Valor Friday

Before World War II, aircraft designs were rapidly evolving. At the start of the 1930s, bi-planes with skin of doped fabric were still the norm. By the end of the decade, sleek, aerodynamic monoplanes with monocoque construction were flying higher, faster, and more maneuverable than ever thought possible. As the war progressed, the technology would advance even more. By the end of the conflict, jet aircraft would be nearing the speed of sound, and new designs like the AD-1 Skyraider, a single-seat attack aircraft, could carry a bomb load comparable to the B-17 Flying Fortress, a 10-crewmen heavy bomber that was state of the art at the start of the conflict.

Along the way, numerous experimental aircraft were made. Some would be successful, while others would be dead ends. One of the British’s pre- and early-war designs for interceptor fighters was the turret fighter.

Turret fighters were a unique form of fighter plane. In contrast to the more familiar fighter aircraft with its armament facing forward, turret fighters had theirs, as their name would imply, in a turret. Gun turrets saw great success on many medium and heavy bombers during the war, but only the British used them on interceptors. Probably because the turrets were mounted at the backs of the aircraft, much like the defensive gun turrets employed on dive bombers.

Once such turret fighter employed by the Brits early in the war was the Defiant, made by Boulton Paul Aircraft. During the Battle of Britain and evacuation of Dunkirk, one two-man aircrew in their Defiant would do more than their fair share of fighting.

For them, the Defiant’s unusual configuration would actually be a benefit. German pilots would see the Defiant and mistake it for the more widely fielded Hawker Hurricane, a traditionally configured fighter interceptor. As such, the Luftwaffe aviators would attack from above and behind. This was the blindspot for a Hurricane, but was perfectly in line with the aft-mounted gun turret on the Defiant.

Edward “Ted” Rowland Thorn had been born in West End, Hampshire in 1913. At home he was known as “Roland”, but by the time of his Royal Air Force service he was best known as Ted. Young Thorn had lost his father in action during the First World War, when he was only three.

In 1928, he joined the Royal Air Force. Over the next couple of years he worked his way into a non-commissioned pilot program, earning his wings (known as an aircrew brevet in British parlance).

Thorn made a career out of the service, and when the Second World War broke out in September 1939 he was flying Defiants in the No. 264 Squadron. He paired with gunner Frederick James Barker and the two would make the perfect team.

Barker was five years younger than Thorn and had joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in early 1939, being called to active duty when the war started.

During the Battle of France, the British Expeditionary Force was pushed back to Dunkirk by the German Blitz. The French Army valiantly defended their allies as the British undertook a massive evacuation of their troops. In a week the British mobilized literally every boat on the Channel coast (from warship down to motor boat, 800 in total) to get more than 330,000 men off the continent and back to Britain to fight another day.

As the evacuation was underway, RAF aircrew provided air cover to their comrades. Among them was the team of pilot Sergeant Thorn and aerial gunner Leading Aircraftman Barker in their Defiant.

On 27 May 1940 they may have shot down their first German aircraft, a Messerschmitt Bf-109. Some records do not note that kill, so it’s possible that’s an erroneous record. What’s not in doubt though is that on the 28th of May they shot down three Bf-109s.

In that engagement, three other Defiants of Thorn and Barker’s squadron had already been shot down. Taken under fire from behind by the three enemy Messerschmitts, Thorn’s skillful piloting put Barker’s four .303 machine guns on the Nazi warbirds. Barker pumped lead into the enemy, downing all three of the German air force’s best fighter plane.

The next day, 29 May, they joined No. 264 Squadron in a very successful day of combat. Arriving over Dunkirk at about 1515 hours, the two enlisted flyers shot down a Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber and a Heinkel He-111 bomber within minutes of arrival. They became air aces, having achieved five kills.

Later that day, at about 1930 hours they were flying another sortie and shot down a second Ju-87 and another He-111. On 31 May, they would shoot down two more He-111s and damage two more. Their commanding officer Flight Lieutenant Cooke would be lost in that day’s action, he was only 26 years old.

By 4 June the evacuation would be complete and all British forces pulled back to the home islands. On 12 June both Thorn and Barker would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for the Battle of France and Dunkirk. The DFM was the other ranks (non-commissioned) equivalent of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Both the DFM and DFC are comparable to the American Distinguished Flying Cross when awarded for combat gallantry. Barker also received a promotion to sergeant.

No. 264 was pulled back from duty, having suffered heavy losses during the battle. By now the Germans had learned the difference between a Defiant and a Hurricane. They also had deduced the biggest weak spot of the Defiant, a frontal attack. Because of this, the Defiant was moved to night fighting duties.

After the squadron was replenished and trained for the night fighter role they returned to action. By now, the legendary Battle of Britain was underway. At the height of the Blitz, in August 1940, No. 264 was called to return to the day fighter role.
In five days of fighting, Thorn and Barker would again be a scourge on enemy aircraft, while their comrades fell all around them. The squadron would lose three aircraft and crew on 24 August, three more on 26 August, and two more on the 28th.

On that first day of action, 24 August, Thorn and Barker shot down a Junkers Ju-88 bomber that was part of a flight of enemy aircraft that had just bombed an RAF base. On the 26th, about mid-day, they shot down two Dornier Do-17 bombers over Dover. As they went to attack a third Dornier, they were taken under fire by a Bf-109.

The superior German fighter’s attack seriously damaged the British aircraft. Despite the damage, Thorn continued to pilot the stricken plane. He dove and prepared to make an emergency landing. Their aircraft on fire, the enemy Bf-109 appeared for a second attack run.

With the help of a nearby British Hurricane fighter, Barker was able to shoot down the German fighter. With their plane burning and about to crash, the two sergeants bailed out. Suffering only minor injuries, their plane’s wreckage ended up fairly close to that of the foe they had just shot down.

With the squadron decimated and losses so high in the day fighter role, No. 264 was again placed on night duties. Both Thorn and Barker received a bar for their DFMs, which indicates a second award of the medal.

On the night of 9 into 10 April 1941, the pair shot down a German He-111. Thorn was an acting-Warrant Officer and received a commission as a pilot officer in October 1941. He was reassigned to No. 32 Squadron, which flew Hurricanes. This broke up the team of Thorn and Barker. They were the most successful Defiant aircrew of the war.

Barker remained with No. 624 for two more years before being sent to instructor duty in the Middle East. Thorn meanwhile rapidly moved up the ranks. He was a substantive flight lieutenant and acting squadron leader by the time No. 32 was providing air support of the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942.

During that battle, Thorn’s squadron (which he’d built up over the past five months) acquitted itself excellently. Thorn himself was cited for continuing to carry on his mission despite being informed that an enemy fighter was on his tail.

The Dieppe Raid had involved more than 6,000 commandos on the ground. Within ten hours half of them were dead, wounded, or prisoner. The Luftwaffe had expended maximum effort on defense of the coastal city. The Brits lost more than 100 aircraft, with a third of those falling to anti-aircraft fire. It was a decided German victory, but the Allies learned much about special operations raids.

Thorn received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his leadership in action and his individual heroism over Dieppe. The highly experienced aviator then was assigned to flight instructor duties. He received a mention in dispatches for his dedication to training young pilots. An MiD is roughly equivalent to an American Bronze Star Medal.

By 1944 Thorn was back in action. Now over Europe, as the Allies had pushed into Continental Europe. In December he received a bar to his DFC in recognition of his battlefield performance.

At the end of the war in summer 1945, Thorn was moved again to a training unit. He received a second MiD on 1 January 1946 for these duties. On 12 February 1946, Thorn was assigned to the Empire Central Flying School, which was evaluating the latest in jet fighters.

Thorn was flying a Gloster Meteor, the country’s first operational jet aircraft, when he was seen coming out of the clouds at about 400ft above ground level. The aircraft banked hard to the left, then dove into the ground, colliding with some farm buildings.

Thorn was killed instantly. He was just 32 years old and had been in the RAF for nearly 18 years. He left behind a wife of eight years. He is officially credited with 12.5 kills. He is the only man to have ever received two DFCs and two DFMs.

Barker was still in his role as an air gunnery instructor at the end of the war. He too was commissioned. He was released from active duty in 1946 as a flying officer. I can’t find what Barker did after the war, but he died in 2008.

Category: Air Force, Historical, UK and Commonwealth Awards, Valor, We Remember