The Spring Offensive 02

In July, the busiest month of the war for Naval Eight, the first Sopwith Camels arrived to start replacing the Triplanes. The Camels went over the lines for the first time on the 11th and the following day, Little achieved the Squadrons’ first success in the new aircraft when he drove down an Albatros DV out of control. Over twenty enemy machines were shot down or sent out of control in July with Little accounting for thirteen of them.

Towards the end of the month, Little flew his final air combat when he achieved his thirty-second success. There are many who would claim that Robert Little was the Squadron’s finest pilot during World War One. Compston described him as, ‘A very gallant fighter with the courage of a lion’.

The intensive air activity during July was the run-up to the Third Battle of Ypres, which opened on 30 July and would continue until 10 November. During this battle much use was made of scout aircraft in the ground attack role in support of the ground advance. In the build up to the Battle of Passchendaele the Squadron saw little air combat, but was heavily engaged in strafing enemy trenches when 3,350 rounds of ammunition were expended in a two-week period. It was also the period when Flight Commander R. Munday excelled with a number of night bombing raids against balloons and hangars on enemy airfields. His daring tactics resulted in him being awarded a DSC.

At the end of October, the Squadron said goodbye to its inspirational Commanding Officer, Geoffrey Bromet. The Squadron went on to achieve further successes, but it was the intense fighting of 1917 that established Naval Eight Squadron as one of the most successful fighting on the Western Front. No fewer than eighteen of its pilots had received decorations.

See the Squadron’s WWI Battle Honours:

Read a history of the Third Battle of Ypres
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