Peter Carmichael

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This article is about the Royal Navy pilot. For the singer, see Hoagy Carmichael. For other uses, see Peter Carmichael (disambiguation).

Peter Carmichael
Nickname(s)"Hoagy"
Born(1923-08-11)11 August 1923
Hull
Died25 July 1997(1997-07-25) (aged 73)
Holyhead
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1942–1984
RankCommander
Commands806 Naval Air Squadron
Battles / warsSecond World War
Korean War
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Cross

Commander Peter Carmichael, OBE, DSC (11 August 1923 – 25 July 1997), nicknamed "Hoagy", was a combat pilot with the Royal Navy during and after the Second World War. Later, he became famous during the Korean War for shooting down a jet-engined MiG-15 while flying a piston-engined Hawker Sea Fury, the only recorded victory of a piston-engined aircraft over a jet fighter during the Korean War.[1][2] However, this claim is now disputed, and the kill is currently claimed by another Royal Navy pilot – Brian 'Schmoo' Ellis – flying with Carmichael on the day in-question.[3][4]

Early life and career

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Carmichael was born on 11 August 1923[5] and attended Worksop College a Public School in North Nottinghamshire. Carmichael was a renowned schoolboy rugby player and played for both the Rest of England versus Home Counties (where he scored three tries)[6] and the North of England Public Schools in 1941. After leaving school he joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and undertook pilot training in the United States and South Africa, before flying Supermarine Seafires and Chance-Vought F4U Corsairs during the final days of the Second World War. After the war, Carmichael flew the Blackburn Firebrand, before converting to the Hawker Sea Fury in June 1948.[7]

Korean War

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In November 1951 Carmichael, along with the rest of 802 Squadron, received notification that the squadron would be deployed to Korea in early 1952, starting with a short voyage to Malta aboard HMS Theseus. This was followed by a two-month break for an intensive work-up at RNAS Hal Far, before the squadron sailed to Korea aboard HMS Ocean in April, with a four-day stop over in Hong Kong to receive additional aircraft and pilots.[8]

MiG kill

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On 9 August 1952 Carmichael, flying his regular Sea Fury (WJ232), was leading a four aircraft formation to attack railway facilities between Manchon and Pyongyang when, in the vicinity of Chinnampo, his Number 2, Sub-Lieutenant Carl Haines, gave a radio warning of MiGs diving towards the Sea Furys from behind and the right. As Carmichael later stated:

Eight MiGs came at us out of the sun. I did not see them at first, and my No. 4, 'Smoo' Ellis, gave a break when he noticed tracer streaming past his fuselage.
We all turned towards the MiGs and commenced a 'scissors'. It soon became apparent that four MiGs were after each section of two Furies, but by continuing our break turns, we presented impossible targets. They made no attempt to bracket us.
One MiG came at me head on. I saw his heavy tracer shells. I fired a burst, then he flashed past me. I believe Carl got some hits on him too. This aircraft then broke away, and went head on to my Nos 3 and 4, Lieutenant Pete Davies and 'Smoo' Ellis. They were seen to get good hits on one who broke away with smoke coming from him.[9]

Although some sources claim a second MiG-15 was downed by the British pilots, most accounts do not mention this.[10] Regardless, this incident was the only air-to-air engagement by a British pilot in a British aircraft during the Korean War.[11] However, Royal Air Force pilots flying on exchange with the USAF did claim at least seven kills during the course of the conflict.[12]

He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1953.[13]

In 2018, it was found that the kill may have been erroneously credited to Lieutenant Carmichael; The kill is now claimed by Brian 'Schmoo' Ellis, a sub-lieutenant flying in formation with Lieutenant Carmichael that day.[3] Ellis claims that he was the only pilot in the flight that returned with no ammunition left, while Carmichael only expended about 10% of his cannon rounds during a routine 'gun check' strafing-run on a stretch of sand.[14] Ellis claims that the Royal Navy simply awarded the kill to the most senior man in the flight – Carmichael – despite most of the flight knowing the truth.[15] The Royal Navy has not disputed Ellis' claim, although there is currently no way to verify the kill claim.[16]

Later service

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By 1960, Carmichael was Commanding Officer of Lossiemouth based 806 Naval Air Squadron, the last Royal Navy unit flying Hawker Sea Hawks.[17] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1968 New Year Honours,[18] and later went on to serve as Commanding Officer of T.S. Prince of Wales, Holyhead Sea Cadets until his retirement in 1984.[citation needed] Carmichael died on 25 July 1997.[citation needed]

Notes

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  1. ^ Dorr, Lake & Thompson (1995), p. 96.
  2. ^ Dorr & Thompson (2003), p. 109.
  3. ^ a b Beaver, Paul (19 January 2018). "Sea Fury vs MiG-15 - the true story". News & Expertise. Royal Aeronautical Society. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2020. In the four minutes of air combat, it was a MiG 'kill' and two or three damaged, probably beyond repair. It became a cause célèbre in the Fleet Air Arm. Many Sea Fury pilots were disappointed for Schmoo Ellis, who kept his own counsel on the matter even when flight leader Carmichael was awarded the victory.
  4. ^ White, Rowland (2018). "Sea Fury - A New Perspective on a Famous Dogfight". Britain's Small Wars. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020. The story is well known, its appeal obvious: the plucky Brit underdog bloodying the nose of an enemy who should have known better than to pick a fight. It goes something like this: On August 9, 1952, at the height of the Korean War, Commander Peter 'Hoagy' Carmichael led a flight of Hawker Sea Fury FB11s from 802 Naval Air Squadron on a patrol inland between Chinnampo and Pyongyang. They were jumped by eight MiG-15s and, so the story goes, Carmichael shot one down in the ensuing dogfight before all four Sea Furies returned safely to HMS Ocean and a 'pretty euphoric' welcome. The episode provided the Navy with a propaganda coup and Carmichael was sent home early to be feted and to prevent his exposure to any further danger. Sub-Lieutenant Brian 'Schmoo'Ellis was the youngest member of the flight. His memory of the action over North Korea and its aftermath suggests that this version of events may be at best foolishly over simplified and, at worst, plain wrong.
  5. ^ Take Off magazine, Part 84, p. 2336.
  6. ^ "Worksop College rugby 1941-1942 | Simon Langley 2.0". Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  7. ^ Take Off magazine, Part 84, p. 2333.
  8. ^ Take Off magazine, Part 84, p. 2334.
  9. ^ Take Off magazine, Part 84, pp. 2338–2339.
  10. ^ "UN Air-to-Air Victories during the Korean War, 1950–1953". Air Combat Information Group Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
  11. ^ Goebel, Greg. "The Hawker Typhoon, Tempest, & Sea Fury". Air Vectors. Retrieved 7 April 2006.
  12. ^ "RAF Museum British Military Aviation in 1952". RAF Museum.org. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  13. ^ "No. 39854". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 1953. p. 2765.
  14. ^ White, Rowland (2018). "Sea Fury - A New Perspective on a Famous Dogfight". Britain's Small Wars. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020. It had become something of a habit for returning Sea Furies to test their cannons by firing them into a small uninhabited island and checking the patterns of the shells in the sand. Flying back from the dogfight with the MiGs, Carmichael peeled off from the flight and let off a stream of shot into the island. Ellis is certain that 'every shot he fired that morning was directed onto that beach because he had so much of his ammunition left when he got back to the ship. He must have had 100% of his ammunition before going to that island'.
  15. ^ White, Rowland (2018). "Sea Fury - A New Perspective on a Famous Dogfight". Britain's Small Wars. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020. It appears that the Navy wanted a hero - one pilot, one kill - and it picked the most senior man. It can't have been easy for Carmichael either. On a number of occasions he made the point that credit should go to the flight and not just to him, but it was never a message which people wanted to hear. Particularly from him, perhaps. 'I wouldn't want to upset people' Ellis continued 'particularly his relatives because he was a nice enough chap. He just got trapped in this set of circumstances. He used to phone me here occasionally before he died. I think, possibly to talk about it, but he never actually said what he wanted to say. He would always make excuses about trying to get in touch with somebody else. I think possibly ...' he paused, 'No, I don't think there's any chance of putting the record straight. People aren't interested in straight records, they're interested in mythology.'
  16. ^ White, Rowland (2018). "Sea Fury - A New Perspective on a Famous Dogfight". Britain's Small Wars. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020. If doubts are raised about who should be credited with the kill - or even whether or not there was a kill at all - it's unsurprising. Without the conclusive proof a gyro gun sight camera could have provided it seems impossible to be sure, yet Ellis says with emphasis 'I don't believe, I know, that Hoagy didn't shoot that aircraft down'
  17. ^ Take Off magazine, Part 130, p. 3621.
  18. ^ "No. 44484". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1968. p. 6.

References

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  • Dorr, Robert; Thompson, Warren (2003). Korean Air War. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 978-0-7603-1511-8.
  • Dorr, Robert; Lake, Jon; Thompson, Warren (1995). Korean War Aces, Volume 4. Aircraft of the Aces # 4. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-501-2.
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