Oscar Heron
Encyclopedia
Captain Oscar Aloysius Patrick Heron was an Irish World War I flying ace
credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories.
pilot in May 1918. On 30 June, he scored his first victories, driving down one Albatros D.V
and setting another ablaze. It would not be until 19 August that he would win again, when he destroyed a Fokker D.VII
on an evening patrol. Again, there would be over a month's lapse,until he destroyed another Fokker D.VII on 28 September. On 1 October, Heron became an ace by destroying the only two-seater on his list; during the remainder of October, he would score eight more times, all the wins being over the highly rated Fokker D.VII. For one of those wins, on 9 October, Heron cooperated with Lieutenant Kenneth Bowman Watson
and three other pilots to force down and capture a Fokker. In the end, besides the captured plane, Heron destroyed ten enemy planes and drove down two out of control.
inaugural Air Pageant at Phoenix Park
on 5 August 1933.
2nd Lt. (A./Capt.) Oscar Alois Patrick Heron. (FRANCE)
An officer conspicuous for his skill and daring in aerial combats. He has accounted for eight, enemy aeroplanes. On 28 September he attacked, single-handed, three Fokkers; one of these he shot down. On another occasion he, in company with five other machines, engaged six Fokkers, all six being destroyed, 2nd Lt. Heron accounting for two.
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with thirteen confirmed aerial victories.
World War I
Heron was assigned to 70 Squadron as a Sopwith CamelSopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
pilot in May 1918. On 30 June, he scored his first victories, driving down one 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....
and setting another ablaze. It would not be until 19 August that he would win again, when he destroyed a Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
on an evening patrol. Again, there would be over a month's lapse,until he destroyed another Fokker D.VII on 28 September. On 1 October, Heron became an ace by destroying the only two-seater on his list; during the remainder of October, he would score eight more times, all the wins being over the highly rated Fokker D.VII. For one of those wins, on 9 October, Heron cooperated with Lieutenant Kenneth Bowman Watson
Kenneth Bowman Watson
Lieutenant Kenneth Bowman Watson was a Canadian World War I flying ace. He was credited with nine aerial victories. On 9 October 1918, he achieved the extraordinary feat of capturing two enemy airplanes during a dogfight.-Personal life:...
and three other pilots to force down and capture a Fokker. In the end, besides the captured plane, Heron destroyed ten enemy planes and drove down two out of control.
Postwar
Heron joined the Irish Air Corps in 1922. He was killed in a flying accident during the Irish Air CorpsIrish Air Corps
The Air Corps is the air component of the Defence Forces of Ireland providing support to the Army and Naval Service, together with non-military air services such as search and rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service...
inaugural Air Pageant at Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
on 5 August 1933.
Honors and awards
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)2nd Lt. (A./Capt.) Oscar Alois Patrick Heron. (FRANCE)
An officer conspicuous for his skill and daring in aerial combats. He has accounted for eight, enemy aeroplanes. On 28 September he attacked, single-handed, three Fokkers; one of these he shot down. On another occasion he, in company with five other machines, engaged six Fokkers, all six being destroyed, 2nd Lt. Heron accounting for two.
Reference
- Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920 Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, 9780948817199.