Air Commodore Roderick Aeneas Chisholm, (23 November 1911 – 7 December 1994) was a British

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

pilot,

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

—a title awarded to a pilot credited with shooting down at least five enemy aircraft in

aerial combat Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control o ...

—and a highly decorated British airman of the

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

. As a Beaufighter night-fighter pilot between 13 March and 9 July 1941, he was credited with seven aerial victories, one probable and one damaged. Chisholm had been a night fighter pilot with

No. 604 Squadron RAF No. 604 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force noted for its pioneering role the development of radar-controlled night-fighter operations. The squadron was established in March 1930 at RAF Hendon as a day-bomber squadron of the Royal ...

, flying the

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 ...

. During the war, he had been credited with seven night aerial victories, one probable and one damaged in 1941. Following a rest period, he returned to operations briefly in 1943 ending his combat career with nine victories. Chisholm championed radar-equipped night fighter intruder operations over Europe to apply pressure to the German air defence system and reduce losses to Bomber Command. He was appointed to the staff of a new organisation, named

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 g ...

, created in 1943 for this purpose. As second in command of 100 Group from November 1943, his mission in Germany at the end of the war was to gather any useful information on enemy tactics and technology. He later wrote a book about his experiences entitled ''Cover of Darkness'', published in 1953.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chisholm, Roderick Aeneas 1911 births 1994 deaths People from Bridge of Allan People educated at Ampleforth College Alumni of Imperial College London British World War II flying aces Scottish flying aces Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II