To Become an Ace

To Become An Ace Let’s Start Counting In AfricaInterviewer: How many air planes did you shoot down? Oh, I was afraid you wouldn’t ask! Well, let’s say that on my first op out there, I’m flying out of a base near Tubruq, doing a bomber escort over Martuba, an enemy fighter field, I shot down my first 109. That was my first trip. And they...I managed to get a few after that and at the end of that campaign, we were talking about in Tunisia, the wing was going out to do the patrol and was led by the wing commander and he called up to say his air plane was unserviceable and would I lead it, you see, I was going along as his number 2. So I led the whole wing out there, which puts me in the front of the spear head, see. When we arrive in the bay and I see all these things burning on the water, and I thought it was all over and finally, just in front of me is a big transport, the 6-engine, and all I have to do is turn a little bit and fire. And it just broke up like a stack of cards and fell in the ocean. And that happened to be the last one that was in that group. So that’s the first and the last. In between, I did about 200 missions, operational missions, and the score, I had at that time was I had 15 air craft destroyed and about 8 probably destroyed and a whole bunch damaged, enemy, plus bombing and strafing.Then there was Italy and France...Interviewer: How many operations at that time, Mr. Edwards, had you completed? About 360. No more than..a little more than that. 370. Interviewer: And a normal tour of duty would be how many? Well, the reason it used to be 200 hours and a Spitfire, that could be...I did 250 trips to do 200 hours in a Kittyhawk Spitfire. My first tour was 250 trips and then I flew more than 80 in Italy and then a whole bunch more in England, and then I came home. But they had found me at...in London. You see, they didn’t know everything that was going on but they tried to catch up. Interviewer: By the time they caught up with you, Mr. Edwards, how many planes had you shot down in all? I had 19, confirmed.Interviewer: And how many probables? I think it was...I was still going with...maybe it was 12, but I think I was still going with the 8, and some more damaged. And not everybody is aggressive enough to do it. You had to be a certain type. You can’t tell from looking at a person. I found that out. You couldn’t tell anything from how brave he would be or how good he’ll be. He had to do it and you had to operate with him and then it came out. Sometimes the quietest ones and the smallest ones were the ones that came to the top. They were very strong characters and this doesn’t always show. It very seldom shows. They were in a way professionals in things that they did, even if it was drinking. And they were very loyal, both to themselves and to their friends. That sort of thing. You had to... And they were strong people like you look at them as a rod that you can’t bend, you know. Only if he wants to bend or should be bent.