John Villa

John Villa, DFC & Bar (December 1919 – 9 March 1983) was a flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

He left the RAF in 1946 and in the postwar period, worked for a number of civil airlines until the end of his flying career in 1982.

John Wolferstan Villa was born at South Kensington in London, the United Kingdom, in December 1920.

Once his education was completed, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service commission.

[1][2] Villa's new unit was a fighter squadron based at Leconfield, in Yorkshire, from where it operated Supermarine Spitfires on patrols covering shipping in the area.

In early June it briefly operated from Gravesend, flying patrols over the beaches at Dunkirk from where the British Expeditionary Force was being evacuated.

72 Squadron was moved to Biggin Hill in late August, just as the Luftwaffe escalated its operations against southern England.

[5] On 15 September, what is now known as Battle of Britain Day, the Luftwaffe made a large scale attack on London.

[5][6] His successes over the previous several weeks was recognised with an award of a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in early October.

One day in September, 1940, he was successful in destroying three enemy aircraft unaided and assisted in the destruction of a fourth.

Flight Lieutenant Villa has consistently led his flight, and frequently the squadron, with great dash and eagerness, and has proved a keen fighter and a good leader.In the morning of 11 October, Villa was on a solo interception sortie when he destroyed a Do 17 over the Thames Estuary.

He has shown outstanding powers of leadership, skill and courage and has destroyed a total of 13 hostile aircraft.

58 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Grangemouth, and later in the year was appointed Chief Flying Instructor at No.

[5] This was equipped with Spitfires and, based at Kirton-in-Lindsey, was engaged in Fighter Command's Circus offensive against German-occupied Europe.

By early 1943 it was operational, flying from Acklington and Manston, and in April carried out its first ground attack sortie.

He piloted a Handley Page Halifax transport aircraft into Berlin as part of the airlift to provide supplies during the blockade of the city from mid-1948 to mid-1949.

[1] Villa is credited with the destruction of at least seventeen German aircraft, four of which shared with other pilots, with another four probably destroyed.