ABSTRACT
In 1917, the average fighter pilot had a life expectancy of about 11 days. Billy Bishop was flying fourth in a four-ship patrol. He followed the other Nieuport planes as they climbed above the misty clouds to an altitude of 9,000 feet. Bishop’s instinct kicked in and he dived toward the tail of the enemy plan and fired his gun. He saw the bullets hit the plane and the German pilot dived. Bishop stayed on his tail and followed the German through the clouds. Bishop suspected it could be a trick. Below the clouds the German leveled out his plane. Machine gun fire was exploding around him. Bishop grabbed the only weapon he had—his flare gun—ran for the closest trench, and dove in. During the next month, Billy Bishop managed to shoot down 20 enemy aircraft.
