Major Mannock & score

[pilot officer prune]

Hi, new here - fascinating site - thanks

May I just ask please why Edward Mannock's biopic on this site doesn't even mention 73 victories?
I know about the Ira/Bishop saga but the RAF, the Air Historical Branch, the RAF Museum at Hendon and the IWM all credit Mannock with 73 "unofficial" victories. So even if the biopic mentioned confirmed scores but also is caveated with "73 unofficial", shouldn't it do so?

Many thanks

[Scott]

See the link on his page entitled Maj. Edward Mannock Is Named Champion Flier.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Pilot Officer prune:
Welcome to the Forum, you will find the Forum interesting, maddening and filled with all kinds of information, both useful and useless, and at times very surprising. I have learned a lot here, most useful, and some bulls--t.
There are some, who in their devine wisdom, won't accept what the RAF and the British goverment has, they credited Major Edward Mannock with 73 victories. It called rewriting history in accordance with your wims. You will find some individuals who are most knowledgable about victories, they are Graeme, Frank Olynyk, Russ Cannon, Bartett Tillman, (The Writer, he is also on TV). If you want to know about the Fok.DR.I, it's Taz, Colors and markings a very nice guy, Greg Van Wyngarden. If your questions are about the RAF, Alex Revell. Technical stuff, engines, etc..Franzkait. If its model building, check with Steve Lawson. Me I am interested in German stuff.
Welcome aboard Pilot Officer Prune, have fun!
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Graeme]

Pilot Officer Prune

If you stick around long enough you will find opinion is generally sharply divided as to whether history should remain as recorded or should be be corrected in light of (ongoing) research; some will call the latter approach "revisionism" and pour scorn on the poor soul suggesting that anything be amended.

I have no objection to facts being corrected (it being a truism that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth) since I am a firm believer in historical accuracy.* However, I do object to the practice of judging events of 100 years ago against modern standards, like calculating pilots' totals by crediting fractions of a "kill" as per WW2 and later.

Personally I don't care if Mannock had 61 (I think it should be 62) valid claims, or 73 or some other figure - don't lose sight of the fact that the citation for his Victoria Cross quotes only fifty - the point to bear in mind is that he was both one of the Empire's pre-eminent fighter pilots and one of the few such people actually able to train others to do the job.
Those can, do; those who can't, teach. He did both.

Not a bad epitaph.

Graeme

[Gregvan]

Hello,

This same subject was explored with great detail in a recent thread:

Edward Mannock VC

Check it out.

Greg