Ace in a Single Dogfight

Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

Text: Michal Krechowski

During World War II, legendary Spitfire fighter planes were flown by pilots of many nationalities. Many of them fought and achieved victories, some became flying aces during the war, a few even earned this status in a single day. However, only one pilot flying a Spitfire managed to shoot down five aircraft in a single dogfight. That pilot was Canadian F/Lt Richard Joseph "Dick" Audet.

The Spitfire with which F/Lt Audet achieved this remarkable success was an LF Mk.IXe, serial number RR201. According to the records of No. 411 Squadron RCAF, RR201 first appeared on December 26, 1944, and subsequently became the personal aircraft of F/Lt John Joseph "Jack" Boyle (credited with 5+1 victories). In honor of his daughter, Boyle had the white inscription "Sweet Sue V" painted on the left side of the fuel tank cover. The Spitfire RR201 initially flew with the codes DB-G. After Jack Boyle took command of B Flight of No. 411 Squadron RCAF in January 1945, his Spitfire was also assigned to B Flight and recoded as DB-R. However, the actual re-coding occurred in early February 1945, following Boyle's return from a two-week leave. After this period, there was an exchange of Spitfires between A and B Flights. The RR201 DB-G (reassigned as DB-R for B Flight) was swapped for the MK950 DB-R (reassigned as DB-G for A Flight). After the aircraft exchange, F/Lt Boyle flew RR201 continuously from February 6 to April 4, 1945, when his operational tour ended. During this time, he completed 36 operational flights in the cockpit of RR201 and destroyed two Bf 109s during strafing attacks on enemy airfields. Although RR201 was the personal aircraft of F/Lt Jack Boyle, its greatest achievements were made by another Canadian pilot and Boyle's friend, F/Lt Richard Joseph "Dick" Audet.

Richard Audet was born on March 13, 1922, in Lethbridge, Alberta. From a young age, he excelled in sports, particularly hockey, basketball, and baseball. As he reached adulthood, he decided to join the Air Force. He completed his basic pilot training in October 1942. After transferring to the United Kingdom, he was assigned to his first combat unit, No. 421 Squadron RCAF, on July 20, 1943. This squadron was part of the elite Kenley Wing, commanded at the time by the famous James Edgar "Johnnie" Johnson (34+7 victories).

F/Lt Richard Joseph "Dick" Audet. (DND PL 41192)

F/Lt John Joseph "Jack" Boyle in his Spitfire Mk.IXe RR201 "Sweet Sue V". (Jack Boyle, Spitfire: The Canadians VOL.1, courtesy of Andy McNiece)

The commander of No. 421 Squadron RCAF was S/Ldr Robert W. McNair, an ace from the battles over Malta with 16 victories, and the squadron was equipped with Spitfire Mk.IXs. However, "Dick" remained with the unit only for a short time. In August, he was transferred to a second-line unit, No. 1623 Flight (renamed No. 691 Squadron on December 1, 1943), whose task was to collaborate with anti-aircraft defense. The unit's primary operational activity involved towing targets for artillery training. This assignment allowed "Dick" to improve his piloting skills and provided the opportunity to fly various types of aircraft. The young Canadian spent a year in this secondary role, during which time he also married Iris Gibbins from Northampton.

A turning point in Audet's career came on July 22, 1944, when he reported to No. 1 Tactical Exercise Unit. This unit specialized in fighter and fighter-bomber training. In August, Audet moved to the continent, and on September 14, 1944, he was assigned to his second combat unit, No. 411 Squadron RCAF, one of the oldest Canadian squadrons in Europe. Since July 1943, the squadron had been part of No. 126 Wing within the 2nd Tactical Air Force (TAF) and operated successfully over occupied Europe from the forward airfield Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B.88 near the city of Heesch in North Brabant, southern Holland. By December 28, 1944, "Dick" had flown 52 combat missions but had not encountered a single enemy aircraft. However, everything changed the following day.

On Friday, December 29, 1944, shortly before 1:00 PM, Audet climbed into "Boyle's" Spitfire LF Mk.IXe RR201 DB-G and took off as the leader of Yellow Section on a patrol in the area of Rheine, Osnabrück, and Münster. Near a railway station close to Osnabrück, the Canadians destroyed four locomotives, 39 railway cars, and damaged several others. They then spotted a trio of enemy aircraft and attacked, with two of them being taken down by F/Lt Ireland and F/Lt Cook. Soon after, "Dick" saw another group of 12 enemy aircraft over the city and led his Yellow Section towards them. The German planes, identified as eight Fw 190Ds and four Bf 109Gs, failed to notice the approaching Canadians. The Canadians struck quickly, and the German formation, despite outnumbering them 12 to 4, suffered a crushing defeat. The first victory was claimed by F/O McCracken, and then Audet took over. His dogfight lasted no more than five minutes, during which he reported five victories. In his first encounter with enemy fighters, Audet not only became an ace but also the only Spitfire pilot to shoot down five aircraft in a single dogfight.

Photo from December 29, 1945. Far left: F/Lt R. J. Audet demonstrates his impressive feat of shooting down five German fighter planes to his No. 411 Squadron colleagues, WO J. A. Kerr, R.M. Cook, and Olsen. (Public Archives of Canada PMR 78-252)

Spitfire RR201 undergoing maintenance shortly after being transferred to B Flight in early February 1945 and recoded from DB-G to DB-R. The fuselage codes DB-R were previously used on Spitfire MK950, which F/Lt Jack Boyle regularly flew from January 7 to February 3, 1945, after assuming command of B Flight No. 411 Squadron. Meanwhile, Boyle’s RR201 DB-G "Sweet Sue V" was flown with A Flight throughout January by his friend F/Lt Richard Audet, who achieved seven of his eleven confirmed victories with it. Following the exchange of Spitfires between A and B Flights (likely an arrangement between the two friendly pilots), F/Lt Audet took over MK950, now recoded as DB-G, and regularly flew it until March 3, 1945, when he was shot down during an attack on an armed train. F/Lt Boyle returned to his RR201 "Sweet Sue V", which from then on bore the new fuselage code DB-R. After F/Lt Jack Boyle completed his operational service with No. 411 Squadron in early April, Canadian pilots achieved two more confirmed victories with RR201. On April 20, 1945, F/O Wilson shot down a He 111, and the following day, F/Lt McClarty shot down a Bf 109. The flying career of RR201 ended on April 30, 1945, when F/Lt McClarty crash-landed near Scharesbek after flak damage to the engine. (DND)

This event turned the 22-year-old into a celebrity, drawing significant attention from numerous press correspondents and photographers. Audet described his engagement with the enemy in his combat report as follows:

“I was leading Yellow section of 411 Squadron in the RHEINE/OSNABRUCK area when Control reported Huns at RHEINE and Squadron turned in that direction. An Me 262 was sighted and just at that time I spotted 12 e/a on our starboard side at 2 o´clock. These turned out to be mixture of approximately 4 Me 109´s and 8 FW 190´s.

I attacked an Me 109 which was the last a/c in the formation of about 12 all flying line astern. At approximately 200 yards and 30 degrees to starboard at 10,000 feet I opened fire and saw strikes all over the fuselage and wing roots. The 109 burst into flames on the starboard side of the fuselage only, and trailed intense black smoke. I then broke off my attack.

After the first attack I went around in a defensive circle at about 8500 feet until I spotted an FW 190 which I immediately attacked from 250 yards down to 100 yards and from 30 degrees to line astern. I saw strikes over the cockpit and to the rear of the fuselage, it burst into flames from the engine back and as I passed very close over the top of it I saw the pilot slumped over in the cockpit, which was also in flames.

My third attack followed immediately on the 2nd. I followed what I believed was an Me 109 in a slight dive. He then climbed sharply and his canopy flew off about 3 to 4,000 feet. I then gave a very short burst from about 300 yards and line astern and his aircraft whipped downwards in a dive. The pilot attempted or did bale out. I saw a black object on the edge of the cockpit but his chute ripped to shreds. I then took cine shots of his a/c going to the ground and the bits of parachute floating around. I saw this aircraft hit and smash into many flaming pieces on the ground. I do not remember any strikes on this aircraft. The Browning button only may have been pressed.

I spotted an FW 190 being pursued at about 5,000 feet by a Spitfire which was in turn pursued by an FW 190. I called this Yellow section pilot to break and attacked the 190 up his rear. The fight went downwards in a steep dive. When I was about 250 yards and line astern of this 190 I opened fire. There were many strikes on the length of the fuselage and it immediately burst into flames. I saw this FW 190 go straight into the ground and burn.

Several minutes later while attempting to form my section up again spotted an Fw 190 from 4,000 feet, he was at about 2,000 feet. I dived down on him and he turned in to me from the right. Then he flipped around in a left hand turn and attempted a head-on attack. I slowed down to wait for the 190 to fly in range. At about 200 yards and 20 degrees I gave a very short burst, but couldn’t see any strikes. This a/c flicked violently, and continued to do so until he crashed into the ground. The remainder of my section saw this encounter, and Yellow 4 (F/O McCracken) saw it crash in flames.”

In the foreground is Spitfire MK686 DB-L, with which "Jack" Boyle shot down a German Me 262 piloted by Oberleutnant Hans Georg Lamle of 4./KG(J) 51 on December 25, 1944. In the background is Jack’s RR201 DB-R "Sweet Sue V". (Spitfire: The Canadians VOL.1, courtesy of Andy McNiece)

F/Lt Richard Joseph "Dick" Audet with his Spitfire MK950 DB-G in February 1945. (DND PL 41719, Steve Sauvé)

The opponents of No. 411 Squadron were most likely Fw 190D-9 aircraft from 9./JG 54. Twelve "Doras" had taken off on a mission to patrol the Rheine area, but the mission ended in a "bloodbath." Six pilots were killed, and two other aircraft were damaged, including the plane of the 9th Staffel commander, Oblt. Willi Heilmann. These losses correspond to the claims made by the Canadian pilots. This Staffel was part of III./JG 54 "Grünherz," which operated under the command of JG 26 and was redesignated IV./JG 26 in February 1945. On December 29, this experienced Jagdgruppe suffered severe losses across several engagements, losing at least 17 aircraft, with 13 pilots killed and two injured.

Audet proved it was no fluke during the following month. On New Year's Day, he contributed to the Luftwaffe's defeat during Operation Bodenplatte with two aerial victories, and by the end of January, he had added six more to his tally. His final victory came on January 23, 1945, when he achieved a prized kill: a jet-powered Me 262. On that day, Audet led an armed reconnaissance mission in the Münster area, again flying the RR201 DB-G. First, he destroyed an Me 262 (post-war research identifies it as an Arado Ar 234, T9+KH, WNr. 140349) parked at an airfield near Rheine. Five minutes later, near Osnabrück, he encountered a lone Me 262. It was likely WNr. 170295, piloted by Hptm. Hans Holzwarth of 12./KG 51, and Audet decisively sent it down in flames. The next day, he damaged another Me 262 on the ground.

Photo from December 25, 1944, showing intelligence officer P/O Gordon Pancuk being “briefed” by No. 411 Squadron pilots Flt/Lt J. Boyle, Sqn/Ldr J. Newell, and Flt/Lt E. Ireland about Boyle’s successful attack on a German jet Me 262. (www.spitfiresite.com, courtesy of Harry van Grinsven)

In February 1945, Audet was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his actions on December 29, 1944, and he became the commander of A Flight. In the following days, No. 411 Squadron’s primary missions involved attacking ground targets, which were heavily defended by flak. By that time, flak had become far more dangerous than Luftwaffe fighters, with whom Audet no longer encountered combat in the air. F/Lt Audet’s fate was sealed on March 3, 1945. After returning from a week-long leave, he took off in his Spitfire MK950 DB-G with his section on an armed reconnaissance mission in the Dinslaken-Emmerich area. Near Coesfeld, Audet’s section attacked an armed train, but unfortunately, the flak crews were highly accurate, and Audet’s Spitfire was hit. According to No. 411 Squadron’s report, his Spitfire caught fire and crashed into a forest. F/Lt Audet is still listed as missing in action (MIA).

Audet’s combat report from December 29, 1944, confirmed by four other pilots and the intelligence officer.

Audet’s combat report from January 23, 1945, describing his engagement with a jet-powered Me 262.

An official post-war investigation was led by Major H. Cleaver, who conducted a thorough and comprehensive study spanning 120 pages of evidence and notes. This investigation managed to identify the crew of the anti-aircraft battery that shot down Audet on March 3, 1945. During their interviews, the flak battery’s leader confirmed that Audet managed to make a forced landing with his damaged Spitfire, set it on fire, and was subsequently captured. He was then transported to Gelsenkirchen-Buer, where he was interrogated. As Audet revealed only basic identification information during his interrogation, he was scheduled to be transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Dortmund. Unfortunately, Audet’s trail ends there, and his ultimate fate remains unknown.

In February 1945, the local Volksgemeinschaft in the German town of Gelsenkirchen-Buer, a "people's community" of local residents, received authorization from the head of the "security police" to execute anyone without reason. When Audet was brought into this environment, where indiscriminate killings by civilians, police, and soldiers were not only commonplace but also encouraged, it is not difficult to imagine the fate that might have befallen him. Whether Dick Audet was murdered or died while attempting to escape, and who was responsible, will likely never be known. His body was never found.

During 83 combat missions, F/Lt Audet achieved 11 confirmed aerial victories (and destroyed two additional aircraft on the ground). He was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (the second posthumously on March 9, 1945). Audet flew a total of 15 operational missions in the Spitfire RR201 DB-G “Sweet Sue V” between December 29, 1944, and February 3, 1945, achieving seven confirmed aerial victories (six Fw 190Ds and one Me 262, along with two more aircraft destroyed on the ground).

Thanks to Audet's exceptional achievements, "Boyle's" Spitfire RR201 ranks among the most famous Spitfires of World War II.

Color profile of Spitfire RR201 DB-G "Sweet Sue V" as it appeared on December 29, 1944, when F/Lt Richard Audet shot down five German fighters in a single engagement. The aircraft features rapid identification markings used from early September to late December 1944, with remnants of invasion stripes still visible on the underside of the fuselage.

Color profile of Spitfire RR201 DB-R "Sweet Sue V" with rapid identification markings updated as of January 3, 1945. All fighter aircraft in the Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) featured revised Type C1 roundels with yellow outer rings, removed remnants of invasion stripes on the underside, a black-painted spinner, and overpainted fuselage bands originally in SKY color. This scheme was used until early February 1945, when RR201 was recoded from "G" to "R."

Color profile of Fw 190D-9, W. Nr. 210079, flown by Lt. Theo Nibel of 10./JG 54 from Varrelbusch base, Germany during Operation Bodenplatte on January 1, 1945.

Sources:

BRACKEN, Robert: Spitfire Canadians

CHAPIS, Stephen, THOMAS, Andrew: Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 136 Allied Jet Killers of World War 2

CALDWELL, Donald: The JG 26 War Diary, Volume Two 1943 -1945

NIJBOER, Donald: Osprey – Aviation Elite Units No. 126 Wing RCAF

SHORES, Christopher, THOMAS, Chris: 2nd Tactical Air Force Vol.2 - Breakout to Bodenplatte - July 1944-Jan 1945

SHORES, Christopher, THOMAS, Chris: 2nd Tactical Air Force Vol.3 - From the Rhine to Victory - Jan-May 1945

THOMAS, Andrew: Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 122 Spitfire Aces of Northwest Europe 1944-45

National Archives, files: AIR-27-1804-23, AIR-27-1804-24, AIR-27-1804-25, AIR-27-1804-26, AIR-27-1804-27, AIR-27-1804-28, AIR-27-1804-29, AIR-27-1804-30, AIR-27-1804-31 a AIR-27-1804-32

valka.cz: Audet, Richard Joseph

wartimes.ca: F/L Richard “Dick” Audet, 411 Squadron RCAF

acesofww2.com: Dick Audet

http://spitfiresite.com