(England) Ball Albert @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball
  • Albert Ball<br>Mother Harriet Albert Ball<br>Mother Harriet
    Albert Ball
    Mother Harriet
  • Albert Ball<br>Charles Shaws<br>sons Albert Ball<br>Charles Shaws<br>sons
    Albert Ball
    Charles Shaws
    sons
  • Albert Ball<br>60 Squadron<br>Royal Flying Corps<br>Sept 1916 Albert Ball<br>60 Squadron<br>Royal Flying Corps<br>Sept 1916
    Albert Ball
    60 Squadron
    Royal Flying Corps
    Sept 1916
  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball
  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball
  • SE5a cockpit SE5a cockpit
    SE5a cockpit
  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball
  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball
  • Austin-Ball A.F.B.1<br>Longbridge Works<br>1917 Austin-Ball A.F.B.1<br>Longbridge Works<br>1917
    Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
    Longbridge Works
    1917
  • Nieuport 17 - Ball - No.60 Sq Nieuport 17 - Ball - No.60 Sq
    Nieuport 17 - Ball - No.60 Sq
  • Albert Ball Albert Ball
    Albert Ball

Albert Ball

4 August 1896 - 7 May 1917

Albert Ball was an English First World War fighter pilot and recipient of the Victoria Cross. At the time of his death, he was the leading Allied ace with 44 victories and only trailed the Germans' top ace, Manfred von Richthofen. He ended up tied for 11th place with Captain J. Gilmour in the top 20 World War One pilots in the British Empire.

Biography

Born in Lenton, Nottingham, the son of a successful businessman, Ball was educated at The King's School, Grantham, Nottingham High School and Trent College. He was expelled from the High School but then went on to Trent College where he showed only average scholastic ability, but displayed a natural curiosity for mechanical things. Ball joined the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) at the start of the First World War. While in England, he took private flying lessons at Hendon where his interests in engineering and reclusion found a natural outlet. He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915 and trained at Norwich, but was then sent to the RFC Central Flying School where he was awarded his wings on 26 January 1916. He was sent to France three weeks later, to No. 13 Squadron RFC, flying the B.E.2c. On occasion, he managed to pilot the squadron's single seat Bristol Scout, finding the freedom of independent operations far more to his liking. His aggressive fighting spirit was actively encouraged by his commanding officer. In May 1916, he was posted to 11 Squadron, flying a mix of F.E.2bs and Nieuport 11 single-seater biplanes.

Transferring with part of 11 Squadron to No. 60 Squadron RFC in August (and now flying the improved Nieuport 17), the rest of 1916 saw Ball make steady claims for German aircraft shot down. Ball primarily fought as a 'lone-wolf', carefully stalking his prey from below until he was close enough to pull down his top-wing mounted Lewis gun on its Foster mounting and fire upwards into the belly of the enemy's fuselage.

On the ground Ball was very much a loner, too, preferring to live in his own hut away from the other squadron members. He spent his off-duty hours tending his small allotment garden and practicing the violin.

He was awarded his first decoration, the Military Cross, on 27 June 1916. By October, Ball had become the first person in the British Army to be awarded a DSO with two bars. By mid-October, Ball was sent to England for a well-earned rest. Now a reticent national hero with a reputation as a fearless pilot and first-class marksman, the young aviator had destroyed 13 aircraft (including one balloon), sent one aircraft 'down out of control' and forced a further 19 to land. He then became flight commander in the newly formed No. 56 Squadron RFC, which was the first unit equipped with the new S.E.5 scout. Ball considered the aircraft under-developed, and was allowed to retain a Nieuport 17 for his own use when the squadron went to France in April 1917. His custom S.E.5 was - on his orders - extensively modified, with both the cockpit 'greenhouse' and Vickers machine gun removed and the windscreen lowered to improve speed and performance. Ball's aircraft was easy to recognise, as he had a red propeller boss from an LVG he had shot down fitted to his aircraft.

Victoria Cross

He was 20 years old and a brevet captain when he performed the deeds for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, on 8 June 1917.

Public Citations & Awards

Military Cross (MC)

"2nd Lt. Albert Ball, 7th Bn. Notts. & Derby. R., T.F., and R.F.C. For conspicuous skill and gallantry on many occasions, notably when, after failing to destroy an enemy kite balloon with bombs, he returned for a fresh supply, went back and brought it down in flames. He has done great execution among enemy aeroplanes. On one occasion he attacked six in one flight, forced down two and drove the others off. This occurred several miles over the enemy's lines."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 27 July 1916.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

"2nd Lt. (temp. Lt.) Albert Ball, M.C., Notts. & Derby. R. and R.F.C. For conspicuous gallantry and skill. Observing seven enemy machines in formation, he immediately attacked one of them and shot it down at 15 yards range. The remaining machines retired. Immediately afterwards, seeing five more hostile machines, he attacked one at about 10 yards range and shot it down, flames coming out of the fuselage. He then attacked another of the machines, which had been firing at him, and shot it down into a village, when it landed on the top of a house. He then went to the nearest aerodrome for more ammunition, and, returning, attacked three more machines, causing them to dive under control. Being then short of petrol he came home. His own machine was badly shot about in these fights."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 26 September 1916.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar

"Lt. Albert Ball, D.S.O., Notts. & Derby R. and R.F.C. For conspicuous skill and gallantry. When on escort duty to a bombing raid he saw four enemy machines in formation. He dived on to them and broke up their formation, and then shot down the nearest one, which fell on its nose. He came down to about 500 feet to make certain it was wrecked. On another occasion, observing 12 enemy machines in formation, he dived in among them, and fired a drum into the nearest machine, which went down out of control. Several more hostile machines then approached, and he fired three more drums at them, driving down another out of control. He then returned, crossing the lines at a low altitude, with his machine very much damaged."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 26 September 1916.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) 2nd Bar

"2nd Lt. (temp. Capt.) Albert Ball, D.S.O., M.C., Notts. & Derby. R. For conspicuous gallantry in action. He attacked three hostile machines and brought one down, displaying great courage and skill. He has brought down eight hostile machines in a short period, and has forced many others to land."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 25 November 1916.

Victoria Cross (VC)

"Lt. (temp. Capt.) Albert Ball, D.S.O., M.C., late Notts. and Derby. R., and R.F.C. For most conspicuous and consistent bravery from the 25th of April to the 6th of May, 1917, during which period Capt. Ball took part in twenty-six combats in the air and destroyed eleven hostile aeroplanes, drove down two out of control, and forced several others to land. In these combats Capt. Ball, flying alone, on one occasion fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he attacked an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy. Several times his aeroplane was badly damaged, once so seriously that but for the most delicate handling his machine would have collapsed, as nearly all the control wires had been shot away. On returning with a damaged machine he had always to be restrained from immediately going out on another. In all, Capt. Ball has destroyed forty-three German aeroplanes and one balloon, and has always displayed most exceptional courage, determination and skill."
Supplement to the London Gazette, 8 June 1917.

Death

On the evening of 7 May near Douai, eleven British aircraft from No. 56 Squadron RFC, including Albert Ball, encountered German fighters from Jasta 11. A running battle was fought in deteriorating visibility, and the aircraft became scattered. Both Lothar von Richthofen and Ball crashed behind German lines. Ball was killed, but von Richthofen survived and was credited by the Germans with shooting Ball down. There is however some doubt as to exactly what happened, especially as Lothar von Richthofen's victory claim was for a Sopwith Triplane rather than an S.E.5, as flown by Ball at this time (the two types are very unlikely to be confused). German propaganda of the time made great play of German aerial aces, and von Richthofen may even have been ordered to make the claim. It is just possible that Ball was not shot down at all, but became disoriented and lost control, a victim of a form of temporary vertigo that has claimed other pilots since, or that he was shot down, but by a less famous German pilot. It is unlikely we will ever know for certain. Cecil Lewis was in this fight and described it in his memoir Sagittarius Rising.

Ball's official tally of claims was 1 balloon, 27 and 1 shared aircraft destroyed, 6 'out of control', and 9 'forced to land'.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum (The Castle, Nottingham, England), and a memorial is on the north wall of Holy Trinity Church, Lenton, Nottingham.

Quotations

"Won't it be nice when all this beastly killing is over, and we can enjoy ourselves and not hurt anyone. I hate this game!"

"The S.E.5 has turned out a dud. It's a great shame, for everybody expects such a lot from them. It is a rotten machine."

(He later came to appreciate the qualities of the S.E.5 - scoring 17 victories in it.)

"I do not think anything bad about the German. He is just a poor chap with very little guts, trying to do his best. Nothing makes me feel more rotten than to see them go down."

"...He (Captain. Maybery) and Captain. Ball and Lieutenant. Rhys Davids did more harm to the morale of the German Flying Corps than any other fifteen pilots between them. They all, always, took on any odds. They were too brave and reckless."

(Reminiscence of Captain Duncan Grinnell-Milne, Commanding officer of 56th squadron RFC, upon hearing news of the death of Captain Richard Maybery.)

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Albert Ball of Wikipedia ( authors )
Albert Ball : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).