Billy Fiske

Infobox Military Person
name=William Meade Lindsley Fiske III
born= June 4, 1911
died= August 17, 1940


caption=1928 US bobsleigh team at St. Moritz (William Fiske at right)
nickname= Billy
placeofbirth= Brooklyn, New York
placeofdeath= Royal West Sussex Hospital, Chichester
(interred: Church of St Mary and St Blaise)
allegiance = United States of America
branch = Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve [cwgc|id=2722693|name=Billy Fiske]
serviceyears= 1940
rank = Acting Pilot Officer (12 April 1940)
unit = No. 601 Squadron RAF (12 July 1940)
commands=
battles = Battle of Britain
awards = [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Billy+Fiske+trophy%22+usbsf Billy Fiske trophy]
Memorial tablet (St John's Cathedral crypt)
relations=
laterwork= attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge (1928)
employed Dillon, Reed & Co (1938)

William Meade Lindsley "Billy" Fiske III was the 1928 & 1932 Olympic champion bobsled driver and, following [http://www.afa.org/magazine/1990/0190eagles.html Jimmy Davis,] one of the first regular serving US pilots killed in action in World War II.

cite book |last=Lang |first=Name |year= 199 |originalyear=199 |title=United States Military Almanac |location=Avenel NJ |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-317-16092-7 |page=p106]

externalimage|align=right|
http://www.fiskes.co.uk/billy_fiske.htm Churchman's Cigarettes card]
[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1932 Flagbearer for US Olympic team]

Olympic career

As driver of the first U.S. Bobsled team to win the Olympics, Fiske became the youngest gold medalist in the sport (16 years). He was also a Cresta Champion and was well known for jumps from the chandelier at the bar at the Palace Hotel in St.Moritz.

World War II

Fiske was one of seven US pilots in the Battle of Britain. On 16 August 1940 [http://www.battleofbritain.net/0027.html after a 15 minute fight in the Battle of Britain that destroyed eight Stuka dive bombers, Fiske's hands and ankles were burnt] after a German gunner put a bullet through Fiske’s fuel tank.citeweb |title=American Warrior: Billy Fiske |url=http://www.thehistorychannel.co.za/site/tv_guide/full_details/British_history/programme_2903.php |format=html |accessdate=2008-08-03 ] Although Fiske landed the plane safely [http://www.battleofbritain.net/0027.html (one source identifies a crash at Bognor Regis)] , his fuel tank exploded on the ground and he died 48 hoursClarifyme later from shock.cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Pilot Officer W.M.L. (Billy) Fiske |url=http://www.fiskes.co.uk/billy_fiske.htm |format=html |accessdate=2008-08-03 |work= |publisher=fiskes.co.uk ]

In addition to a 2005 documentary ("American Warrior: Billy Fiske"), a controversial film about Billy Fiske, The Few, is slated for release in 2008. [http://www.battleofbritain.net/bobhsoc/about.html Bill Bond] , founder of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, argued that Fiske "... made several sorties but he didn't shoot anything down, and his impact on the battle was negligible."

Citation |last =Moreton |first =Cole |date =2004-04-11
title =Hollywood updates history of Battle of Britain: Tom Cruise won it all on his own | url = http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/news/article55566.ece |format=html |accessdate=2008-08-03 | newspaper =The Independent ] Ben Clinch, an RAF armourer for Billy Fiske and his comrades during the summer of 1940, said, "He was unremarkable, in the context of the squadron. He was just another pilot as far as we were concerned." Conversely, Fiske's Flight Commander, Sir Archibald Hope,Clarifyme Bt, claimed "Unquestionably Billy Fiske was the best pilot I've ever known. It was unbelievable how good he was. He picked up so fast it wasn't true. He'd flown a bit before, but he was a natural as a fighter pilot. He was also terribly nice and extraordinarily modest, and fitted into the squadron very well."cite book |last=Hough |first=Richard |coauthors=Richards, Denis |title=The Battle of Britain |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=AePbrerDWiIC&pg=PA188&lpg=PA188&dq=sir+%22archibald+hope%22+%22royal+air+force%22&source=web&ots=7A9fZmZprw&sig=yH1oHoEPrtu438YZHXuDjSePcXw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result |format=html |accessdate=2008-08-03 |page=p188-9]

References and Notes