L The 1 1 to Ms RF RAF pilots prepared themselves to take off and defend British skies at a moment's
Alerted by their commander pilots of the British 601 Squadron scrambled for THE MILLIONAIRES SQUADRON their fighter planes to defend against the The 601 Squadron was nicknamed the bombing The squadron was part of the Millionaires Squadron because of the wealth Royal Auxiliary Air Force a portion of and social status of many of its members Only the RAF set up to be used during military pilots who could control themselves under difficult circumstances were permitted to join emergencies A group of young aristocrats As a test the volunteers were served alcohol had founded the squadron They had and then carefully watched by the members Any money and connections They drove inappropriate behavior would lead to a rejection expensive fast cars They played polo and During the Battle of Britain the squadron suffered heavily Of the original 20 members flew private airplanes for fun Eager to 11 lost their lives in combat 2 get into the fight they had volunteered for service at the start of World War II 1939 1945 Now they were fighting the Luftwaffe or German air force alongside regular RAF squadrons The 601 Squadron included foreigners from distant nations of the British Empire including Australia Canada and New Zealand Some even came from the United States One of the newest fliers a 29 year old who had logged only 11 combat hours in the air was Billy Fiske of Brooklyn New York FROM BOBSLEDS TO HURRICANES Billy Fiske came from a wealthy family He joined the US Olympic bobsled team at age 16 and won gold medals in 1928 and 1932 In the 1932 games as captain of the squad he proudly carried the American flag in the opening parade But he also felt right at home in England He married a wealthy Englishwoman
and joined a prestigious social club in London In August 1939 he traveled to England just before the outbreak of World War II Fiske loved all high speed contests whether in bobsleds fast cars or fast planes His skills prepared him well for the Hawker Hurricane Along with the Supermarine Spitfire it was one of two principal fighter aircraft used by the RAF Still he had no training as a military pilot Nor had he ever seen aerial combat But he had every intention of joining the RAF even though he risked a criminal charge of fighting for a foreign power He was a US citizen and the United States was still neutral in the war By the summer of 1940 many of the nations of Europe had been at war for nearly a year High above southern England German and British pilots were locked in frenzied perilous high speed air battles Inside cramped fighter cockpits pilots gripped control sticks and stomped on foot operated rudders while spinning through tight turns and plunging into sudden dives They all knew the key rule of aerial combat flying in a straight line for too long with enemy planes nearby could mean death At more than 300 miles per hour HURRICANES AND SPITFIRES The RAF Fighter Command used both Nevertheless the Hurricane was the more Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires numerous aircraft used in the Battle of but the Spitfire won most of the attention Britain Hurricanes outnumbered Spitfires by from pilots the media and historians With approximately two to one in the RAF During its high speed high altitude capabilities and the course of the entire war the Hurricane impressive agility the Spitfire matched up scored 656 kills against German bombers and well with the German Bf 109 and proved a fighters besting the 529 kills achieved by the deadly opponent for any Luftwaffe bomber Spitfire 10
Fiske became an Olympic champion in bobsledding at the age of
