….was a South African rejected by the South African Air Force. It seems even in those days we squandered our talent:
“Pat” Pattle was born in South Africa, rejected by the South African Air Force at the age of 18, he later journeyed to England to join the RAF in 1936 at the age of 20. Before crashing into the Mediterranean in April 1941, in just nine months of fighting in North Africa and Greece Pattle became the top RAF ace of WWII and was never bettered.
Reports and records of Pattle’s kill tally vary. At the minimum, he had 40 and that number could easily be as high as 60. Though much lower than the top German aces of WWII, this is a noteworthy achievement for less than one year of service. Three times, Pattle claimed five or more enemy craft destroyed in one day. On the day he died, he was running a fever and flew against orders.
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They don’t give kids names like that any more! The number 10 Ace was also a South Africa named Sailor Malan.