Douglas John Bell
Encyclopedia
Captain Douglas John Bell was a World War I
fighter ace
credited with 20 aerial victories. He was one of the first fighter pilots to successfully engage an enemy multi-engine bomber. He became the leading ace of the nine in No. 3 Squadron RAF
.
on 1 June 1916. He received his pilot's certificate on 22 September 1916. That same day, as a second lieutenant, he was appointed a Flying Officer. The following month, he was assigned to 27 Squadron, to fly the Martinsyde G.100
. Despite the poor performance of a bomber so ungainly that it was nicknamed "the elephant", Bell managed to score three victories flying the Martinsyde. He drove down an Albatros D.III
on 1 May 1917; on 4 June, he shared the destruction of another D.III with another pilot, and drove a third down out of control. The performance made him one of the top two scorers with the Martinsyde. On the 15th, he was awarded the Military Cross for his performance of a long-distance bombing mission.
Bell was promoted to Flight Commander as a Temporary Captain on 9 April 1917. He was then reassigned to No. 78 Squadron, which was flying Sopwith 1½ Strutter
s on Home Defence duty back in England. While with 78 he engaged a Gotha bomber on 25 September 1917. After nearly fifteen minutes of machine-gunning the Gotha, it crashed into the North Sea
. His claim for this victory went unconfirmed; it would have been Home Defence's first victory.
by destroying an enemy observation balloon, then driving down out of control two defending Albatros D.V
s, all within five minutes.
In April, he had switched to Camel C6730 as C1615 had been lost in action on 24 March. He scored six times in April, including another balloon on the 8th, which he shared with another pilot.
He was awarded a Bar in lieu of a second award of the Military Cross on 13 May 1918.
Bell's burial site is unknown. Ironically, he was killed near Thiepval
, which would later become the site of a Memorial for the Missing who had died in the Battle of the Somme.
His wartime tally of 20 victories consited of 1 (and 1 shared) balloons destroyed, 7 ( and 4 shared) aircraft destroyed, and 6 (and 1 shared) 'out of control'.
(MC)
2nd Lt. Douglas John Bell, R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a long distance bomb raid. Owing to his good leadership and skill a large ammunition dump was destroyed. Later, he single-handed carried out a difficult mission and succeeded in reaching his objective under extremely adverse weather conditions.
'Military Cross (MC) Bar
2nd Lt. (T./Capt.) Douglas John Bell, M.C., R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has led his formation with great skill and has destroyed three enemy aeroplanes and driven down two others, one of which was seen to be completely out of control. The high state of efficiency which his flight has attained is due to his splendid example and fearless leadership.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
credited with 20 aerial victories. He was one of the first fighter pilots to successfully engage an enemy multi-engine bomber. He became the leading ace of the nine in No. 3 Squadron RAF
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
.
Early flying service
South African Bell enlisted in the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
on 1 June 1916. He received his pilot's certificate on 22 September 1916. That same day, as a second lieutenant, he was appointed a Flying Officer. The following month, he was assigned to 27 Squadron, to fly the Martinsyde G.100
Martinsyde G.100
-See also:-References:* Aircraft of World War I, Kenneth Munson, 1967 Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-0356-4-External links:* http://www.theaerodrome.com/aircraft/gbritain/martinsyde_g100.php* http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=721...
. Despite the poor performance of a bomber so ungainly that it was nicknamed "the elephant", Bell managed to score three victories flying the Martinsyde. He drove down an Albatros D.III
Albatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
on 1 May 1917; on 4 June, he shared the destruction of another D.III with another pilot, and drove a third down out of control. The performance made him one of the top two scorers with the Martinsyde. On the 15th, he was awarded the Military Cross for his performance of a long-distance bombing mission.
Bell was promoted to Flight Commander as a Temporary Captain on 9 April 1917. He was then reassigned to No. 78 Squadron, which was flying Sopwith 1½ Strutter
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a British one or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British-designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun...
s on Home Defence duty back in England. While with 78 he engaged a Gotha bomber on 25 September 1917. After nearly fifteen minutes of machine-gunning the Gotha, it crashed into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. His claim for this victory went unconfirmed; it would have been Home Defence's first victory.
Sopwith Camel ace
On 13 February 1918, Bell was transferred to No. 3 Squadron in France as a Flight Commander. He used Sopwith Camel no. C1615 to score ten triumphs in March. Most notable was 23 March, when he became a balloon busterBalloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....
by destroying an enemy observation balloon, then driving down out of control two defending Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
s, all within five minutes.
In April, he had switched to Camel C6730 as C1615 had been lost in action on 24 March. He scored six times in April, including another balloon on the 8th, which he shared with another pilot.
He was awarded a Bar in lieu of a second award of the Military Cross on 13 May 1918.
Killed in action
On 27 May 1918, Bell drove down an enemy two-seater with two comrades for his twentieth win. He was killed by machine gun fire from observer Leut. Heinzelmann in a two-seater flown by Gefr. Rosenau. .Bell's burial site is unknown. Ironically, he was killed near Thiepval
Thiepval
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a major war memorial to 72,191 missing British and South African men who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918 who have no known grave...
, which would later become the site of a Memorial for the Missing who had died in the Battle of the Somme.
His wartime tally of 20 victories consited of 1 (and 1 shared) balloons destroyed, 7 ( and 4 shared) aircraft destroyed, and 6 (and 1 shared) 'out of control'.
Honors and awards
Military CrossMilitary Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(MC)
2nd Lt. Douglas John Bell, R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a long distance bomb raid. Owing to his good leadership and skill a large ammunition dump was destroyed. Later, he single-handed carried out a difficult mission and succeeded in reaching his objective under extremely adverse weather conditions.
'Military Cross (MC) Bar
2nd Lt. (T./Capt.) Douglas John Bell, M.C., R.F.C., Spec. Res.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has led his formation with great skill and has destroyed three enemy aeroplanes and driven down two others, one of which was seen to be completely out of control. The high state of efficiency which his flight has attained is due to his splendid example and fearless leadership.