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Marmaduke “Pat” Pattle
Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle was a South African-born RAF fighter pilot and one of the highest-scoring aces of World War II. Born in 1914 in Butterworth, Cape Province, Pattle was rejected by the Air Force in 1933 and instead joined the Special Service Battalion (army unit), hoping it would lead to a career in the Air Force. Seeking a faster route to becoming a pilot, he joined the RAF through the Empire’s cadet scheme in 1936, like Sailor Malan.
Pattle excelled in training and examinations and was posted to No. 80 Squadron in 1937, flying the Gloster Gladiator in ground attack sorties against Arab rebels the next year. His next taste of combat came on 4 August 1940, in the skies of Libya following Italy’s entry into World War II. He claimed a Breda Ba 65 and a Fiat CR.42 but was shot down in the process. Pattle survived the ordeal, having been rescued by the 11th Hussars. Though frustrated by the loss, he would always carry a compass after getting lost in the desert. He downed two more Fiat CR.42s before being withdrawn to re-equip with the Gladiator Mk.II after No. 80 Squadron was deployed to Athens.
Pattle achieved greater success in Greece, increasing his victory count in the Gladiator to at least 15 in under four months, the highest tally by any pilot in the aircraft. In light of these actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 11 February 1941, before the squadron was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricanes later that week. This quickly delivered results, with No. 80 Squadron claiming 27 Italian aircraft without loss in 90 minutes of air combat. Pattle himself contributed three to the tally in less than three minutes. For later action on 4 March 1941, he was awarded a Bar to his DFC, the citation reading:
“In March 1941, during an engagement over Himara, Flight Lieutenant Pattle shot down three enemy fighters. This courageous and skilful fighter pilot has now destroyed at least 23 enemy aircraft.”
On 12 March 1941, Pattle was promoted to squadron leader. The following day, the squadron returned to Eleusis, north of Athens. There, Pattle was reassigned to No. 33 Squadron. Upon arrival in Athens, he was not impressed and said:
“This is my first command. I intend to make it a successful one. You have done well in the desert, but you are not a good squadron. A good squadron looks smart. You are a scruffy-looking lot! Your flying, by my standards, is ragged. Flying discipline starts when you start to taxi and doesn’t end until you switch off your engine. In future, you will taxi in formation, take off in formation, and land in formation at all times unless your aircraft has been damaged, or in an emergency.”
The squadron, still resentful that Pattle had been given command over one of their own, watched as he took Pilot Officer Ping Newton up for dogfight practice. From the initial head-on approach, it took only moments for Pattle to maneuver onto Newton’s tail, where he remained despite Newton’s best efforts to shake him off. After landing, Pattle criticized Newton for being too smooth on the controls, stressing the need for forceful inputs in combat. He immediately started a rigorous week of drills, describing his approach to flying:
“You must be aggressive in the air but not to the extent of recklessness. Always be ready to take the initiative, but only when you have the enemy aircraft at a disadvantage. You must be ready to react instinctively in any situation and you can only do this if you are alert both physically and mentally. Good eyes and perfect coordination of hands and feet are essential. Flying an aeroplane in combat should be automatic. The mind must be free to think what to do; it must never be clouded with any thought on how it should be done.”
Pattle flew his first missions with No. 33 Squadron on 23 March, having moved to Larissa. The air war intensified with the entry of the Luftwaffe upon German intervention in Greece in April 1941, notching up over another 20 kills in less than 20 days.
Despite the squadron facing unfavorable odds with dwindling pilots, aircraft, and supplies, it still achieved victories. One such instance occurred on 6 April, when Pattle’s Hurricanes engaged eight Bf 109s, downing five without loss, with two credited to Pattle. He followed this success on 19 April, claiming six enemy aircraft in a single day, qualifying him as an “Ace in a Day.” As Allied forces began withdrawing, Pattle led the remaining RAF fighters in the region on a fateful 20 April. Though suffering from fever and visibly weakened with Tap Jones, the commander of No. 80 Squadron, noting that Pattle looked gaunt and had lost weight yet he still shot down three aircraft during a morning interception. Later, at 5 PM, upon hearing news of an air raid, he dragged himself from his sickbed, ignoring protests from his fellow pilots, and took to the skies. He narrowly avoided death as Bf 110s strafed the airfield while he made his way to his fighter.
The last fifteen Hurricanes, one even flown by future author Roald Dahl, intercepted approximately 100 bombers with fighter escorts. The full story will likely remain incomplete, but Pattle is believed to have downed a Bf 109 and a Bf 110 amid the chaos before being shot down by a pair of Bf 110s whilst covering a fellow pilot. Five Hurricanes were lost in this action, with four pilots paying the ultimate price.
Pattle’s confirmed kill tally is at least 40 aircraft, but estimates vary due to incomplete wartime records and differing post-war analyses, with figures generally considered to be between 50 and a maximum of 60. Regardless, he remains the top-scoring RAF ace of the war as well as holding the record for both the Gladiator (15) and Hurricane (35) airframes.
Decorations:
- Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) & Bar
Gallery
Pattle (sixth from the right, resting on his left elbow), with 33 Squadron c. 1941.
A crashed Fiat CR.42, North Africa circa 1940/41. Pattle claimed 14 of these aircraft—more than any other type.
No. 33 Squadron: Pattle, (6th from right), in Greece, circa 1941. Eric Joseph Woods (not William Joseph “Timber” Woods) (9th from the right).
A JG 77 Bf 109: believed to be Pattle’s 47th victim. Unteroffizier Fritz Borchert was captured.
