Mannock's Last Flight

Does anyone know more than the scant information generally presented about Mick's last flight, i.e., that he was flying with Inglis and hit by ground fire which caused his plane to burn? Was his body recovered by German troops? Did he in fact "put a bullet thru his brain" as he stated he would do if he ever caught fire? Why was he flying so low over enemy territory? Thanks for any information.

I hope he sizzled all the way down.
Jeni

The guy was a real jerk. I too, hope he burned all the way down. Also, Mannock deserved to die. The only reason he was hit by ground fire is because he wanted to strafe his opponent, and make sure he was finished. The guy really hated Germans. "The only good Hun is a dead one!"

Devil, I think you are only considering one side of the man. Mannock was held in honor by the men he flew with.

Forgot to askyou: Why did he deserve to die?

There is a book by Dugeon about Mannock, and may give more details about his last flight. I would consider it to be more accurate than the standard written by his Squadron mate, Ira "Taffey" Jones, who idolized Mannock, and is suspected of exaggerating his accomplishments. As far as his attitude toward the Germans, it is indeed a sad one, even considering his having been held prisoner in a Turkish POW camp when the war broke out. The thought of anyone burining in a plane is truly an awful thought, and I cannot imagine it. If you need the title to the Dugeon book let me know and I'll get it to you.

OK, I'm new to this debate, but why the Mannock hatred?

I think the Mannock hatred is a knee jerk response to his attitude towards the Germans and a remark he made after the death of Richthofen (I hope he roasted all the way down). Regardless, Mannock was loved by his squadron mates so I wouldn't refer to him as a jerk or anything like that, He also was a great fighter pilot and squadron leader according to those who flew with him. Perhaps he took his hatred for the Germans a bit far sometimes but heck, it was war.

I too am a little surprised by the hatred of Mannock. I think his attitude was justified. I think I would feel a lot of hatred toward a bunch of people who spent their time trying to kill me and my countrymen. Likewise, I wouldn't be surprised if a German had felt the same way about the British or French.

I think that chivalry in the air was a complete myth. Perhaps Mannock was more emotional than most, or perhaps he was more willing to let his emotions be known. Maybe he was just plain cruel. But Mannock had a pretty valid reason to hate Germans.

A real jerk eh? Why, did you know him personally? Deserved to die? no-one deserves to die, you are of course entitled to your opinion but off the cuff remarks like this about someone you never knew are bang out of order.