufficient altitude did they turn onto the heading given by the controllers towards the enemy but still the losses mounted.
The loss of
ground crew chaps had a bad time of it when Hornchurch was bombed. Four of them were killed adding to the toll. With no time to grieve we just got on with our job. We had to, we were fighting for our lives, our freedom and that of the country. Despite the casualties, today, when I look back, I recall we also had great fun. It was an exciting time and we made the most of our opportunities to live it up. We tended to treat each occasion as if it were our last[citation needed]
No. 603 Squadron lost 13 pilots during the summer of 1940 with many more seriously injured, most of whom were good friends of Stapleton. These included Richard Hillary on 3 September, who was shot down, badly burned and wrote his book during recovery, and on 5 September one of the flight commanders, Flight Lieutenant Fred 'Rusty' Rushmer, who was killed. But it was not all bad news as Stapleton, 603 and the RAF were scoring kills and inflicting heavy losses on the Luftwaffe.
During the same patrol in which Rusty lost his life, I managed to shoot down a Messerschmitt 109 which, unlike my first attack, was possible to confirm. During my dive from altitude I spotted a Spitfire at about 6,000 feet diving vertically, half inverted, towards the ground, its tail shot away. I then spotted a lone 109 in the same airspace as an RAF pilot descending by parachute. I latched onto the German and pursued him at low-level over the Kent countryside. As I fired short bursts he attempted to shake me off but I could see my tracer striking his aircraft and I closed in. I remember at one stage being concerned that there was a village in my line of fire. He had nowhere to go but down and eventually force-landed in a field. I flew low over the site. The German was soon apprehended, initially by the unarmed cook from the local searchlight battery![citation needed]
A short time after the war Stapleton learned that the pilot was Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, whose exploits were made famous in the book and film The One That Got Away, the only German pilot PoW to escape captivity (from Canada) during World War II and return to Germany. On 7 September the Luftwaffe changed tactics and began bombing British cities. On that day, Stapleton was shot down,
I was fortunate in many ways not least of which I was never wounded and only shot down once when, on 7 September, my Spitfire was hit in combat with 109s. Having escaped the melée I managed to nurse my damaged aircraft back over the
pub. What a contrast to the aerial combat in which we had been fighting for our lives just a short time before![citation needed]
Gerald was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 15 November 1940 and in December the unit returned to Scotland.
Other duties
Stapleton left 603 Squadron in April 1941 and served in various units, including flying 'Hurricats' (
Operation Market Garden
No. 247 Squadron provided aerial support throughout the Arnhem campaign during Operation Market Garden.
It was a particularly intense period, moving from one makeshift airfield to another, carrying out regular ground-attack operations in support of the ground troops. Living conditions were very basic and we lived in tents most of the time when conditions were dependent on the weather. Nevertheless, we made the most of it and the spirit was good. On that note, not only did we drink the local
hurricane lamps! During this period we lost a lot of good pilots. Attacking the Germans at low-level meant no margin for error. If you were hit you had no time to bail out. German anti-aircraft fire was almost ever-present and we were particularly vulnerable when pulling up after an attack when you became a prime target for the German gunners. After firing my rockets I tended to stay low which worked to my advantage. We also saw the carnage on the ground at close quarters. There is no glamour in war.[citation needed]
In January 1946 he received notification he had been awarded the Dutch DFC for his leadership of 247 Squadron throughout Operation Market Garden, conferred by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. There was no ceremony; he received the medal in the post.[5]
Prisoner of war
On 23 December 1944 Stapleton was forced to land behind enemy lines and became a prisoner of war.
Luck finally ran out for me on 23 December 1944. As part of a force of 16 Typhoons from 247 and 137 Squadrons at
Operation Exodus.[citation needed]
Post-war
He left the RAF in April 1946 and went to work for
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 2007, for the next two seasons the Flight's Supermarine Spitfire IIa, P7350, which fought in 603 Squadron during the Battle of Britain will carry the letters XT-L, Stapleton's personal aircraft.
Biography
In 2002 an authorised biography was published (co-written by David Ross) in which Stapleton recounted his war time experiences.[6] They both also attended many commemorative functions. Ross also wrote a biography of Richard Hillary.
See also
- List of World War II aces from South Africa
- Non-British personnel in the RAF during the Battle of Britain
References
- ^ 'Aces High, Shores and Williams, (Grub Street 1994), page 564
- ^ "Squadron Leader 'Stapme' Stapleton". The Daily Telegraph. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ^ "Squadron Leader 'Stapme' Stapleton—Squadron Leader 'Stapme' Stapleton, who has died aged 89, was one of the outstanding RAF fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain". The Daily Telegraph. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Obituary: 'Stapme' Stapleton DFC, RAF pilot during Second World War". The Scotsman. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- TracesOfWar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- ISBN 1-902304-98-5Pub: Grub Street Publishing, London (22 Jul 2002)
External links
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – foreword written by Stapleton with some biography and photos.