Air Commodore James Rankin, (7 May 1913 – March 1975) 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) and ...

officer, fighter pilot and

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 ...

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 ...

Early life

Rankin was born in

Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...

on 7 May 1913, although his family later moved to Lancashire.

RAF career

Rankin joined the

(RAF) in 1935 and, following training at No. 2 Flying Training School, he joined No. 25 Squadron and later flew with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

with

825 Naval Air Squadron 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from the ...

on . After service with the Fleet Air Arm he became an instructor with No. 5 Operational Training Unit. Early in 1941 he 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 also ...

and attached to No. 64 Squadron to gain operational experience. He claimed a third of a Junkers Ju 88 shot down and 2 damaged in his short spell with the squadron. In February 1941 he then took command of No. 92 Squadron, then equipping with the new Mark V model of Spitfire. During the fighter sweeps of the summer, his score mounted rapidly. In June 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for 9 victories. On 14 June he shot down and killed 18-kill ace ''Obfw'' Robert Menge of III./

JG 26 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 (JG 26) ''Schlageter'' was a German fighter-wing of World War II. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran, Freikorps member, and posthumous Nazi martyr, arrested and executed by the French for ...

. Menge had been the wingman of the wing's commanding officer

Adolf Galland Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the Defen ...

. In September 1941 he became

wing leader Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a Commonwealth military wing on flying operations. The terms refer to a position, not a rank, although the role was usually taken by an officer ranked wing commander. The p ...

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a settlement on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Kent, prior to 1965 it was also in the administrative county of Kent. I ...

and received the

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, typ ...

(DSO) in October. In December 1941 Rankin was posted to HQ Fighter Command, and in April 1942 returned to lead the Biggin Hill Wing for a second time until December 1942. After a spell at the

Central Gunnery School Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, in August 1943 he commanded No. 15 Fighter Wing, and then No. 125 Wing during the Normandy landings of June 1944. Rankin scored 17 victories against enemy aircraft, as well as five shared kills, three probable and two shared probable kills, 16 damaged and three shared damaged and the destruction of a

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

. With the exception of one shared destroyed, one damaged and two shared damaged, the rest of his total score was achieved while flying the Spitfire Mark V.Price 1997, p. 80. In 1948 he was Air Attache, Dublin, and in 1954 was Officer Commanding

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

. He retired from the RAF in 1958, and died in March 1975.

Citations

Bibliography

* Price, Dr. Alfred. ''Spitfire Mark V Aces 1941–1945''. London: Osprey, 1997. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, James 1913 births 1975 deaths British World War II flying aces Scottish flying aces Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Military personnel from Edinburgh Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air commodores Royal Air Force personnel of World War II