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John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham (27 July 1917 – 21 July 2002) was a
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 ...
(RAF) night fighter ace 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 opposi ...
and a test pilot. During the war he was nicknamed "Cat's Eyes" by the British press to explain his successes and to avoid communicating the existence of airborne radar to the enemy. Cunningham was born in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...
, and as a teenager was keen on entering the aviation industry. Temporarily abiding by his father's wishes for him to avoid the military, he approached the
de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...
company and was accepted as an engineering candidate. Concurrently, he joined the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...
and became a member of No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron. Cunningham began his training in August 1935, flew solo in March 1936 and received his
wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...
in 1937. He gradually became an established test pilot, gaining considerable flying time on different types of aircraft. In August 1939 Cunningham rejoined his squadron, now equipped with a version of the
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
. His observer was
Jimmy Rawnsley Flight Lieutenant Cecil Frederick "Jimmy" Rawnsley (16 March 1904 – 12 February 1965) was a Royal Air Force night fighter observer radar operator and gunner during the Second World War. He flew many of his sorties with John "Cat's Eyes" Cunni ...
, who would serve as his gunner and radio operator for most of the war and contribute to all but three of his victories. In July 1940 the squadron was re-designated as a specialised night fighter unit and was amongst the first to receive airborne interception radar (AI). Cunningham was promoted to
squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
in September 1940. On the night of the 19 November 1940, Cunningham claimed his first victory. By the time
the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...
had ended in June 1941, he had destroyed 13 enemy aircraft and claimed three as probable victories, and two damaged. After a prolonged rest period, he was promoted to
wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
in 1942. He was also appointed to command
No. 85 Squadron RAF ("We hunt by day and night") , colors= , colors_label= Post-1950 aircraft insignia , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Western Front, 1917–1918; France & Low Countrie ...
, by which time his tally had reached 16 enemy aircraft destroyed. In 1943 and early 1944 he added a further four victories, one probable and one damaged. Cunningham's combat career ended with 20 aerial victories, three probable and six damaged. He spent the remainder of the conflict in various staff officer positions. By the end of the war in Europe in May 1945 he had attained the rank of
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 ...
. After the war Cunningham rejoined de Havilland and continued his test-pilot career. He flew the world's first
jet airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
, the
de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four d ...
, in 1949. He then flew commercial jets for a time in the early 1960s and continued flying in the industry until the late 1970s. He also worked for
British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
as executive director, retiring in 1980. In recognition of his wartime exploits and his contribution to civil aviation he was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
.


Early life

John Cunningham was born in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...
in south London on 27 July 1917. His father, Arthur Gillespie Cunningham, worked for the
Dunlop Rubber Company Dunlop Ltd. (formerly Dunlop Rubber) was a British multinational company involved in the manufacture of various natural rubber goods. Its business was founded in 1889 by Harvey du Cros and he involved John Boyd Dunlop who had re-invented and ...
at
Fort Dunlop Fort Dunlop (), is the common name of the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber in the Erdington district of Birmingham, England. It was established in 1917, and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers. At one ...
in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, and rose to the position of company secretary. In 1910 Arthur Cunningham married Evelyn Mary Spencer. Her family owned an engineering company in
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
which supplied heavy machinery to the fabric and textiles company
Courtaulds Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. It was established in 1794 and became the world's leading man-made fibre production company before being broken up in 1990 into Courtaulds ...
. In the 1920s, her grandfather was Mayor of Coventry. The family moved to Croydon. Cunningham had two elder sisters, Mary and Janet, and a younger brother, William. John attended Bowden House School, a preparatory school at
Seaford, East Sussex Seaford is a town in East Sussex, England, east of Newhaven and west of Eastbourne.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. In the Middle Ages, Sea ...
until he was nine years of age. He was subsequently a pupil at
Whitgift School ("He who perseveres, conquers") , established = , closed = , type = Independent school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head Master , head = Christopher Ramsey , c ...
, a public school in Croydon. In 1926, on a school holiday, he took a flight in an
Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...
. His experiences encouraged him to enter the officer's training corps at the school. A personal tragedy occurred in 1930 when his father died. Still, Cunningham did well at school, particularly in the mathematics field. He was keen on entering the aviation industry as a teenager.


de Havilland apprenticeship

At 18, he joined the
de Havilland Aircraft The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in He ...
company in 1935 as an apprentice. Cunningham began his engineering career with some menial projects before being invited to assist with the building of the de Havilland T.K.2 and de Havilland Moth Minor. At the same time, he joined the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...
, a part-time branch of the RAF, and became a member of No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron after a recommendation by a friend of the family. Cunningham began his training at
Hatfield Aerodrome Hatfield Aerodrome was a private airfield and aircraft factory located in the English town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire from 1930 until its closure and redevelopment in the 1990s. Early history Geoffrey de Havilland, pioneering aircraft des ...
in August 1935 and flew solo on 15 March 1936, receiving his commission as a
pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
on 7 May 1936. He was awarded his
wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...
in the summer of 1936. This was when he met Cecil F. "Jimmy" Rawnsley, a 32-year-old
electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
who would later serve as aerial gunner and radar operator on all but three of his successful air battles. Cunningham later became a junior test pilot with de Havilland, working with light aircraft alongside
Geoffrey de Havilland Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built, ...
, the company founder's son and chief test pilot. The company was short of test pilots and Cunningham caught the eye of de Havilland as his flight experience grew. It was reflected by his promotion to flying officer on 5 December 1937. At this time he began to care more for test-flying than manufacturing and design. He became one of de Havilland's four top test pilots. In March 1938 he was called to readiness with 604 Squadron during the
Munich crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Ger ...
. At this time the squadron was flying the Hawker Demon. He was displeased when they converted to the
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
. The machines were fitted with a tray of four 303 Browning machine guns to give forward-facing firepower. As a long-range fighter it was of dubious value. The German
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 ...
and
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 ...
could, and would, expose the frailties of the aircraft which was originally intended as a bomber. However, Cunningham was told by the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...
that it would be sufficient in the night fighter role, which is where they intended to use this variant. On 20 April 1938, he returned to de Havilland test-flying de Havilland Moth Minors. On 11 April 1939 he narrowly escaped with his life alongside Geoffrey de Havilland; both men parachuting to safety. They had taken a Moth Minor into the air to test its response to
spins The spins (as in having "the spins")Diane Marie Leiva. ''The Florida State University College of Education''Women's Voices on College Drinking: The First-Year College Experience"/ref> is an adverse reaction of intoxication that causes a state of v ...
. The prototypes had an anti-spin parachute but preceding tests had been carried out without the need to resort to the safety measure. Geoffrey put the aircraft into a left-hand spin which was recovered. Climbing back to 8,000 feet the aircraft was put into it a right-hand spin. The engine cut out, the nose reared-up and the aircraft
stalled ''Stalled'' is a 2013 British zombie comedy film directed by Christian James. It stars Dan Palmer, who also wrote the screenplay, as a man confined to a bathroom stall after zombies attack. Produced by Richard Kerrigan and Daniel Pickering, the f ...
and entered a flat spin. When de Havilland's recovery efforts failed, both decided to parachute out. Once they had done so the lightened Moth lowered its nose and recovered from the spin. The engine ignition had been left on and the wind-milling propeller started the engine. The aircraft began circling the descending airmen at dangerously close range. Fortunately it descended at a faster rate and was destroyed when it hit the ground. Cunningham casually took pictures of the wreckage and his parachute which exemplified his cool nature. In response to the Nazi–Soviet pact on 23 August 1939, the RAF mobilised. Cunningham had been test-flying the
de Havilland Dragon The de Havilland DH.84 Dragon is a successful small commercial aircraft that was designed and built by the de Havilland company. Design and construction Following the commercial success of its single-engined de Havilland Fox Moth that had f ...
airliner. Only 16 were completed before the declaration of war in September. The growing tension in Europe made war more likely. Cunningham was forced to commit himself either to de Havilland or the RAF at this juncture. The RAF had trained him and he felt he could be of far more use in the RAF than test-flying aircraft.


Second World War

In August 1939 Cunningham rejoined his squadron which had been equipped with a version of the Bristol Blenheim. He was not enthusiastic about the aircraft. The turret had been eliminated to reduce weight and increase speed, but the flying suits and cockpit were not heated, which caused discomfort to the crews over the winter period. The radios were too short in range which caused communication problems. The Blenheim's cockpit windshield was made up of several panes and was difficult to clean. It was also liable to reflect light, which made cooperation with searchlights hazardous. Lastly, problems were encountered with blind-flying instruments. The squadron incurred some losses owing to the inexperience of crews flying patrols over the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
from
RAF North Weald North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome, in the civil parish of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Stat ...
in
Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
, a number of them a result of the difficulties with the aircraft. In January 1940 604 moved to
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 = , owner ...
and flew Blenheims adorned in the
Finnish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = 159 , equipment_label ...
''
Swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...
'' to
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
via
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
to assist the country after the Soviet invasion. Cunningham was promoted to
flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers, commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) RAF officer ranks, system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. I ...
on 12 March 1940. In April the squadron flew as escort for a
De Havilland Flamingo The de Havilland DH.95 Flamingo was a British twin-engined high-wing monoplane airliner first flown on 22 December 1938. During the Second World War some were used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a transport and general communications dut ...
carrying
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
,
First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
, to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
to attend a meeting after the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. Most of the unit's time during the
Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...
was spent in intensive training over
the Wash The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the riv ...
which included co-operation with searchlights and mine-laying operations. On 15 May, 604 relocated to
RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpo ...
. From the airfield Cunningham flew sorties over the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...
and patrols over Dunkirk as the Battle for France intensified. Cunningham made no recorded contact with the enemy and France capitulated on 25 June.


Night squadron

On 26 July 1940 the squadron was re-designated a specialised night fighter unit. The squadron was amongst the first to receive airborne interception radar (AI). 604 was sent a number of AI Mk. IV radar sets. Jimmy Rawnsley, Cunningham's friend and crew-mate, saw this as an opportunity to join a program which promised a bright future. Rawnsley retrained as a radar operator and would re-join Cunningham in January 1941. In the intervening period the squadron was frequently frustrated by the limitations of the Blenheim. Even with the "magic boxes", they were too slow to catch any of the German bombers if the enemy was given the slightest advantage. Cunningham flew with 604 on the night of the 18/19 June when the Luftwaffe flew its first major operation in the
Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness Greatness is a concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than al ...
area. No victories were claimed in the summer 1940. Cunningham was promoted to acting
squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
in September 1940, commanding B Flight. Within the month the unit received the heavily armed and powerful
Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...
. After the commanding officer, Cunningham was the second man to fly it. The Beaufighter went through a teething stage in relation to its gun sight. The sight projected a ring of light with a spot at the centre onto a small sheet of glass directly in front of the pilots head. The spot in the centre provided the aiming point, and the ring, of variable diameter, helped him to judge the range and amount of deflection needed to attack a target. The light's brilliance was adjustable by rheostat, but the control was ineffective. Rotating it a fraction could produce maximum brilliance or cause the spot to flicker out. Air Marshal
Sholto Douglas Sholto Douglas was the mythical progenitor of Clan Douglas, a powerful and warlike family in medieval Scotland. A mythical battle took place: "in 767, between King '' Solvathius'' rightful king of Scotland and a pretender ''Donald Bane''. The vic ...
formed the "Night Fighting Committee" and met regularly at
Bentley Priory Bentley Priory is an eighteenth to nineteenth century stately home and deer park in Stanmore on the northern edge of the Greater London area in the London Borough of Harrow. It was originally a medieval priory or cell of Augustinian Canons in ...
to discuss operational problems. As an experienced aviator, Cunningham was invited to attend.
Henry Tizard Sir Henry Thomas Tizard (23 August 1885 – 9 October 1959) was an English chemist, inventor and Rector of Imperial College, who developed the modern "octane rating" used to classify petrol, helped develop radar in World War II, and led the fir ...
invited Cunningham to air his views at the meeting. Tizard referred him 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 UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
to meet
Arnold Alexander Hall Sir Arnold Alexander Hall FRS FRAeS (23 April 1915 – 9 January 2000) was an English aeronautical engineer, scientist and industrialist. Early life Hall was born in Liverpool, and attended Alsop High School in Walton, before going to ...
, a gun sight expert. With his engineering expertise and Cunningham's assessment of the issue, Hall ironed out the inadequacies in the design. Hall later became Cunningham's managing director at
Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...
twenty years later. Cunningham also worked with ground control of interception (GCI) carrying out various exercises. He made the acquaintance of
Philip Joubert de la Ferté Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la Ferté, (21 May 1887 – 21 January 1965) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1930s and the Second World War. Early life Joubert de la Ferté was born in Darjeeling, India t ...
, (Chief of the Air Staff), who dropped in on 604 as well as Douglas—the two men were always keen to hear the experiences of the crew. The AI sets added to Beaufighters were the first to be mass-produced. The operating frequency was 190 to 195 MHz with a wavelength of 1.5 metres. The equipment consisted of a receiver, transmitter, control panel, modulator, indicator unit and a system of fixed dipole aerials. On the nose the aerial was a double arrowhead shape with a pair of azimuth aerials protruding above and below the leading edge of each wing between the cannon and the wingtip. A pair of elevation aerials were located above and below the wing surfaces near the RAF roundel on the starboard side. The indicator display consisted of two
cathode ray tube A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms ( oscilloscope), ...
s. They displayed elevation and azimuth bearing. The set had a range-limitation of four miles (circa 20,000 feet). The minimum range of detection was usually around 400 feet. At closer ranges the target merged with the transmission pulse and was obscured. At altitudes below 1,000 feet, the returns from ground objects would swamp the tubes. Operators like Rawnsley were left to do a fair amount of guesswork. No scales or calibration markings were put on early sets. The position and heading of the enemy in the azimuth plane, its height, and its range had to be guessed. At least the GCI could bring the Beaufighter well within range of the target, usually a mile or so behind the bomber. The Cunningham–Rawnsley team used the AI specifically to position themselves directly astern and underneath the enemy. Although the German bombers carried a dorsal gunner, it was difficult to locate an enemy against the black colour of the landscape. Usually the blackness of the country would swallow up the outline of an approaching night fighter. As they approached, the slipstream of the enemy could prove hazardous; bucking the Beaufighter and throwing the pilot off his aim. Approaching from slightly below allowed the attacking pilot to avoid the slipstream. The tactics allowed for Cunningham to close the range and fire first, which was usually sufficient to end the engagement quickly and successfully. Bob Braham, a rival night fighter ace, also used this tactic.


"Cat's Eyes"

Throughout the summer, Cunningham and 604 had to sit idle and frustrated as 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 ...
raged. By the autumn, the battle subsided. Having failed to gain
air superiority Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of com ...
the Luftwaffe now resolved to bomb British ports and industries. The change in German strategy began
The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...
phase of the aerial campaign. On the night of the 19/20 November 1940 the Luftwaffe raided Birmingham. The Germans hoped to follow up their attacks on the West Midlands after a highly effective raid against Coventry on 14 November 1940. Pathfinders from (Battle Group 100) led 369 aircraft from (KG 26—Bomber Wing 26), (KG 54), and (KG 55) to the city. Cunningham took off this night from RAF Middle Wallop in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
to patrol north of London. When the direction of the raid was known he was ordered to proceed to the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, L ...
. GCI vectored Cunningham and his temporary radar operator John Phillipson—a former ground radar operator—onto an enemy aircraft, but the crew were forced much further westward. Search lights attracted their attention and Phillipson was able to make a contact and guide him. Soon visual confirmation was made. A tell-tale sign of an aircraft was a blank patch of sky surrounded by a cluster of stars. Keeping in the enemy's blind spot, he flew below it and adjusted his speed to match the German pilot. After closing the range as much as he dared, he fired with all four cannons, downing the
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 ...
, which exploded upon hitting the ground near Wittering, Cambridgeshire at 00:35. Cunningham's victim, 3./KG 54 Ju 88 flown by Kaspar Sondermeister, was not claimed as destroyed. However, after interrogation of the two German survivors who affirmed the circumstances, Cunningham was granted the victory. Cunningham had to wait a month for his next victory on 23 December 1940. (KG 1) sent 100 bombers led by 100 to attack Manchester. GCI vectored Cunningham onto the enemy aircraft. It was not yet dark and Cunningham identified the machine as a
Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a " wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after t ...
. Flying at 15,000 feet, he saw the Heinkel above the Beaufighter at 16,500 feet. Cunningham engaged the enemy 50 miles south of
West Lulworth West Lulworth is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated on the English Channel beside Lulworth Cove. In the 2011 census the civil parish—which includes most of Lulworth Camp army base—had 291 households and a ...
. The enemy climbed to 19,000 feet. Following, Cunningham opened fire at 200–300 yards. The He 111 was engulfed in fire. The bomber was high enough for the crew to jettison the bombs and incendiaries and glide to France where it crash-landed at
Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Febr ...
. Two of Georg Deininger's crew were wounded. The 3./KGr 100 machine was written off. The crew were unaware they had been a victim of a night-fighter. They supposed they had been shot down by a flak ship. On 2 January 1941, Cunningham nearly added a third. The Germans attacked Cardiff in the city's heaviest raid of the war. Cunningham engaged an He 111 with an even spread of three aerial masts along its rear fuselage—indicative of a pathfinder. He expended all the Beaufighter's ammunition against it from the working cannons—one cannon jammed. It dived into clouds at at an angle of 50 degrees. A 2./KGr 100 machine returned to France with a wounded gunner and Cunningham received credit for a probable victory. On 12 January he claimed a damaged He 111—his first with operator Jimmy Rawnsley. Cunningham was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 28 January 1941 for his achievements, including 25 night sorties. On 9 February, upon the invitation of
Charles Portal Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, (21 May 1893 – 22 April 1971) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as a bomber pilot in the First World War, and rose to become fi ...
, Chief of the Air Staff and Sholto Douglas, Cunningham arrived at the Air Ministry. He was ordered to report to Geoffrey de Havilland at Hatfield, though neither of the senior officers would say why. When Cunningham met Geoffrey de Havilland he was summoned to a hangar. It was the first time Cunningham had laid eyes on the
de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden ...
. Cunningham flew ''W4050''—the prototype—on 9 February 1941. He was greatly impressed by the "lightness of the controls and generally pleasant handling characteristics"; Cunningham concluded that when the type was fitted with AI equipment, it would be a perfect replacement for the Bristol Beaufighter. Cunningham claimed a third victory on 15 February 1941. The Luftwaffe carried out air attacks on
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
and
Humberside Humberside () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, We ...
. Over
Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...
,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, he engaged a He 111 from (KG 27). It crashed outside
Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...
. The bomber, 1G+FR, belonging to 7./KG 27 was completely destroyed. ''
Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...
'' Eberhard Beckmann and his crew were killed. The fifth victory eluded Cunningham for some time. On 12 March he was twice vectored onto enemy aircraft by Rawnsley. He could only claim a Ju 88 and He 111 damaged. On the night of the 3 April 1941 he accounted for his fourth enemy aircraft. Although claimed as a He 111, the identity of the aircraft was likely the Ju 88 A-5, ("factory number") 4224, code V4+AR of 7./KG 1 on a mission to raid
Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Es ...
. Ernst Menge and his crew; Wilhelm Hahn, Robert König, and Wilhelm Schreiber posted
missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...
.The Kracker Luftwaffe Archive: Axis Powers Pilots and Crew
Retrieved: 17 October 2014
On the night of the 7 April he became a fighter ace. A He 111 of 9./KG 26 was intercepted as its bombers attacked Portsmouth and
Portland Harbour Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. Construction of the harbour began in 1849; when completed in 1872, its surface area made it the largest man-made harbour in the world, and remai ...
. Erwin Hartmann crashed into the Channel with his crew. A
No. 87 Squadron RAF No. 87 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War and Second World War. World War I 87 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was first formed on 1 September 1917 at Upavon from elements of the Central Flyi ...
pilot,
Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior Officer (armed forces)#Commissioned officers, commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) RAF officer ranks, system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. I ...
Derek Harland Ward Derek Harland Ward, (31 July 1917 – 17 June 1942) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with six confirmed victories and one probable. Born in Whangarei, New Zealand, Ward jo ...
claimed the victory as he saw a glow which he fired at before it hit the sea. However, Cunningham was credited with the victory as the Heinkel was about to crash. The 87 Squadron war diary acknowledged the fact in its entry for that night. Two nights later, on 9 April, he accounted for another He 111 followed by another plus a probable victory on 11 April. It is possible his victim on the later mission was He 111 P-2, 2002, 1G+HT of 9./KG 27. Pilot Leo Roth and crew members Wilhelm Franke, and Walter Rüggeberg and Fritz Unterieser were killed. A pilot from 307 Squadron also claimed the machine which crashed at Prowers Farm,
Lydlinch __NOTOC__ Lydlinch is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset, England, about west of Sturminster Newton. The village is sited on Oxford clay close to the small River Lydden. The parish – which includes the village of ...
,
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
at 01:35. One 8./KG 55 He 111 was lost with its crew over the Channel and a Stab./KG 26 machine was lost over northern France when the crew abandoned their damaged aircraft. Cunningham's comrade in 604, Roderick Aeneas Chisholm, accounted for a 5./KG 54 Ju 88 near Portsmouth. On 15 April Cunningham was to have his most successful night, shooting down three bombers (victories no. 8–10). On patrol near the south coast he engaged a He 111 over
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...
which he shot down with only 40 rounds. He returned to Middle Wallop only to be sent on patrol for a second sortie. He took off and headed south, towards
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. GCI was too busy to employ him and he was granted a request to investigate a searchlight cone towards Marlborough. Rawnsley directed him to attack and he duly shot down the He 111 which crashed into derelict houses in Southampton. He was sent by GCI after another enemy but lost the contact, appearing over Southampton again he spotted yet another He 111 in the moonlight. He closed to 80 yards and shot it down. It crashed in the area of
Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a car ferry service operated by Wightlink. It is within the ...
. Cunningham's 9th victory was 2857, code G1+ES, belonging to 8./KG 55. The Heinkel, piloted by ''
Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Tr ...
'' Günther von Seidlitz, crashed onto No. 10–12 Padwell Road, Southampton at 02:00. Seidlitz and Franz Hümmer were killed in action and Horst Rosenberg and Herbert Sauer were taken
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of ...
. In April, having shot down at least ten aircraft in night-fighting operations, Cunningham was decorated with his first
Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...
(DSO). On 3 May Cunningham accounted for another Heinkel. Four nights later on 7 May 1941 Cunningham achieved a victory—his 12th—in front of
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
. Sholto Douglas accompanied the King when he appeared at Danebury Hill, not far from Middle Wallop. The King met Cunningham and Rawnsley, congratulated the airmen on their success and asked Cunningham to get another on that night. The King then was driven to the GCI station
Sopley Sopley is a village and civil parish situated in the New Forest National Park of Hampshire, England. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch to Ringwood, on the east bank of the River Avon. The parish extends east as far as Thorny Hil ...
outside
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...
to tour the facility. Eager to impress the King, Cunningham drove to dispersal and prepared to go on patrol. The Luftwaffe attacked Liverpool which took their flight path over 604's patrol area. Cunningham took off and intercepted a He 111 north of Bournemouth. The controller asked the King to go outside as they may have the opportunity of witnessing the battle. Although they did not see it, the King heard the results; the roar of engines and rattle of cannon fire. The Heinkel, from 7./KG 27, 1639 code IG+DR, eventually crashed near Andersea Farm south of
RAF Weston Zoyland RAF Westonzoyland is one of the country's oldest airfields being established in the early 1920s. Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Bridgwater; about west-southwest of London. It was opened in 1925 ...
at 23:30. Pilot Heinz Laschinski and Otto Willrich survived though the pilot was badly burned. Flight Engineer Fritz Klemm and Heinz Schier were killed by gunfire. On the night of the 31 May/1 June 1941 he accounted for another He 111 as the Luftwaffe completed its last major raid of the Blitz. It was one of 24 German bombers lost on that night. The following morning Cunningham was promoted to temporary squadron leader.


Propaganda

In early 1941 the British press, with permission from the Air Ministry, was allowed to approach Cunningham and write about his experiences. One of the motivating reasons for the lack of censorship was morale. In the early stages of the Blitz, the perception among the civilian population was that the Germans could attack at will over Britain during the night. The publication of Cunningham's exploits were an attempt to assure the public the RAF was fighting back and imposing losses upon the Luftwaffe. Cunningham was singled out for attention for this purpose, though Rawnsley's contribution to his success was virtually ignored. The Air Ministry did not want to allow the enemy to learn of their airborne radar. German night fighters would not be equipped with such devices on a large scale until much later. A legend was created to explain his successes instead. As the first night fighter ace, they were allowed to publish his picture. The captions read that his eyesight was so exceptional it allowed him to see in the dark with the same visually ability as a domestic cat. It was also said that his diet of carrots provided him with
vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably ...
which allowed him to maintain excellent night-vision. The ensuing public adulation was detested by Cunningham, but he accepted the "Cats-Eyes" tag as a necessary deception. The propaganda story served its purpose for the populace when it was released to the public in January 1941. The success of night defences also told the Germans the RAF was either improving its techniques, or it had something new. The premier night fighter aces in the RAF—Cunningham, Braham and
Branse Burbridge Wing Commander Bransome Arthur "Branse" Burbridge, (4 February 1921 – 1 November 2016) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighter pilot and flying ace—a pilot credited with at least five enemy aircraft destroyed—who holds the Allied record ...
—did not appreciate press attention. In the case of Cunningham and Burbridge, this may have stemmed from deeper religious convictions about combat and killing. Burbridge became a priest during the war and neither he nor Cunningham cooperated with biographers when approached to have their exploits described in print after the war. During the war, Braham also shunned the lime-light. The ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'', asked to interview him but he declined. Much to Braham's embarrassment, his father gave interviews about his famous son in 1943. When no stories were forthcoming, the newspapers soon lost interest. Braham and Cunningham were certainly aware of each other as a result of the press attention and a competitive rivalry developed. In his book ''Scramble'', Braham mentioned with pride the night he surpassed Cunningham's score permanently.


Wing commander

The dynamics of the air war changed in June 1941. The German invasion of the Soviet Union,
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...
, opened up the Eastern Front. The German bomber force was heavily committed to the theatre. The escalation of the fighting in the Mediterranean and North African theatres also diverted German air strength. The operations of the Luftwaffe over Britain changed dramatically. Small numbers of bombers would make hit-and-run attacks on selected targets near the coast for the remainder of 1941, replacing the mass raids of the preceding autumn and winter. Cunningham used the decline in the pace of operations to train new crews. Cunningham's practice of leadership was different from his day-fighter counterparts. A day unit would fly in formation together, engage the enemy together, communicate by radio and follow the directions and example of their commanding officer in combat. Cunningham was not in a position to lead in this way. The night fighter was a lone hunter. When it took off the crew would operate alone in the air. Instead, he could ensure proficiency in battle only by teaching his men to master their aircraft and AI. He was constantly in touch with scientists and tracked new developments. He also took up new crews in the Beaufighter to generate confidence in the machine. Night pilots had to learn to fly on instruments alone, in adverse weather conditions and for sustained periods. Rawnsley contributed with the use of AI and mock-interception using target aircraft were flown regularly. Cunningham still flew on operations. Flying the new Beaufighter II powered by Merlin engines on an interception in July, he was hit by return fire from a He 111. The engines spluttered and one caught fire. Already far out to sea he flew back to base, extinguished the fire and made a wheels-down landing. The following month he had greater success. On the night of the 22 August 1941 he intercepted two He 111s. One was claimed as damaged but the second was confirmed. The Heinkel He 111, an H-5 model, ''Werknummer'' 4081, coded F8+BS belonging to 8./''
Kampfgeschwader 40 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 40 (KG 40) was a Luftwaffe medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II, and the primary maritime patrol unit of any size within the World War II Luftwaffe. It is best remembered as the unit operating a majority of the four-eng ...
'' (KG 40), fell into the sea north-west of
Wells-next-the-Sea Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England. The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
at 22:05. ''
Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a German, Swiss and Austrian military rank that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an enlisted soldier, airman or sailor could be promoted.Duden; D ...
'' G. Dohmen, H. Hädrich, and K. Dändel were never found. The body of Rudolf Faath was washed ashore at Burnham Overy on 31 August. On 1 September Cunningham caught and downed a Ju 88—his 15th victory. He was awarded a bar to his DFC on 19 September, by which time he was an acting
wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
. The winter 1941–42 passed by with relative inactivity. In the spring 1942, Arthur Harris began his campaign over Germany in earnest with an attack by
RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...
upon
Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...
.
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
, enraged by the attack, ordered the Luftwaffe to begin retaliatory strikes which began the so-called
Baedeker Blitz The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, inclu ...
. On 4 April Cunningham engaged and damaged a Baedeker raider He 111 pathfinder operating over
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
. It was able to escape into cloud. KGr 100, the specialist German pathfinder unit, was now operating with new navigational aids which allowed them to fly through and navigate in thick cloud and rain. They deliberately operated whenever the weather proved more difficult for night fighters. Nevertheless, Cunningham made an interception on the night of the 23 May 1942. Attempting his usual tactic, the British crew approached from behind and below. Suddenly the Heinkel lurched into a tight left-hand turn allowing the gunners to fire a broad-side. The bomber disappeared into the mist. Cunningham asked GCI for help. They tracked the Heinkel flying north near
Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
. Engaging again the German pilot managed to turn into a head-on position and dive past almost upside down. He continually evaded Cunningham by turning in underneath him at near-impossible angles. Cunningham and Rawnsley came to understand they were not dealing with a novice. Soon a turning match began and then the German attempted to escape by twisting and diving. Cunningham forced him down to 900 feet but Rawnsley and GCI lost contact when the ground clutter hid the Heinkel's signal. Cunningham returned to base. News soon came through the He 111 had crashed onto the slopes on
Cranborne Chase Cranborne Chase () is an area of central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The area is dominated by ...
. Apparently, the Heinkel had broken through the clouds at only a hundred feet and dived vertically into the ground near the isolated village of Alvediston at 17:05. Intelligence later determined that the machine was a He 111H-6, ''Werknummer'' 4627, code 6N+FR, from 7./KGr 100. The bomber disintegrated upon impact. The pilot, ''
Staffelkapitän ''Staffelkapitän'' is a position (not a rank) in flying units ( ''Staffel'') of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a ''Staffelkapitän'' is of '' Oberstleutnant'' or ''Major'' rank. In the ...
'' ("squadron leader") ''
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' Siegried Langer was killed along with his crew; ''Oberfeldwebel'' G. Schmidt, ''Feldwebel'' D. Hoffmann, P. Gaidies and ''Gefreiter'' W. Worring. It was a unique victory for Cunningham. He had not fired his guns in the 150-minute chase. Following the episode Cunningham was promoted to temporary wing commander on 1 June 1942, and following the downing of his 16th enemy aircraft, received a bar to his DSO on 24 July for, among other feats, "destroying an enemy aircraft without firing a single bullet...by diving through cloud at great speed, drove the enemy aircraft to the ground." Cunningham and Rawnsley were soon ordered to staff positions. Before they departed Middle Wallop and 604, they had a chance to test the new 4-inch (10 cm)
AI Mk. VIII radar Radar, Airborne Interception, Mark VIII, or AI Mk. VIII for short, was the first operational microwave-frequency air-to-air radar. It was used by Royal Air Force night fighters from late 1941 until the end of World War II. The basic concept, u ...
which had a range of two or three miles (3–5 kilometres). The new radar was a radical improvement. All the information was displayed on a single tube. The ground echo was reduced but could still be seen on screen when flying low, but it did not interfere with the overall picture. Cunningham was to take over as director of all training units from Rory Chisholm who left 604 to become a staff officer at group headquarters. Rawnsley was due to take an instructors job at 62
Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ;No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 OTU): The Unit was formed in 1 ...
(OTU) at
Usworth Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland district of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the Washington family, which George Washington descended from. It is located between Ch ...
. Cunningham managed to persuade the CAS to deploy him to headquarters at No. 81 Group RAF, the training organisation for
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 ...
. Rawnsley was also promoted to squadron leader and was awarded the DFC and
Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional va ...
(DFM). The pair remained grounded for six months until January 1943.


Last tour

Cunningham was allowed back onto operations. He was given command of
No. 85 Squadron RAF ("We hunt by day and night") , colors= , colors_label= Post-1950 aircraft insignia , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Western Front, 1917–1918; France & Low Countrie ...
, equipped with the de Havilland Mosquito NF.II based at
Hunsdon Hunsdon is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is around east of Ware and north-west of Harlow. The population of the village taken at the 2011 Census was 1,080. See also * Baron Hunsdon * Hunsdon Airfield *The Hundred ...
. He selected Jimmy Rawnsley as his operator. The radar set displayed the entire picture. A small cathode-ray tube set on the left side of the instrument panel gave Cunningham a composite image. The duo decided Rawnsley should control the interception in the initial stages until they reached a point where the enemy could take evasive action. Then Cunningham would take over while Rawnsley would call out the ranges and free the pilot from looking at his ray-tube. On the night of the 3 March 1943 the Luftwaffe was active again. Cunningham scrambled too late to get contact by GCI. Searchlights operated in a box-shape, separated by evenly spaced markers and he climbed towards a box. Each fighter was given a box and flew to its allotted marker beacon. There he orbited until the lights illuminated a target or formed a cone where he could pick up an AI contact. Soon he had a contact — a
Dornier Do 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bombe ...
; he closed in but his cannons jammed. After he had sat behind the Dornier for some time and trying in vain to encourage the guns to fire, the German crew suddenly became aware of his presence and dived away. Cunningham was furious, three-quarters of the squadron got airborne but only he had seen an enemy. Unsatisfied with ground- and aircrews, he used his influence in the small night-fighter community to bring in personnel from his old unit, 604, which was languishing in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
. With the new VIII radar a uniform facility, Cunningham took over a Mosquito NF.XII—the first Mosquito to have a smooth "bluff" nose dome over the dish antenna. At this time the Luftwaffe was sending increased numbers of
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...
fighters over England, at night and at low-level. They were able to hit coastal targets and their speed and agility meant they were difficult to intercept. The German pilots were disadvantaged in some respects; there was a lack of night-flying experience in these units, the Fw 190s did not carry radar and had a short range. Aside from a small mirror, the pilot could not always see behind him well enough at night. On 16 May 1943 the Fw 190s lost four and probably a fifth to 85 Squadron. On 13 June 1943 Cunningham intercepted a Fw 190 not far from his airfield at
West Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a N ...
. The GCI controller telephoned the crew-room to notify them the commanding officer was closing on an enemy aircraft heading to London. They heard both aircraft and the brief burst of fire followed by the explosion. To his amazement, Cunningham later learned the pilot— Ullrich from 3./ (Fast Bomber Wing 10—SKG 10)—was thrown through the canopy as the Fw 190A-5, , 840047 code CO+LT, fell earthwards. He opened his parachute and with a broken arm, was picked up by a searchlight crew. On the night of the 23 August a Fw 190 was claimed off
Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.
and on 8/9 September 1943, a Fw 190A-5 off Aldeburgh proved his 19th victory and the last claim of Cunningham for that year. The Fw 190 was seen to crash into the sea by the Coastguard. Cunningham achieved his 20th and final air victory on the night of the 2/3 January 1944. He chased a
Messerschmitt Me 410 The Messerschmitt Me 410 ''Hornisse'' (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and ''Schnellbomber'' used by the ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. Though an incremental improvement of the Me 210, it had a new wing plan, longer fuselage and engin ...
to France, near
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...
before shooting it down. The machine, 017, Code U5+FE, belonging to 14./ (KG 2), crashed at Marquise. Helmut Schülze and Heinz Beger were killed. In January 1944 the Luftwaffe initiated
Operation Steinbock Operation Steinbock (german: Unternehmen Steinbock), sometimes called the Baby Blitz, was a strategic bombing campaign by the German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) during the Second World War. It targeted southern England and lasted from January to M ...
. Cunningham filed two claims during the offensive which lasted until May 1944. On the night of the 20/21 February 1944 he claimed a
Junkers Ju 188 The Junkers Ju 188 was a German ''Luftwaffe'' high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-up to the Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of i ...
damaged at 22:09 near
Staplehurst Staplehurst is a town and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England, south of the town of Maidstone and with a population of 6,003. The town lies on the route of a Roman road, which is now incorporated into the course of the A ...
. A Ju 188 was lost and its destruction was attributed to another pilot. On the night of the 23/24 February he claimed a probable victory against another Ju188 off
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative area of Eastbourne Borough Council which owns the land, formi ...
. One Ju 188E-1 landed at Coulommiers after surviving an attack by a night fighter. ''Werknummer'' 260222, code U5+AN from 5./KG 2 returned with two crewmen injured—''Unteroffizier'' Johann Triebel and Wihelm Spönemann. During these missions Cunningham was nearly shot down. Closing in on a Ju188 from astern, the gunners suddenly opened fire and the Junkers took evasive manoeuvres. A round struck the windscreen, nearly shattering it. Glass fragments struck Cunningham in the face which were later removed in a field hospital. Later, a captured German crew told intelligence officers Neptun, a new radar, was being used in the rear of German aircraft to detect night fighters. Bombers thus became more difficult to surprise. Cunningham's last encounter with the enemy in 1944 was in pursuit of a Me 410. He had to give up when his windscreen iced over near the French coast. On 3 March 1944 he was awarded another bar to his DSO. The citation saying "his iron determination and unswerving devotion to duty have set an example beyond praise". On 11 April 1944, Cunningham was decorated by the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
with the
Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...
, 1st Class.


Group captain

In March 1944 Cunningham relinquished command of 85 Squadron. He was appointed
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 ...
in command of Night Operations at
No. 11 Group RAF No. 11 Group is a group in the Royal Air Force first formed in 1918. It had been formed and disbanded for various periods during the 20th century before disbanding in 1996 and reforming again in 2018. Its most famous service was in 1940 in the Ba ...
. At 26 he was one of the youngest to hold that rank. Air Marshal Roderick Hill asked him to report to de Havilland in company with Adolph Malan. They were to test-fly the
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...
. Cunningham commented that the machine would make an ideal night fighter. Although he was not familiar with the workings of the
de Havilland Goblin The de Havilland Goblin, originally designated as the Halford H-1, is an early turbojet engine designed by Frank Halford and built by de Havilland. The Goblin was the second British jet engine to fly, after Whittle's Power Jets W.1, and the ...
turbojet, he recommended that if the cockpit was extended to allow for a navigator and the fuel tanks were enlarged, the type could make a formidable interceptor. While test-flying, Cunningham and Rawnsley carried out a sortie over
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
from
RAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Uxbridge, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, occupying a site that originally belonged to the Hillingdon House estate. The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, three years ...
. They overflew the British sector on the 9 June 1944 as the
Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) is the name given to fighting between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the larger Battle of Normandy. The battles ...
began. They were vectored onto enemy aircraft but were unable to hold their contacts. On 13 June 1944 the
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany ...
offensive began and Cunningham was tasked with assisting with their interception. He also coordinated his efforts with
No. 100 Group RAF No. 100 (Bomber Support) Group was a special duties group within RAF Bomber Command. The group was formed on 11 November 1943 to consolidate the increasingly complex business of electronic warfare and countermeasures in one organisation. The gr ...
, which were engaged in intruder operations over occupied Europe. Cunningham was concerned at using Mosquitoes for intercepting V-1s because of the dangers of the bomb exploding and damaging the attacking fighter. One of his former commanding officers and current Group Captain Edward Crew—an ace with 15 enemy aircraft and 31 V-1s shot down—was forced to bail out when the nose of his Mosquito was split open. The operations did not last long and by August 1944 the Mosquitoes were back on bomber support missions. He was promoted to wing commander (war-substantive) on 1 September 1944. Towards the end of the war he spent most of his time flying throughout Europe and meeting various commanding officers and units. He took advantage of his position to fly other types he had not had the chance to operate. He flew
Supermarine Spitfires 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 Gri ...
frequently on such trips. Soon after the
Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
he took leave to visit his mother in Ireland. She was staying with his sister Mary, (and his niece) whose husband had been killed in action at
Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and '' comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Isl ...
in Italy. He remained with 11 Group until the capitulation of Germany on 8 May 1945. In July 1945 he was sent to the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...
. A group was created which was a collection of RAF forces that were to be used to recover
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
from the Japanese. Cunningham and Rawnsley flew out to
Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
via
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
,
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
,
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
and
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. Soon after they arrived they learned of the atomic attacks against Japan. On 2 September 1945, Japan surrendered and the Second World War was over. Cunningham was offered a permanent commission in the RAF but he feared his career, if he stayed, would become mired in administration, policy-making, staff courses, and committees. It would mean flying would become a secondary occupation. He decided to return to de Havilland. The company had asked the RAF to release him the previous summer but had been refused. He was formally de-mobilised in November 1945 and re-joined de Havilland on 1 December.


Post-war activities

Cunningham relinquished his RAF commission officially on 1 August 1946, retaining the rank of group captain, but remaining in the re-constituted Auxiliary Air Force with the permanent rank of squadron leader. He reformed his old auxiliary squadron at the request of the
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...
in 1946 but took no active part in its running, serving as a reserve officer in the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...
until his retirement as a reserve squadron leader on 1 August 1967. At de Havilland he was awarded a salary of £1,500 in a company that had expanded enormously during the war. The number of employees rose from 5,000 to 38,000. The turnover of the company had gone from £1.5 million before the war to £25 million and was now supported by around 100 factories. Cunningham took the title of chief test pilot of the
de Havilland Engine Company The de Havilland Engine Company was an offshoot of the de Havilland aircraft building company, which started life as the 'Engine Division of the de Havilland Aircraft Company' in 1926 producing the famous de Havilland Gipsy aero-engine. The co ...
under the supervision of
Geoffrey de Havilland Jr Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland Jr., OBE (18 February 1910 – 27 September 1946) was a British test pilot. He was the son of Geoffrey de Havilland, the English aviation pioneer and aircraft designer. Early life Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland was b ...
. Cunningham served as a pilot and consultant in a series of deals with the
Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the e ...
and
Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army an ...
. Both countries were keen to employ him but Cunningham visited only to deliver and advise on the
de Havilland Vampire The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...
and British airborne radar design. In 1990 the Swiss presented him with the spade-grip from the control column mounted on a wooden stand when they withdrew the last of their Vampires. When the Swedes retired the aircraft type in 1997 he was invited to celebrate its 50 years of Swedish service. On 27 September 1946 Geoffrey de Havilland Jr was killed test-flying the DH.108 Swallow over the
Thames estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
. Cunningham had taken off at the same time to deliver the first Vampire in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Cunningham only learned the next morning, from Swiss newspapers at breakfast in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
, that de Havilland was missing. Cunningham knew the family well and contacted de Havilland's father, whose other son
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
had been killed in a collision while flying a Mosquito in 1943. With the agreement of de Havilland senior, Cunningham took over Geoffrey Jr.'s post at £2,000 per year. In March 1948 he set a world
flight altitude record This listing of flight altitude records are the records set for the highest aeronautical flights conducted in the atmosphere, set since the age of ballooning. Some, but not all of the records were certified by the non-profit international avia ...
of 59,430 feet (18,114 metres) in a Ghost-powered Vampire. The flight lasted for 45 minutes, reaching 50,000 feet in 13.5 minutes. The following year he went on to test the
de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four d ...
, the world's first
jet airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
which first flew in 1949. On 23 May 1952 he flew the Comet—now a highly successful export—carrying the recently widowed
Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...
and
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
on a four-hour tour around the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. At one point he supervised the Queen Mother as she took the controls. She was to dine with members of the No. 600 Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron later that night and was anxious to say she had piloted an aircraft. Cunningham continued to test-fly prototypes such as the re-built Comet 3 and 4 in the late 1950s. In 1955 he was awarded the Gold Medal of th
Royal Aero Club
On 23 October 1956 he travelled to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
and received the
Harmon Trophy The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut (balloon or dirigible). A fourth trophy, the "National Trophy," was awarded from 1926 through 1938 to th ...
from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was the most prestigious American trophy for services of civil aviation. On 1 December 1958 he was appointed a member of the de Havilland board, but the company was sold and merged into
Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...
in 1960. With the Siddeley company, he was instrumental in the development in the
Hawker Siddeley Trident The Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident (originally the de Havilland DH.121 and briefly the Airco DH.121) is a British airliner produced by Hawker Siddeley. In 1957, de Havilland proposed its DH.121 trijet design to a British European Airways (BEA ...
in 1962. Cunningham worked under the managing director
Arnold Alexander Hall Sir Arnold Alexander Hall FRS FRAeS (23 April 1915 – 9 January 2000) was an English aeronautical engineer, scientist and industrialist. Early life Hall was born in Liverpool, and attended Alsop High School in Walton, before going to ...
, whom he had first met in 1940 to iron out the malfunctions in the Beaufighter gun sight. Later Cunningham acted as a consultant and advisor to the Chinese Government from 1972 to 1979 as the company sought to increase its revenue by selling aircraft to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. At their insistence, he postponed his retirement for three years to complete a series of aircraft sales. On 1 May 1975 the British Government announced the nationalisation of the industry and
British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
consumed all the nation's manufacturers. Cunningham had one serious accident whilst flying. On 20 November 1975 at
Dunsfold Aerodrome Dunsfold Aerodrome (former ICAO code EGTD) is an unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It extends across land in the villages of Dunsfold and Alfold. It was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contracto ...
, Surrey, a number of birds were ingested by the engines of the British Aerospace BAe 125 just after takeoff. Forced to make an emergency landing, Cunningham put the aircraft down onto the runway at , but it careered across a public road where it collided with a car carrying six people, who were killed; no-one died on board the HS-125. Cunningham suffered two crushed
vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...
but he remained chief test pilot at Hawker Siddeley until 1978 when British Aerospace was formed. He retired from British aerospace in 1980. In his retirement, Cunningham devoted himself to aviation affairs of a charitable nature while building a retirement fund for himself. In 1980 he was appointed Chairman of the Sir Geoffrey de Havilland Flying Foundation, a charity to devoted to helping young people with aspirations in aviation. Over a number of years former senior RAF officers had been attracted to investing in
Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...
as a Lloyd's "Name". Cunningham's commitment was one of unlimited liability, and so when Lloyd's ran into financial difficulty in 1988 he was faced with enormous debts. He was forced to live frugally until the end of his life. John Cunningham died aged 84 on 21 July 2002.


Honours and Awards

In recognition of his wartime exploits and his contribution to civil aviation, he was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in the
1963 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1963 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made "on the occ ...
. He was awarded the
Segrave Trophy The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who demonstrates "Outstanding Skill, Courage and Initiative on Land, Water and in the Air". The trophy is named in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, the first person to hold both the land and wat ...
for his services in 1978.


Sale of medals

Following Cunningham's death in 2002 his service medals and flying memorabilia passed to the de Havilland Aircraft Company Trust. The medals were subsequently sold on 6 September 2012 for £384,000 to help raise funds for an education centre, museum, and flying scholarships for young people on behalf of the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust Appeal.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Air Pictorial (1992). February, Volume 54, Issue 2. Air League of the British Empire. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * Penny, John. (2010). ''Bristol at War''. DB Publishing, London.


External links


Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, John 1917 births 2002 deaths Britannia Trophy winners British test pilots British World War II flying aces Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order De Havilland De Havilland Comet Foreign recipients of the Silver Star Harmon Trophy winners People educated at Whitgift School Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force group captains Segrave Trophy recipients The Few Military personnel from Surrey Flight altitude record holders Royal Air Force pilots of World War II British aviation record holders People from Croydon