Don Bennett
Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, CB, CBE, DSO (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder Force" (No. 8 Group RAF) from 1942 to the end of the Second World War in 1945. He has been described as "one of the most brilliant technical airmen of his generation: an outstanding pilot, a superb navigator who was also capable of stripping a wireless set or overhauling an engine".
Donald Bennett | |
|---|---|
Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett c. 1943–44 | |
| Born | 14 September 1910 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 15 September 1986 (aged 76) Slough, Berkshire, England |
| Allegiance | Australia United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Australian Air Force (1930–31, 1935–36) Royal Air Force (1931–35, 1941–45) |
| Years of service | 1930–1936 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Air vice marshal |
| Commands held | No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group (1943–45) Pathfinder Force (1942–43) No. 10 Squadron (1942) No. 77 Squadron (1941–42) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air Order of Alexander Nevsky (USSR) |
| Other work | Director of British South American Airways |
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.