Edgar Kain

No. 73 Squadron's new base was close to the border between France and Germany and No. 60 Mobile Wing was attached to the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF), several squadrons of Fairey Battles of Bomber Command.[26] The following months saw little offensive activity in the air and this stage of the war was known as the Phoney War.[27] Despite the squadron's proximity to the German border, there was little initial contact with the enemy with few successful interceptions.[28]

By now Kain was a section leader in No. 73 Squadron, with responsibility for two wing-men.[25] On 8 November, while on patrol, he spotted a Dornier Do 17 bomber above and ahead of him. As the Do 17 began to climb to 27,000 feet (8,200 m) with Kain in pursuit, he made two attacks and observed several strikes by his machine guns. With his Hurricane showing signs of strain, he attacked again and the Do 17 dived steeply. Kain followed but pulled out when he saw fabric peeling off his wings. The bomber crashed into the small village of Lubey, northwest of Metz, exploding on impact and killing the crew.[29] It was the first victory of the war for No. 73 Squadron and also for a pilot from one of the Dominions. The event was widely reported although, due to the RAF prohibition of the naming of its personnel in the media, Kain was not identified as the successful pilot in British newspapers. Instead he was simply referred to as a 21-year-old New Zealander.[30][31][Note 1]

With the wing now re-designated as No. 67 Wing, weather affected the flight operations for several days[34] but Kain had another successful encounter on 23 November, near Conflans, when he shot down another Do 17. It was one of four German bomber and reconnaissance aircraft claimed as destroyed by No. 73 Squadron pilots that day.[35] There was little flying from December to February due to the weather[36] and Kain spent some of this period in England on leave with Joyce Phillips,[37] a theatre actress he had met while completing his flight training in 1937.[38] He had been corresponding with her for some time.[37] On returning to the squadron, he temporarily took command of one of its flights.[39] The weather still permitted the occasional patrol; on one in late January, his flight encountered a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber but Kain's guns failed to fire, which was later put down to them being frozen. His aircraft received damage from the He 111's gunner and on landing, he found it to be a write-off.[40] He relinquished command of the flight at the end of January, when its regular leader returned from leave.[41]

By early February 1940, the thaw was well underway but this affected the runway of the aerodrome which prone to bogging. This impacted flight operations for the next few weeks. Kain was mentioned in dispatches on 20 February 1940 for his efforts in pursuing the He 111 that he sighted late the previous month.[42][43] Conditions improved on 1 March 1940, and the following day Kain fought an action with two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters while in pursuit of some He 111s. He destroyed the first Bf 109 but the second damaged his engine with cannon fire before departing.[Note 2] Over the German lines when the attack took place, Kain glided 30 miles (48 km) from 20,000 feet (6,100 m) to reach French territory. When his damaged engine caught fire, Kain prepared to bail out but had to re-enter the cockpit when he realised his parachute strap was not in position. The flames went out and Kain glided on to a forced-landing at Metz.[36][44] His Hurricane was a wreck and he had to be flown back to Rouvres by a Bristol Blenheim in the evening. The encounter was reported by the BBC in its main radio bulletin later that day; Kain was not named and only referred to as a New Zealander.[45] A few days later he completed a media interview, in which he was identified as Cobber, for BBC radio which was broadcast on 9 March 1940.[13] However, reporters from the United States were not as restricted and knowledge of his identity was becoming known in his home country.[30]

A formal publicity photograph of Kain following the announcement of the award of his Distinguished Flying Cross

Kain was shortly back on operations and at the same time, the squadron was in the process re-equipping with updated Hurricanes.[46] In mid-March, he was informed of his impending award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in recognition of the action earlier in the month during which he had shot down his first Bf 109. It was to be the first such award to a pilot of Fighter Command. However, he promptly took ill with German measles and was hospitalised for several days.[47][48] He did not return to operational duty until 26 March. That day, in the early afternoon he led a section on a defensive patrol over the German lines and encountered a group of Bf 109s. He managed to destroy one Bf 109 and then a second but shortly afterwards his Hurricane's engine was damaged by a cannon strike from another Bf 109. With his aircraft on fire, he bailed out with shell splinters to his left leg, a bullet-grazed left hand and burns to the face. Landing near a French unit, he was driven back to Rouvres in the evening. The shooting down of the two Bf 109s in this action made him the RAF's first flying ace of the Second World War.[49][50][Note 3] He remained relatively anonymous to the British public, his identity continuing to be simply Cobber when his exploits were reported. The wounds from his latest encounter meant that he was off flying duties for a few days and during his convalescence,[51] the citation for his DFC was published in the London Gazette. This read:

In March, 1940, while on patrol with another aircraft, Flying Officer Kain sighted seven enemy bombers about 5,000 feet above him, and while giving chase well into Germany, he was attacked from behind by an enemy fighter. Showing the finest fighting spirit this officer out-manoeuvred the enemy and although his own aircraft was badly damaged he succeeded in bringing the hostile aircraft down. Thick smoke and oil fumes had filled his cockpit and although unable to see his compass, he skilfully piloted his aircraft inside allied lines in spite of being choked and blinded by the smoke.

— London Gazette, No. 34820, 29 March 1940.[52]

With the announcement of his DFC, the anonymity he had previously been afforded was no longer possible. There was significant public interest in Kain, with his endeavours in the war widely reported in the United Kingdom and in the Dominions; one newspaper correspondent described Kain as "carrying the Dominion banner across the German frontiers in grand style".[50][53][54] Kain went on leave to England on 2 April, intending to spend time with Joyce Phillips.[55] Much to his irritation, both Kain and Phillips had to deal with intense media interest during his leave.[56] While in England, he and Phillips announced their engagement, and tentatively set a date in July for the wedding.[57][58]

Kain returned on 14 April to his squadron, which was now based with the rest of No. 67 Wing at Reims and tasked with the protection of the AASF headquarters. Tensions were high as a result of the German invasions of Norway and Denmark and the Luftwaffe had increased its presence along the French border with Germany.[59] However, the squadron was shortly back at Rouvres when the expected fighting in France did not occur. Kain was initially stood down from flight operations[60] so did not undertake his first patrol until 21 April.[61] Two days later he and his flight encountered a Messerschmitt Bf 110, which Kain damaged, but was surprised by three Bf 109s which shot down two Hurricanes in return.[62] He saw little flying duty for the rest of the month, due to poor weather.[63]

Cobber Kain, wearing his flying helmet and standing in the cockpit of his Hawker Hurricane

On 10 May 1940, the German forces launched the blitzkrieg through the Low countries and France.[64] No. 73 Squadron was immediately involved, as several Hurricanes were scrambled to deal with a number of German bombers. At around 6:00am Kain engaged and shot down a Dornier Do 215, one of nine that he sighted near Metz. He encountered another seven on his return to Rouvres but had exhausted his ammunition in the earlier action. The squadron was ordered back to Reims later in the morning, and assembled there by 2:00pm.[65][66] Despite the aerodrome being bombed later in the afternoon, the squadron flew several defensive patrols that day, Kain flying two of them.[67] He flew a defensive patrol the next morning, then a mission escorting bombers of the AASF to a target at Wiltz. On the last patrol of the day he shot down a Do 215 although cannon shells from a Bf 110 damaged the fuselage of his Hurricane.[68]

Kain stands on the right, alongside Newell Orton, another flying ace of No. 73 Squadron

The aerodrome at Reims was bombed again on 12 May but this did not affect the squadron's operations and in the afternoon, it flew a number of missions. While escorting some Fairey Battles on a raid north of Sedan, Kain spotted a Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft which he pursued and destroyed over Bouillon.[65][69] Over the next two days, Luftwaffe activity around Sedan increased in support of the tanks of Panzer Group Kleist as it crossed the Meuse. The squadron in its operations over this period encountered several flights of bombers. Kain had no successful engagements on 13 May to add to his official tally of destroyed aircraft but the same day a newspaper reported that he may have destroyed as much as eleven enemy aircraft and Kain himself had "lost count".[70] Officially, he shot down his tenth enemy aircraft, a Bf 109, the next day.[65][71]

On 15 May, Kain's section encountered a Do 17, flying on its own, and began to initiate an attack. Without having fired his guns, Kain saw the crew of the bomber promptly bail to leave the now pilot-less bomber to fly on deeper into France.[72] Casualties in the squadron were now mounting, with four pilots missing or killed in action and a fifth invalided from flying. This saw Kain given command of one of the squadron's flights.[73] The next day, the squadron moved to Villeneuve while Kain led his flight in a covering patrol to help protect the shift to the new base.[74] Despite flying several patrols, there were no encounters with the enemy until the afternoon of 17 May, when Kain came across a group of Bf 110s; he damaged one then later on destroyed a Bf 109 that disrupted his attempt to attack a Junkers Ju 88. It was a particularly busy day for by the end of it, he had accumulated thirteen hours in the air.[75]

The pace of the German advance saw another move by No. 73 Squadron, this time to Gaye, to the east of Paris, on 18 May.[76] The next day, the entire squadron took part in a defensive patrol during which it met a group of German bombers, He 111s and Ju 88s, with an escort of Bf 110 fighters. The British fighters attacked, with Kain shooting down a Ju 88 and then a Bf 110. Towards the end of the engagement, he destroyed a He 111. In total, seven German aircraft had been destroyed for the loss of three Hurricanes although their pilots all survived to return to the squadron.[77][78][79] By now, its pilots were extremely fatigued from extensive operations and minimal rest.[80] It had been receiving an influx of fresh pilots and Kain helped with their introduction to operational flying before, on 22 May, he received orders to return to England with several other pilots to take on instructional duties.[81]

On arrival in Le Bourget on 23 May, from where the group of pilots were to travel to England, Kain and another pilot were ordered to immediately report back to No. 73 Squadron. Once back at Gaye, the two pilots were put on administrative duties[82] and Kain did not fly again until 25 May. That day he led a section in a morning patrol, during which he destroyed a Do 17 but had to then make an emergency landing back at Gaye due to damage inflicted on his Hurricane by machine gun fire from the bomber's rear gunner. The next day, in a replacement Hurricane, he shot down a Hs 126 near Bouillon.[83] The situation in France was now deteriorating; the French army was defending the line along the Somme and Aisne with the fighter squadrons of the AASF operating in support[82] while the BEF was being evacuated from Dunkirk.[84] Kain's focus for 26 May was introducing new pilots to operational duties. The following day, the squadron was operating from a forward base at Boos-Rouen, alongside No. 501 Squadron. It was the subject of a bombing raid during which Kain met Ginger Lacey, who later became one of the RAF's highest scoring flying aces of the war. According to Lacey's biographer, the two were sheltering in what turned out to be a petrol dump. Later in the day, while on a patrol over Boos-Rouen, Kain shot down a Do 17.[85]

Although he flew patrols on 28 May, Kain saw little action and for the following two days he was grounded by No. 73 Squadron's commander.[86] He resumed flying on 31 May, leading a section in an uneventful mission providing cover for Fairey Battle bombers targeting German forces southeast of Reims. The first two days of June were quiet but then the squadron received orders to move to Le Mans and operate from an advanced airfield at Échemines.[87] Kain led a flight of Hurricanes there early in the morning of 3 June; they then covered the move of the ground crew and administrative staff to Le Mans. He did not fly the next day[88] and flew a single patrol on 5 June, protecting the aerodrome. He sighted a Bf 109 and pursued it to near Reims, where he shot it down.[78][89]

On 6 June, suffering nervous exhaustion and fatigue, Kain and another long-serving pilot of No. 73 Squadron received orders to return to England as soon as replacement flying personnel had arrived. A group of pilots arrived the next day for allocation to the various squadrons of the AASF; four were assigned to Kain's squadron, thus freeing him to return to England.[90] In front of a group of his squadron mates who gathered at the airfield at Échemines to bid him farewell, he took off in his Hurricane to fly to Le Mans to collect his kit. He then began to perform some low level aerobatics. On the third of a series of "flick" rolls, he misjudged his altitude and hit the ground heavily. He was pitched out of the Hurricane's cockpit and killed when he struck the ground some distance away from his crashed aircraft.[91][92]

Kain was buried in Troyes Cemetery on 8 June.[93][Note 4] His parents were advised by telegram within two days of his death; his mother was in transit to England at the time to attend his wedding to Joyce Phillips. The BBC reported that he was "killed in action" on 10 May.[95][Note 5] As the RAF's first recipient of the DFC and flying ace of the war, Kain had a high profile both in Britain and the Dominions and his death was widely covered in newspapers.[1][97][98] King George VI presented Kain's mother with his DFC in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 4 September 1940.[92][99]