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| ACE-06P Knights Of The Skies - Captain Albert Ball |
Albert Ball, VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC(14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was an English fighter pilot of the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
At the time of his death he was, with forty-four victories, the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, and remained its fourth-highest scorer behind Edward Mannock, James McCudden, and George McElroy.
He became the first British fighter ace to capture the public's imagination
Throughout his flying service he was primarily a "lone-wolf" pilot, carefully stalking his prey from below until he drew close enough to use his top-wing Lewis gun on its Foster mounting, angled to fire upwards into the enemy's fuselage. According to fellow ace and Victoria Cross recipient James McCudden, "it was quite a work of art to pull this gun down and shoot upwards, and at the same time manage one's machine accurately"
Ball crashed to his death in a field in France while pursuing the Red Baron's brother, Lothar von Richthofen. During the engagement he managed to force von Richthofen to the ground, but soon after emerged from a cloud bank upside down and crashed before he could recover. The Germans buried Albert Ball in Annœullin, with full honours
Ball's death was reported around the world. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, and also honoured by the government of France and the Aero Club of America
A memorial service in his home town of Nottingham was attended by large crowds. The year after his death he was commemorated in a biography that included tributes from Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Field Marshal Douglas Haig and General Hugh Trenchard
Ball's father, a former mayor of Nottingham, memorialised his son in several ways, buying the field where he died, improving his grave site in Annœullin, and building homes in his honour. Ball is also commemorated by a statue and plaque in the grounds of Nottingham Castle, where his Victoria Cross and other medals and memorabilia are displayed
This figure is based on a photograph of Albert Ball in the garden at Sedgeley House, with the propeller and red spinner from his Nieuport 5173, believed to have been taken in October 1916. He flew this Nieuport with No.11 squadron, and on 29th May recorded his second victory. He went on to score a total of 4 more victories in this aircraft which made him officially an ace
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| ACE-06 Nieuport 17, A 213 |
A213 was originally built with the French serial number N1579. It was delivered to No. 60 Squadron on 16th September 1916. Albert Ball took over flying this machine on his return from leave in mid-September. He went on to score 11 kills in this plane by the end of September! With his overall score at 31, he returned to England for a rest
A213 was lost in combat on March 6th 1917, whilst being flown by the CO, Maj. E.P. Graves
Nieuports purchased from the French before November 1916 were finished in French Olive Drab upper surfaces and Clear Doped Linen under surfaces. The flight markings are speculative, and based on marking practices of No.60 Sqadron at the time
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| ACE-07P Knights Of The Skies - Oberleutnant Erich Lowenhardt |
Erich Löwenhardt (April 7, 1897 - August 10, 1918) was the 3rd highest scoring German flying ace with 54 victories during the First World War, behind only Manfred von Richthofen and Ernst Udet.
Oberleutnant Löwenhardt was an aggressive, skilled fighter whose score grew steadily. At the end of May 1918 he received Prussia's highest honour, the Pour le Mérite (BlueMax) after 24 kills. Flying the new Fokker D.VII, he added eight more in June and no fewer than 16 in July. His tally climbed to 53 on 9August
The next day, August 10, 1918, Oblt. Löwenhardt shot down a British SE-5 fighter of No.56 Squadron RAF near Chaulnes (Somme area of France). However, he collided with another Fokker D.VII (of Jasta 11) flown by Leutnant Alfred Wenz, (who bailed out successfully) and though he jumped from his aircraft, his parachute failed to open, and Löwenhardt plummeted to his death from around 12,000 feet. His body was recovered 4 days later. He was just 21
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| REP-01B The Spanish Civil War - International Brigade Tank Riders |
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| The above mentioned figures, riding on a tank! |
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