In Australia’s Aviation Heroes Colin Burgess brings to life the amazing stories of men who answered the call during desperate times, willingly taking to the dangerous skies in wartime. Australia can salute and be proud of their many astounding accomplishments.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Based on personal interviews conducted by the author over many years, Australia’s Aviation Heroes captures the exploits of extraordinary men in extraordinary times.

We’re introduced to Jack Treacy, the World War I fighter pilot who was not only on the scene when the notorious Red Baron was shot down over France but came perilously close to joining him in his grave. Re-live the story of Ernie Guest, a man determined to fly against all odds after storming into battle on the bloody shores of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.

Meet George Allen, the Scottish-born pilot who survived that same war and went on to become one of the great pioneers in Australian aviation history. Then there is the harrowing tale of Joe Herman, the Queensland bomber pilot blown out of his doomed aircraft over war-torn Europe without a parachute who, through a mid-air miracle – truly a million-to-one chance – managed to live to tell his story.

We get to know Clive Caldwell, the indomitable Sydney man regarded as Australia’s greatest fighter pilot of WWII, as well as Don Bennett, the resolute, record-breaking Queenslander who developed and led Bomber Command’s legendary Pathfinder Force. During the Korean War, Phillip Zupp, an Australian Meteor pilot, was badly hurt while trying to rescue a fellow jet pilot who had been shot down, and his bravery while under fire was recognised by a citation for a Purple Heart – the only Australian ever to be recommended for this uniquely American medal for injuries sustained during an act of outstanding courage.

These are the amazing stories of men who answered the call during desperate times, willingly taking to the dangerous skies in wartime. Australia can salute and be proud of their many astounding accomplishments.

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Foreword

Having had an avid interest in aircraft as a boy and later lived all my adult life with an active and interesting involvement in military aviation in Australia, I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for the seven gallant men whose stories and accomplishments have been so vividly told in this superb book. Undoubtedly, Australia has a rich and proud aviation heritage dating back to such inspirational pioneers as Lawrence Hargrave. In November 1894, and almost a decade before the Wright Brothers made the world’s first powered flight, Hargrave lifted off in his self-made box kite at Stanwell Park, south of Sydney, and flew for a then remarkable 16 feet (4.8 m).

We also recognise that what is claimed to be the first powered flight in Australia was accomplished by the Hungarian American escapologist Harry Houdini in his Voisin biplane at Diggers Rest, Victoria, on 18 March 1910.

That same year, John Duigan made the first flight in an Australian-built aircraft at Mia Mia, Victoria. Many pioneering flights were to follow, but then war intervened. Hundreds of thousands of young Australians signed up with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and were deployed overseas to fight against an enemy in a war about which they knew very little.

The story of one such soldier, Ernie Guest, is told through an interview the author Colin Burgess conducted with him back in the early 1980s. Ernie looked up from the trenches on the Gallipoli peninsula and watched enthralled as an airplane flew unimpeded overhead. He decided then and there that he wanted to be a pilot. Several of our most famous pioneering aviators also began their service with the AIF before transferring to either the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) or the Australian Flying Corps (AFC).

These included names such as Charles Kingsford Smith, Ross Smith, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, all of whom would later become famous in Australian aviation history.

One of few worthwhile things that came out of the First World War was the interest in engineering and aircraft. Those Australians who had served in the air were keen to continue utilising their flying skills after they returned home. With imported aircraft they became involved in operating charter, demonstration and joy flights. Over the next couple of decades many sought to establish air routes in fledgling airlines and also the Flying Doctor in the late ’20s, all the while trying to overcome what has become known as the ‘tyranny of distance’ across our vast, sparsely populated country.

In December 1919, Captain Ross Smith and crew became the first Australian airmen to complete a flight from England to Australia – the longest distance ever flown at the time – achieving national and international recognition. The airline that we know as Qantas was registered in Brisbane in 1920 by two former AFC pilots, Wilmot Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness.

Then, in February 1928, Bundaberg-born Bert Hinkler completed the very first solo flight between England and Australia; four months later Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm, along with two American crewmen, became the first to cross the Pacific Ocean by air in their Southern Cross. War would be declared once again in 1939, bringing forth yet another crop of bold and brave Australian pilots. The very different stories of three men who took to the skies during the Second World War are brought to life within these pages. There is the extraordinarily tenacious Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett from Toowoomba, Queensland, who had not only created aviation records pre-war, but devised and commanded the famed Pathfinder Force in the RAF’s mighty Bomber Command, the PFF being one of the most influential and successful wartime forces.

I am proud to say that I am Patron of the Pathfinders Association in Australia – and support the legacy of this great aviation legend. Clive ‘Killer’ Caldwell, although his wartime career ended in an undeserved controversy, achieved lasting renown as our country’s highest-scoring ace in the Second World War.

Then there is the incredible story of Joe Herman who, as the RAAF pilot of a Halifax on a bombing raid over France, was literally blown out of his aircraft after being hit by ground fire, only to discover he was not wearing his parachute. How he managed to live through this harrowing experience is a classic and compelling story of survival against the odds. Finally, but certainly not least, is the story of Queenslander Phillip Zupp, who not only served his nation in the Second World War as a commando against the Japanese in the jungles of New Guinea, but later fulfilled a boyhood dream by learning to fly.

He then served Australia once again with distinction as a Meteor pilot in the Korean War with 77SQN, flying some 201 sorties before war’s end.

I also had an active but far less dramatic involvement with this squadron and I was well aware of his courage in attempting to save a fellow Meteor pilot and being wounded in the process, earning him the American Purple Heart – being the first Australian to be so honoured. The seven stories in this book are those of some exemplary Australians, whose service and exploits are representative of the many thousands of courageous airmen (and sometimes women) who took to the skies in times of war.

Many lived to share their experiences, far too many did not. But to me they all stand tall in the service of their country, with courage, perseverance and a strong sense of duty. I am proud of them all and commend Colin Burgess for presenting their stories in an easy and readable manner.

– Air Vice Marshal David N. Rogers AM, RAAF (Retd)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colin Burgess was born in suburban Sydney in 1947. To date, he has written or co-authored nearly forty books, covering the Australian prisoner-of-war experience, aviation, and human space exploration.

Colin still lives near Sydney with his wife Pat. They have two adult sons and three grandchildren.

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