Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
John Alexander Kent, (23 June 1914 – 7 October 1985), nicknamed "Kentski" (sometimes given as "Kentowski") by his Polish comrades, was a Canadian
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
flying in 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) and ...
during the
Second World War
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 opposin ...
. Considered one of the best young squadron leaders of the war, he went on to a distinguished postwar career before entering the aviation industry.
Early years
John Alexander Kent was born in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada where he learned to fly and obtained his licence in 1931. He obtained a commercial licence in 1933 after working for the Northwest Aero Marine Company and became the youngest to achieve this in Canada.
In 1935, Kent joined 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) and ...
(RAF) and was posted to No. 5 Flying Training School on 15 March. He joined
No. 19 Squadron at
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 Muse ...
in February 1936, where he remained until October 1937 when he moved to the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
at Farnborough. For his research work, during which he deliberately made over 300 airborne collisions with various types of barrage balloon, he mainly flew the first prototype of the
Fairey P.4/34 ''K5099''. Kent was awarded the
Air Force Cross on 1 February 1939.
Second World War
Kent was posted to the Photographic Development Unit in May 1940 flying unarmed
Supermarine 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 ...
s in France. During the late stages of the
fall of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
, while on a low-level sortie with an armed Spitfire, he was attacked by a
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
that subsequently crashed during the encounter.
[Kent 2008, pp. 80–81.] By early July, he was posted to
RAF Hawarden
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 ...
flying
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
fighters. On 2 August 1940, as a Flight Commander, Kent joined
No. 303 Squadron, a newly formed squadron consisting of Polish pilots based at
RAF Northolt
("Ready to carry or to fight")
, pushpin_map = Greater London
, pushpin_label = RAF Northolt
, pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London
, coordinates =
, type = Royal Air Force station
, code =
, site_area =
, height =
, owners ...
throughout 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 ...
.
[Bristow, Mark and Sylvia Laidlow-Petersen. ''A History of Royal Air Force Northolt.'' RAF Northolt: No. 1 AIDU, 2005.]
Kent's first combat victories came on 9 September 1940 when he shot down a
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
and a
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
. On 23 September, he destroyed a Bf 109 and damaged a
Focke-Wulf Fw 58
The Focke-Wulf Fw 58 ''Weihe'' ( Harrier) was a German aircraft, built to fill a request by the ''Luftwaffe'' for a multi-role aircraft, to be used as an advanced trainer for pilots, gunners and radio operators.
Design and development
The Fw ...
reconnaissance aircraft while intercepting a raid over
Dungeness
Dungeness () is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness spans Dungeness Nuclear Power Station, the hamlet ...
. He shot down a Ju 88 after a raid over London on 27 September.
![303 Squadron pilots](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/303_Squadron_pilots.jpg)
During a dogfight over the south coast of England on 1 October, Kent found himself alone with 40 Bf 109s. In the ensuing engagement, he shot down two of the enemy fighters and scored hits on another.
["He hasn’t changed a bit says John A. Kent’s mother".](_blank)
''Winnipeg Free Press'', 16 February 1942, p. 4. Kent was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 25 October 1940 and, the following day, he was posted to
RAF Biggin Hill
London Biggin Hill Airport is an operational general aviation airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south-southeast of Central London. The airport was formerly a Royal Air Force station RAF Biggin Hill, and a smal ...
to take command of another highly successful group of pilots,
No. 92 Squadron. Kent's strict discipline initially proved unpopular with the laid-back attitude the No. 92 Squadron pilots had at the time.
On 1 November, Kent shot down a Bf 109 and two more the following day. On 24 December 1940, he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Polish
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...
decoration for his achievements with No. 303 Squadron. In June he was then posted back to Northolt as
wing leader
Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a Commonwealth military wing on flying operations. The terms refer to a position, not a rank, although the role was usually taken by an officer ranked wing commander. The p ...
of the Polish Wing of four squadrons. On 21 June, during an operation escorting
Blenheim bombers against enemy positions at
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.
It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...
, France, Kent shot down a Bf 109. On 27 June, during another raid over northern France, he destroyed a Bf 109 on the ground.
![Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Royal_Air_Force_Fighter_Command%2C_1939-1945._CH2538.jpg)
As the raids over France continued from
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 Britai ...
during summer 1941, Kent continued adding to his score with a Bf 109 destroyed on 3 July and another Bf 109 on 20 July before he was then moved again as wing leader to command and lead the
Kenley
Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and w ...
Wing in August 1941. His first few operations over northern France with his new squadrons proved successful, claiming Bf 109s on 7 and 16 August. Kent remained with the Kenley Wing until October 1941, when he was posted back to No. 53 Operational Training Unit at
RAF Heston
Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Ne ...
and then
RAF Llandow
Royal Air Force Llandow or more RAF Llandow is a former Royal Air Force station situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff.
It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957. It was while training at this ...
. Kent was awarded a
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
to his DFC on 21 October 1941.
Early in 1942, Kent was taken off operational status and sent on a lecture tour of Canada and the United States. In June 1942, Kent was posted as Station Commander of
RAF Church Stanton
Royal Air Force Culmhead or more simply RAF Culmhead is a former Royal Air Force station, situated at Churchstanton on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, England.
It had three tarmac runways that are now in poor condition and the control towers a ...
, where he remained until October when he was posted to Fighter Command HQ as a Wing Commander of Training. Two months later, Kent was posted to the Middle East and took command of 17 Sector in
Benghazi
Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, where, on 25 January 1943, he damaged a Ju 88 during an engagement near the airfield at
Benina
Benina is a suburban borough ( formerly Basic People's Congress) administrative division of Benghazi, Libya.gpco.gov.ly
...
. After a posting to Air HQ as a Command Training Inspector at Air Defences East Mediterranean, he returned to the United Kingdom during March 1944 for an instructor's course at the
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...
,
Upavon
Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...
.
Kent's final total of wartime victories included 13 aircraft destroyed, three probables and three damaged.
Postwar
Kent was then posted to Air HQ, British Forces of Occupation and in late 1946 he became the Personal Staff Officer to Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Sir Sholto Douglas, the Commander-in-Chief and Military Governor of the
British Zone of occupied Germany.
Kent returned to flying duties as Chief Test Pilot at RAE Farnborough in 1948 and was involved until 1952 with many developments of military aviation, including the
de Havilland Dh 108 "Swallow" and
Avro 707. In August 1952, he assumed command of the RAF Station at
Odiham
Odiham () is a large historic village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The 2011 population was 4,406. The parish in 1851 had an area of 7,354 acres wi ...
, a fighter base operating
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
s. Subsequently, he was posted as Station Commander at
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...
, and in early 1956 accepted his final posting to
RAF Newton
Royal Air Force station Newton or more simply RAF Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and south west of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England. It was used briefly as a bomber base for s ...
as Station Commander.
On 1 December 1956, Kent retired from the RAF with the rank of group captain.
[Kent 2008, p. 235.] He joined Kelvin-Hughes Aviation Limited as sales manager. His first marriage in 1939 was dissolved and he remarried in 1948. His family with a son and two daughters lived at Hartley Wintney, Hants.
Kent died on 7 October 1985 in Woking, Surrey at the age of 71 years.
Quotes
"I cannot say how proud I am to have been privileged to help form and lead No. 303 squadron and later to lead such a magnificent fighting force as the Polish Wing. There formed within me in those days an admiration, respect and genuine affection for these really remarkable men which I have never lost. I formed friendship that are as firm as they were those twenty-five years ago and this I find most gratifying. We who were privileged to fly and fight with them will never forget and Britain must never forget how much she owes to the loyalty indomitable spirit and sacrifice of those Polish fliers. They were our staunchest Allies in our darkest days; may they always be remembered as such!"
In popular culture
Kent was portrayed by
Milo Gibson
Milo Gibson (born November 16, 1990) is an Australian actor. He is the son of Mel Gibson. He is known for his roles in '' All the Devil's Men'', '' Breaking & Exiting'', '' Gangster Land'', and '' Hacksaw Ridge''.
Biography
Gibson was born in A ...
in the 2018 film ''
Hurricane: 303 Squadron''.
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Bell, Kelly. "The Forgotten Few." ''Aviation History,'' May 2007.
* Bungay, Stephen. ''The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain.'' London: Aurum Press, 2000. .
*
Fiedler, Arkady.''Dywizjon 303''. London, Roy, 1942. ''Squadron 303: The Polish Fighter Squadron with the R.A.F. (English translation)''. New York: Roy, Publishers, 1943.
* Gray, Larry. ''Canada's World War II Aces: Heroic Pilots & Gunners of the Wartime Skies.'' Edmonton, Folklore publishing, 2006. .
* Gretzyngier, Robert. ''Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-Day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Operations, July 1940 – June 1941''. London: Grub Street, 2001. .
* Hess, William N. ''The Allied Aces of World War II.'' New York: Arco Publishing Co., 1966.
* Kent, Johnny. ''One of the Few: A Triumphant Story of Combat in the Battle of Britain.'' London: History Press Ltd, 2008, First Edition, 1971. .
* Ramsay, Winston, ed. ''The Battle of Britain Then and Now, Mk V.'' London: Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd, 1989. .
* Shores, Christopher. ''Fighter Aces''. London: Hamlyn Publishing, 1975. .
External links
John Alexander Kent "Johnny Kentowski"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, John
1914 births
1985 deaths
People from Winnipeg
Canadian aviators
Canadian World War II pilots
Canadian World War II flying aces
Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Air Force officers
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Few
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
Wing leaders
Canadian military personnel from Manitoba