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On June 18, 1916, Max Immelmann, a famous German ace known as the “Eagle of Lilleâ€, met his end in aerial combat. His final flight was over the village of Sallaumines in the Arras Sector, northern France. The Royal Flying Corps awarded the victory to Second Lt. George R. McCubbin, who received both the the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Service Medal for his work.
There are three versions of events that are often told. The first is that Immelmann’s guns shot off his own propeller, causing his Fokker Eindecker E.III to shake itself to pieces in midair.
The second claim is that Immelmann was shot down by McCubbin’s fire at the very top of his trademark maneuver, the Immelmann Turn, which is today well-known as a half-loop with a half-roll at the top to return the attacking plane upright.
A third version persists in some circles, that Immelmann was killed by ground fire, though few still adhere to that theory.
All of these explanations are wrong, in fact the First, Lt. McCubbin himself never fired a single shot in the fight — though his observer did, so the victory should be credited where credit is due.
In the wake of Immelmann’s loss, the Germans dispatched investigators to determine how their most brilliant ace of aces could have been shot down. Anthony Fokker himself examined the wreckage. Aided by propaganda, rumors abounded that Immelmann’s aircraft had been shot down by ground fire from the German army itself, rather than as a result of enemy action. Others claimed that by his own firing at the British aircraft, he had shot off his propeller, causing his own plane to crash. Few on the German side were willing to admit that the British had prevailed and shot Immelmann from the skies. Anthony Fokker declared that Immelmann’s plane had been hit by friendly fire, thus crediting the loss to the expertise of the German Army’s own.
The evidence points clearly that Second Lt. G.R. McCubbin’s gunner, Corporal J. H. Waller, did fire off his one shot at Immelmann’s Eindecker E.III and score the victory. Perhaps Corporal Waller’s fire struck the Eindecker’s prop and sheered it away, as Waller later recalled. Perhaps his fire also struck critical parts of the air frame, causing the fuselage to fail and tear away. Perhaps his bullets struck Immelmann, wounding him and knocking him unconscious.
There was no evidence that Immelmann’s plane was shot down by ground fire. The combat was a 6,000 feet of altitude — it would only have been heavy anti-aircraft guns that could have reached that high.
As for Cpl. Waller, whose aim had brought down one of the Germany’s top aces, he would watch as the pilot, Second Lt. McCubbin, was awarded with two medals for his flying. Waller would receive his sergeant’s stripes as a thank you. Shortly afterward, correcting the wrong, the RFC awarded him the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
There are three versions of events that are often told. The first is that Immelmann’s guns shot off his own propeller, causing his Fokker Eindecker E.III to shake itself to pieces in midair.
The second claim is that Immelmann was shot down by McCubbin’s fire at the very top of his trademark maneuver, the Immelmann Turn, which is today well-known as a half-loop with a half-roll at the top to return the attacking plane upright.
A third version persists in some circles, that Immelmann was killed by ground fire, though few still adhere to that theory.
All of these explanations are wrong, in fact the First, Lt. McCubbin himself never fired a single shot in the fight — though his observer did, so the victory should be credited where credit is due.
In the wake of Immelmann’s loss, the Germans dispatched investigators to determine how their most brilliant ace of aces could have been shot down. Anthony Fokker himself examined the wreckage. Aided by propaganda, rumors abounded that Immelmann’s aircraft had been shot down by ground fire from the German army itself, rather than as a result of enemy action. Others claimed that by his own firing at the British aircraft, he had shot off his propeller, causing his own plane to crash. Few on the German side were willing to admit that the British had prevailed and shot Immelmann from the skies. Anthony Fokker declared that Immelmann’s plane had been hit by friendly fire, thus crediting the loss to the expertise of the German Army’s own.
The evidence points clearly that Second Lt. G.R. McCubbin’s gunner, Corporal J. H. Waller, did fire off his one shot at Immelmann’s Eindecker E.III and score the victory. Perhaps Corporal Waller’s fire struck the Eindecker’s prop and sheered it away, as Waller later recalled. Perhaps his fire also struck critical parts of the air frame, causing the fuselage to fail and tear away. Perhaps his bullets struck Immelmann, wounding him and knocking him unconscious.
There was no evidence that Immelmann’s plane was shot down by ground fire. The combat was a 6,000 feet of altitude — it would only have been heavy anti-aircraft guns that could have reached that high.
As for Cpl. Waller, whose aim had brought down one of the Germany’s top aces, he would watch as the pilot, Second Lt. McCubbin, was awarded with two medals for his flying. Waller would receive his sergeant’s stripes as a thank you. Shortly afterward, correcting the wrong, the RFC awarded him the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
From:
fly.historicwings.com
apw.airwar1.org.uk
