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Auction: 17001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 251

'The general sensation of being over Japan was one of foreboding, deep fear. We had heard tales of what the locals did to airmen who got hacked down. We got "in and out" as quickly as we could. We used the "low-pull up-low" pattern which is still done today, approaching the target area at zero feet all the way in … I have never seen quite so much 20mm. and 40mm. flak!'

Lieutenant-Commander (A.) R. M. 'Mike' Crosley, D.S.C., R.N.V.R., C.O. of 880 Squadron, describes Seafire operations against Japanese airfields in the summer of 1945.

An extremely rare and well documented Second World War Pacific 'Task Force 37' Fleet Air Arm D.S.C. group of five awarded to Sub. Lieutenant (A.) E. D. 'Crusty' Pye, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, a long-served Seafire pilot in 880 Squadron and the veteran of numerous Combat Air Patrols (C.A.Ps), the whole mounted from the decks of the carriers Furious and Implacable

Among other notable operations, he participated in "Tungsten", "Mascot" and "Goodwood" - the Fleet Air Arm attacks on theTirpitz in her Norwegian lair in 1944 - but it was for his part in the first ever strikes made by British aircraft on Japanese soil in July 1945 that he was decorated: fortunately for posterity's sake, his C.O. at the time of the latter operations, Lieutenant-Commander (A.) R. M. 'Mike' Crosley, D.S.C., R.N.V.R., later described their experiences in They Gave Me a Seafire

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., hallmarks for London '1947', the reverse officially dated '1945', with its Garrard & Co. case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, Air Crew Europe; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45, together with a set of related miniature dress medals and a Fleet Air Arm sweetheart's brooch, mounted as worn, extremely fine (11)

D.S.C. London Gazette 11 September 1945:

'For determination and eagerness that have been an inspiration and example to others, in air attacks on targets in Japan.'

Edwin Denis Pye was born at Forest Gate, London on 21 May 1914. An Aero Engine Tester by profession, he volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm (F.A.A.) in March 1941 and was appointed a Naval Airman II at Daedalus. Duly accepted for pilot training, he reported to East Lindon that September, prior to being embarked for Canada.

In April 1943, Pye returned to the U.K., where he was commissioned as a Temporary Acting Sub. Lieutenant in the R.N.V.R. and attended a course at the R.N. College Greenwich. Then in mid-July he joined his first operational unit, No. 759 Squadron at H.M.S. Heron in Yeovilton.

'Tirpitz' - Three Strikes and Out

Having then converted to Seafire IIIs, he was posted to 880 Squadron in February 1944. It was in this capacity that he joined the carrier Furious at the end of the following month, in readiness for Operation 'Tungsten', the celebrated Fleet Air Arm strike on Tirpitz on 3 April 1944. On that date, as a Seafire pilot, Pye acted as an escort to the first wave of Barracudas that bombed the enemy battleship from 1,000 feet. Owing to the fact the Tirpitz was about to move off her anchorage to Alten Fjord, she was caught off her guard and, as a result, about a dozen hits were obtained on the battleship for the loss of just two aircraft.

Still aboard Furious, Pye participated in a brace of Combat Air Patrols (C.A.Ps) on the 26th, including an attack on enemy shipping at Bodo. In fact, he flew a number of anti-shipping sorties over the course of the summer, including Operations "Croquet" to Kristiansund on 6 May and "Lombard" to Statlandet on 1 June. On the latter occasion an enemy merchantman and three enemy minesweepers were repeatedly hit by cannon fire and, as captured on camera footage obtained by a circling Seafire, one enemy escort blew up and sank.

Pye also participated in the Fleet Air Arm's return trips to the Tirpitz in Alten Fjord on 17 July and 22 August, otherwise known as Operations "Mascot" and "Goodwood": such was the damage inflicted on the German battleship that she never again took to the open sea. Shortly after "Goodwood", Pye was described by Furious's captain as 'a fighter pilot of great dash and initiative' who was 'level headed in the face of adversity.'

It was about this time that Lieutenant-Commander (A.) R. M. 'Mike' Crosley, D.S.C., R.N.V.R., assumed command of 880 Squadron: as a consequence the remainder of Pye's operational career is much enlivened by the pages of Crosley's They Gave Me a Seafire. The pair of them joined the carrier Implacable towards the end of 1944 and, as part of Operation "Provident", participated in a shipping strike on an enemy convoy in the Mosjoen area on 27 November - two merchantmen were sunk and six damaged.

Pacific Fleet

In mid-March 1945, following a refit, Implacable departed for the Pacific. In terms of aircraft her squadrons boasted a total strength of 48 Seafires, 21 Avengers and a dozen Fireflies, the largest air group embarked in a British carrier to that date.

Following her voyage via Egypt and Australia, Implacable reached the British Pacific Fleet's main operating base at Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands at the end of May, from whence she joined Task Force 37. First up - on 14 June - was Operation "Inmate", the F.A.A's attack on the Japanese naval base at Truk in the Caroline Islands. However, as observed by John Winton in Find, Fix & Strike, it was in subsequent operations that Pye and his fellow pilots truly excelled:

'For all the exploits against Bismarck and Tirpitz, for all the campaigns they fought in, from Norway to North Africa, for all their successes from Salerno to Sumatra, the brief operations (only eight strike days) of Task Force 37 off the coast of Japan in July and August 1945 remain the Fleet Air Arm's most polished professional performance of the war.'

Winton adds that 'Implacable frequently had more aircraft in the air than other carriers and when the fleet came to retire, had still not landed on the last dozen of her Seafires.' Thus the occasion Implacable found herself barely sixty miles off the Japanese coast - 'almost in the opening of Tokyo Bay' - with Captain Hughes Hallett ignoring a spate of signals to retire until the last of his Seafires reached the safety of the flight deck.

It was for his part in a spate of operations in July that Pye was awarded the D.S.C. On the 17th, he participated in the first strikes ever undertaken by British aircraft on Japanese soil, namely the enemy airfields at Sendai, Masuda and Matsushima. A subsequent 'Ramrod' operation flown on the 24th most likely involved the combined F.A.A. attack on the Japanese escort carrier Kobe, the latter being badly mauled and damaged. This was, surprisingly, the only attack by Fleet Air Arm aircraft on an enemy carrier during the entire war.

In late August 1945, Pye departed Implacable for Golden Hind, the H.Q. of the Flag Officer Naval Air Stations (Australia) in New South Wales, prior to being embarked for the U.K. in the S.S. Orion. He was released from the R.N.V.R. in early 1946.

Sold with a substantial quantity of original documentation, comprising:

(i)
The recipient's original R.A.F. Pilot's Flying Log Books (Form 414 types) (2), covering the periods September 1942 to April 1943, and July 1943 to August 1945, with assorted enclosures such as his Flying Clothing Card and pasted down photographs relating to Operation "Tungsten"; together with printed Air Council 'Pilot's Notes' for Spitfires, Seafires and Kestrels, etc.

(ii)
Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the D.S.C., together with related Admiralty letter of notification, dated 20 September 1945, and copies of the relevant London Gazette (2).

(iii)
A fine wartime photograph album, the front cover with embroidered F.A.A. Wings, cap badge and rank insignia, containing approximately 90 images, from early training days in the U.K. to active service in the Furious and Implacable; together with some 20 or so loose leaf wartime images, including scenes relevant to Operation "Tungsten".

(iv)
The recipient's R.N. Certificate of Service, covering the period June 1942 to May 1943, when he was commissioned.

(v)
Ship's 'flimsies' for H.M.S. Heron (2), covering the periods July to September 1943 and September 1943 to February 1944; H.M.S. Furious, March to September 1944 and H.M.S. Implacable, March to August 1945.

(vi)
A quantity of official correspondence in respect of the recipient's application to join the Fleet Air Arm and his formal acceptance, together with similar papers concerning his selection for pilot training and his commission; and his Admiralty letter of release, dated 30 January 1946.

(vii)
An intelligence report on the Luftwaffe's Order of Battle as at 1 June 1944, stamped 'Secret', 2pp.

(viii)
Miscellaneous uniform insignia, including cap badge, Sub. Lieutenant (A.) epaulettes and F.A.A. 'Wings'.

Additional Reference sources:

Crosley, Commander R.M., D.S.C., They Gave Me a Seafire (Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, 2014).
Winton, John, Find, Fix & Strike - The Fleet Air Arm at War 1939-1945 (B. T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1980).


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Sold for
£3,500