The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

one of the Messerschmitts, Tony closed in upon it but it then turned into a
tight circle. Following him, Tony could see the German pilot crouched in
his cockpit, looking back at him. With the enemy fighter filling his
gunsight, Tony pressed down on the firing button and felt the Spitfire
shudder as his eight Browning machine-guns began spitting bullets. They
were hitting the fuselage and tail-plane of the 109 but then bullets were
thumping into his own aircraft and another 109 flashed past. He had
forgotten Paddy’s warning.
Now his flight commander swung in front of him, opening fire on the
109 still in front. Bits of the Messerschmitt’s wings flew off and then the
pilot flick-rolled his plane and dropped out. Tony was close enough to see
the German pilot’s helmet fly off, and his face and billowing blond hair. ‘He
didn’t pull the rip cord,’ noted Tony. By now low on fuel, he radioed to
Paddy that he was turning for home when he suddenly saw one of their own
Spitfires blazing earthwards.
Also embroiled in this first dogfight was Pilot Officer Allan Wright.
Tony may have been a gregarious extrovert, but Allan was a quieter, more
softly spoken young man, equally popular within the squadron, who
appreciated his gentleness and wry sense of humour. Fiercely bright, he had
won a Prize Cadetship to the RAF College at Cranwell in 1938,
commissioning with his wings the previous October. He too had got in a
long burst of fire at one of the enemy planes although he was not sure
whether he hit it or not.
He had also seen a burning Spitfire plunging to the ground but it was
not until they were safely back at Hornchurch that he learned from fellow
pilot Paul Klipsch that the stricken aircraft had been that of Pat Learmond,
his best and closest friend. No-one had seen a parachute. Still dazed by the
adrenalin of the first combat, Allan could barely take it in. In any case, all
too soon, having rearmed, refuelled and had their damaged Spitfires hastily
repaired, they were ordered to fly another patrol. This time they ran into a
larger formation of enemy aircraft – some twenty Me 110s protecting a
formation of fifteen Heinkel 111s and, above them, 109s.
Despite their being hugely outnumbered, their CO, Roger Bushell,
ordered them to attack. Paddy Green’s flight were to protect them and
defend them against the 110s while Bushell and the rest went for the
bombers. Tony Bartley managed to get on to the tail of one Me 110 that had
shark’s teeth painted under its engine cowling. The rear-gunner opened fire