Flight lieutenant Andrew Beck Mamedoff (12 August 19128 October 1941), known as Andy, was an American pilot who flew with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Brita ...

between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britain clasp to the 1939–45 campaign star.

Biography

He was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, in 1911. His father Lev Mamedoff was an officer in the

Special Corps of Gendarmes The Separate Corps of Gendarmes (russian: Отдельный корпус жандармов) was the uniformed security police of the Imperial Russian Army in the Russian Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main responsibilitie ...

of the Russian Empire stationed in Poland. Andrew was son of Lev Mamedoff and Natalia Mamedoff (née Vonsiatsky), and nephew of Anastasy Vonsiatsky. Mamedoff's family fled Russia after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and lived in Europe for a short time. After Vonsiatsky has settled in

Thompson, Connecticut Thompson is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,189 at the 2020 census. Thompson is located in the northeastern corner of the state and i ...

, he convinced his wife to buy a neighboring farm for his sister's family. In Thompson, Mamedoff attended Tourtellotte Memorial High School. He later enrolled in Bryant University. He had learned to fly in the US and even had his own plane with which he performed at airshows. He and

Eugene Tobin Flying Officer Eugene Quimby "Red" Tobin (4 January 1917 – 7 September 1941) was an American pilot who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter ...

had been flying friends at

Mines Field Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the ...

in California before the war. He was attempting to set up charter services in Miami immediately prior to the war. Mamedoff initially came to Europe to fight on the side of Finland against the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, but hostilities had ceased before he arrived. In 1941 Mamedoff married an English woman, Alys Laird "Penny" Mamedoff (née Craven) at

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

. He became the first American to take a

war bride War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Among the largest and best documented examp ...

during

Second World War

Mamedoff and his friends and fellow Americans

and Vernon Keogh were among 32 pilots recruited by American soldier of fortune

Charles Sweeny Charles Michael Sweeny (January 26, 1882 – February 27, 1963) was an American Mercenary, soldier of fortune, United States Army lieutenant colonel, French Foreign Legion officer, Polish Land Forces, Polish army brigadier general, Royal Air ...

to join the French Air Force. However, by the time they reached France, Germany had already invaded the country. The trio made their way to England and joined the

in 1940. (Of the rest of Sweeny's recruits, four were killed, 11 were taken prisoner, and two others reached England.) After converting to the

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

, Mamedoff was posted to

RAF Middle Wallop Middle Wallop is a village in the civil parish of Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England, on the A343 road. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Over Wallop. The village has a public house, The George Inn, and a pe ...

and joined No. 609 Squadron on 8 August 1940. He was member of A Flight. On 24 August he took off at 16.10 as tail-end charlie. He was severely shot up by Me 109 and crashed at Tapnell Farm, near Freshwater flying in L1082. He was posted to

RAF Kirton in Lindsey Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a former Royal Air Force station located north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It's an RAF habit (inherited from the RFC) to name its bases after the nearest railwa ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

on 18 September 1940 and was a founding member of the No. 71 'Eagle' Squadron along with

Art Donahue Arthur Gerald Donahue, (29 January 1913 – 11 September 1942) was an American fighter pilot who volunteered to fly for the British Royal Air Force in World War II. He was one of 11 American pilots who flew with RAF Fighter Command between 10 Ju ...

, Eugene Tobin and Vernon Keogh. He was posted to

RAF Duxford Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...

in August 1941 to another "Eagle Squadron", No. 133 Squadron as a flight commander.

Death

On 8 October 1941, Mamedoff was flying with 133 Squadron on a standard transit flight from Fowlmere Airfield to

RAF Eglinton Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton or RNAS Eglinton was a Royal Naval Air Station located north east of Eglinton, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It opened as a Royal Air Force Station (RAF Eglinton) in 1941, before being transferred to th ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in his Hurricane Z3781. The wreckage of his plane was found near

Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...

on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and it is thought that he crashed due to poor weather conditions. His body was later recovered for burial at

Brookwood Military Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regis ...

in Surrey. He has been described as possibly the first Jewish American to have been killed in World War II.

2013 Honored by British Members of Parliament

In 2013, three Members of the British Parliament visited Bryant University to honor Mamedoff's memory. They presented the University President, Ronald K. Matchtley, with a plaque which says, in part, that Mamedoff's "participation in the Battle of Britain in 1940 helped to prevent the spread of Fascism throughout the World." In his remarks on accepting the plaque, President Matchtley said that Mamedoff:

. . . liked fast cars and was a daredevil, even as a student, adding that he was “expelled from Bryant on several occasions.” Rather than displaying the kind of character the college expected, Machtley said, “He was a character.” Naylor, Donita. "British Parliament honors Bryant College graduate who was RAF pilot during World War II." Providence Journal. October 30, 2013.

References

External links