Courage and skill: Relative of Battle of Britain 'Top Gun' praises new RAF drone aces
A relative of one of the most iconic Spitfire pilots of the Second World War has said her great uncle would have respected and applauded RAF Regiment Gunners who achieved ace status.
Four RAF Regiment gunners have made unit history by becoming 'aces' for the first time, having each shot five or more Iranian drones out of the sky during operations in the Middle East.
Adolph Gysbert Malan from South Africa, a man more commonly known by his nickname, Sailor, from his time in the Merchant Navy, was the leading Ace of the Royal Air Force by the time his fighting career ended in 1941. Malan led No. 74 Squadron during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Dr Yvonne Malan, who is his great niece and patron and vice president of the Spitfire Society, told BFBS Forces News she welcomes the news.
"I applaud their courage and skill and I'm sure there are people who would say it's not the same. It's not the same as dogfights and all the rest of it.
"But if you consider things during the Battle of Britain, they were flying Spitfires, which is a world removed away from the planes that flew in the Great War, in the Royal Flying Corps.
"So you could say, oh, no, they're cheating flying Spitfires. Technology advances, as do the threats, and it's a new era, it's new threats and new technology to fight them."
She continued: "What hasn't changed, whatever the platform, is the courage and skill of the members of the Royal Air Force. So I think they absolutely thoroughly deserve the title of Ace, and we should all be grateful… I think Sailor would applaud them as well."
Holding the line between Good and Evil
Sailor Malan was one of the highest scoring aces during the war.
"After the war, he kept pace with developments in aviation," Dr Malan said. "I think the whole idea of drones and shooting them down would have been wild for him.
"He died in 1963. Fast jets were only in the very early days. So I think drones would have really left him gobsmacked.
"I think what he realised would not have changed is, like I said, the skill and the courage of the Royal Air Force, and he would have admired them greatly. He would have realised, like them, the fear that continues to hold the line between good and evil, and I think he would have respected that immensely."
Turn and face the attack
Sailor Malan created his own '10 rules of air fighting' which proved so popular they appeared on nearly every mess wall during the Battle of Britain.
Dr Malan said that rule number 5 in particular comes to mind in light of the announcement of the new aces, which is "always turn and face the attack".
"This is exactly what those men and women did," she said. "They were faced with a new kind of attack and they turned and faced it, and they won, and for that, we should be incredibly grateful."
By the end of the Battle of Britain, Sailor had 27 confirmed victories and 26 damaged or shared to his name. His bravery was rewarded with the Distinguished Flying Medal.
He retired in 1946 and returned to his native South Africa where he became a vocal opponent of apartheid.
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