Major Hawker VC DSO 24 Sqdrn RFC/Royal Engineers

Sat on a petrol tank thousands of feet up without a parachute.Someone's ambition to sneak up within 30 yards and shoot you with twin machine guns,no wonder they had nightmares.

Robert Little;
Triplane
7/4/17 - ?
9/4/17 - 160 rounds (OOC)
21/4/17 - ? rounds at 20 yards (OOC)
24/4/17 - ? rounds at 15 yards (CAPT)
2/5/17 - 50 rounds at 10-15 yards (DES)
9/5/17 - 100 rounds at 50 yards (OOC)
9/5/17 - 100 rounds at 75 yards (DD) 11.30
13/6/17 - 40 rounds at close range (DD)
26/6/17 - 20 rounds at 20 yards (DES-F)
6/7/17 - 160 rounds at 100 yards (DES)
Camel
13/7/17 - long burst at 10 yards till guns jammed (DES)
21/7/17 - 200 rounds at very close range (DES)
27/7/17 - 20 rounds at ? yards (DES)

I only tabulated the ones that had a range or an ammunition count. Interestingly his CITAR's get less and less descriptive as he continued in his career, especially when he was with 203 Sqn.


Manfred von Richthofen;
23/9/16 - 300 rounds at ?
30/9/16 - 200 rounds at ?
7/10/16 - 400 rounds at ?
10/10/16 - 300 rounds at ?
16/10/16 - 350 rounds at ?
25/10/16 - 200 rounds at ?
3/11/16 - 400 rounds at ?
23/11/16 - 900 rounds at ? (Hawker combat)
27/12/16 - 300 rounds at ?
23/1/17 - 150 rounds at 50 metres
1/2/17 - 150 rounds at one plane length behind
14/2/17 - Several hundred rounds at 50 metres
4/4/17 - 500 rounds at ?
4/4/17 - 400 rounds at ?
9/4/17 - 100 rounds at ?
11/4/17 - 200 rounds at ?
17/4/17 - 800 rounds at ?
...... and so on

Looks like he only counted in 50's or 100's.




cam

[Darryl]

Hi Cam,

Yes, most of the CITAR's get less descriptive later on. The very early ones (often hand written and a b*tch) talk in great detail about the colour, shape etc of enemy as well as action. Quite a few I've seen also have sketches etc of the target!!

Little was obviously a careful marksman. MvR believed in being liberal with ammo. Both theories are valid if you have the ability to judge a shot from a moving a/c at a moving target with severe engine vibration thrown in for fun.

BTW, when it comes to counting rounds, I believe it was more a case of "time" than rounds. One second burst = X, two second =y etc. Later on WW2 when the rounds were comming from more guns, the count was done wholy in "seconds".

Very best regards

Darryl

A excellent source is the bio of Hawker by his brother Col Tyrell Hawker printed in 1965?
It has a whole chapter on the duel.
He has been my hero since I first built the revell 1/72 kit with the 3 planes in it.
He was a outstanding officer and a gentleman