Eugene Esmonde
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Commander
Eugene Esmonde VC
DSO
, F/Lt, RAF, Lt-Cdr (A) RN
(1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942) was a distinguished pilot who was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to members of Commonwealth
forces. Lt-Cdr Esmonde earned this prestigious award while in command of a Naval torpedo bomber squadron serving in the British Fleet Air Arm
in the Second World War.
, near Barnsley
, Yorkshire
where his father Dr John Joseph Esmonde
(1862–1915) was in temporary General Practice. Though by birth English, his parents were from Ireland and he returned to his family's ancestral home of the Esmonde Baronets
in Drominagh, North Tipperary
as a boy and was educated by the Jesuits, first at Wimbledon College
in London and then at Clongowes Wood College
in co. Kildare
, Ireland.
He had three elder half-brothers from his father's first marriage, Sir John Esmonde, 14th Baronet
, who served in the First World War, 2nd Lt. Geoffrey Esmonde (1897–1916) who was killed in action in the First World War serving with the 26th Tyneside Irish Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and Sir Anthony Esmonde, 15th Baronet.
Esmonde was commissioned into the Royal Air Force
as a pilot officer
on probation on 28 December 1928. During the early 1930s, Esmonde served first in the Royal Air Force
, and then transferred to the Fleet Air Arm
where he served in the Mediterranean when responsibility for naval aviation was returned to the Royal Navy
. Upon leaving the armed forces, he flew for Imperial Airways
.
. His first sea posting was to HMS Courageous
, which was sunk in September 1939. He returned to sea duty onboard HMS Victorious
after a series of postings to shore-based stations.
On the night of 24 May 1941, Esmonde led No. 825 Naval Air Squadron
's nine Fairey Swordfish
torpedo bomber
s in an attack against the German battleship Bismarck
. This attack took place after the Battle of the Denmark Strait
, in which HMS Hood
was sunk by the Bismarck. The biplanes flying from Victorious made a 120-mile flight in foul North Atlantic weather and hit the Bismarck amidships. However, the attack that disabled the ship's rudder and doomed the German battleship was caused by a separate Swordfish torpedo strike from HMS Ark Royal some days later. Nonetheless, as a result of his leadership and actions in the hunt for the Bismarck, Esmonde was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order
on 11 February 1942 (the award was actually announced on 16 September 1941).
His squadron was serving on HMS Ark Royal
when she was torpedoed in November 1941. Attempts to tow her to Gibraltar
were abandoned, and on 14 November 1941 she sank. The Swordfish of the squadron ferried some of the ship's crew off the doomed ship prior to her eventual sinking, and Esmonde was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions on this occasion.
when he led his squadron against elements of the German Fleet which made the "Channel Dash" (Operation Cerberus
) from Brest in an attempt to return to their home bases at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel through the English Channel
. On 12 February 1942 off the coast of England
, 32 year old Lieutenant Commander
Esmonde led a detachment of six Fairey Swordfish in an attack on the two German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen
(which had already managed to get from Brest without hindrance). These ships, along with a strong escort of smaller craft, were entering the Straits of Dover when Esmonde received his orders. He waited as long as he felt he could for confirmation of his fighter escort, but eventually took off without it. One of the fighter squadrons (10 Supermarine Spitfire
s of No. 72 Squadron RAF
) did rendezvous with Esmonde's squadron, and the two squadrons were later attacked by enemy fighters of JG 2 and JG 26 as part of Operation Donnerkeil
, the German air superiority plan for the mission. The subsequent fighting left all of the planes in Esmonde's squadron damaged, and caused their fighter escort to become separated from the bombers.
The torpedo bombers continued their attack, even with their damaged aircraft and lack of fighter protection. Heavy anti-aircraft fire from the German ships now added to their peril, and Esmonde's plane possibly sustained a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire that destroyed most of one of his port wings (the Swordfish, an antiquated aircraft made of laminated cloth stretched over a wooden frame, was a biplane). Esmonde led his flight through a screen of the enemy destroyers and other small vessels protecting the battleships. He was still some 2,700 metres from his target when he was hit by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190
, resulting in his aircraft bursting into flames and crashing into the sea. The remaining aircraft continued the gallant attack, but all were shot down by enemy fighters. Only five of the squadron's 18 men flying that day survived the action, and four of these survivors were wounded. Of the survivors, four officers received the Distinguished Service Order
, and the lone enlisted survivor was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
. The disproportionate ratio of officer to enlisted survivors was most likely due to the fact that the officers, as the pilots, sat further forward in the aircraft and were closer to the large radial engine, which served as a shield from enemy fire. The enlisted members sat behind the pilots in rear-facing seats and were exposed to more enemy fire as a result.
The courage of the gallant Swordfish crews was particularly noted by friend and foe alike. Admiral Bertram Ramsay
later wrote, "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed", while Admiral Otto Ciliax
in the Scharnhorst described "The mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day". As he watched the smoking wrecks of the Swordfish falling into the sea, Captain Hoffmann of the Scharnhorst exclaimed, "Poor fellows, they are so very slow, it is nothing but suicide for them to fly against these big ships". Willhelm Wolf aboard the Scharnhorst wrote, "What an heroic stage for them to meet their end! Behind them their homeland, which they had just left with their hearts steeled to their purpose, still in view".
The award of the VC was gazetted
on 3 March 1942, the citation read:
He was remembered in Winston Churchill
's famous broadcast speech on 13 May 1945, "Five years of War", as having defended Ireland's honour:
Esmonde was buried in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent
.
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Eugene Esmonde VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, F/Lt, RAF, Lt-Cdr (A) RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(1 March 1909 – 12 February 1942) was a distinguished pilot who was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to members of Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. Lt-Cdr Esmonde earned this prestigious award while in command of a Naval torpedo bomber squadron serving in the British Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
in the Second World War.
Early life
Esmonde was born on 1 March 1909 in ThurgolandThurgoland
Thurgoland is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,801. The village has one primary school, the Holy Trinity and a Methodist Chapel. There are four public houses: The Monkey,...
, near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
where his father Dr John Joseph Esmonde
John Joseph Esmonde
Dr John Joseph Esmonde LRCSI, , of Drominagh, Borrisokane, County Tipperary, Ireland, was an Irish nationalist MP for North Tipperary 1910–1915....
(1862–1915) was in temporary General Practice. Though by birth English, his parents were from Ireland and he returned to his family's ancestral home of the Esmonde Baronets
Esmonde Baronets
The Esmonde Baronetcy, of Ballynastragh in the County of Wexford, is a title in the Baronetage of Ireland. It was created on 28 January 1629 for Thomas Esmonde. He raised a cavalry regiment for Charles I and commanded a regiment during the Siege of La Rochelle...
in Drominagh, North Tipperary
Drominagh, North Tipperary
Drominagh is a townland in the Barony of Ormond Lower, North Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the Civil Parish of Terryglass, near Borrisokane. It is here that the Ballyfinboy River enters Lough Derg...
as a boy and was educated by the Jesuits, first at Wimbledon College
Wimbledon College
Wimbledon College is a government-maintained voluntary-aided Jesuit Roman Catholic high school for boys aged 11 to 19. The school is based at Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London. It was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning to the greater glory of God and the common good"...
in London and then at Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
in co. Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland.
He had three elder half-brothers from his father's first marriage, Sir John Esmonde, 14th Baronet
Sir John Esmonde, 14th Baronet
Sir John Lymbrick Esmonde, 14th Baronet was an Irish nationalist politician who served as Member of Parliament in the Parliament of the United Kingdom and later as a Teachta Dála in Dáil Éireann....
, who served in the First World War, 2nd Lt. Geoffrey Esmonde (1897–1916) who was killed in action in the First World War serving with the 26th Tyneside Irish Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, and Sir Anthony Esmonde, 15th Baronet.
Esmonde was commissioned into the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
on probation on 28 December 1928. During the early 1930s, Esmonde served first in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and then transferred to the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
where he served in the Mediterranean when responsibility for naval aviation was returned to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Upon leaving the armed forces, he flew for Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
.
Early wartime career
At the start of the Second World War, he returned to the Fleet Air Arm with the rank of lieutenant commanderLieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
. His first sea posting was to HMS Courageous
HMS Courageous (50)
HMS Courageous was the lead ship of the cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, John Fisher, the ship was very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Courageous was completed in late...
, which was sunk in September 1939. He returned to sea duty onboard HMS Victorious
HMS Victorious (R38)
HMS Victorious was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939...
after a series of postings to shore-based stations.
On the night of 24 May 1941, Esmonde led No. 825 Naval Air Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron formed on 8 October 1934 from the aircraft and personnel of 824 Naval Air Squadron...
's nine Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s in an attack against the German battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
. This attack took place after the Battle of the Denmark Strait
Battle of the Denmark Strait
The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a Second World War naval battle between ships of the Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine, fought on 24 May 1941...
, in which HMS Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
was sunk by the Bismarck. The biplanes flying from Victorious made a 120-mile flight in foul North Atlantic weather and hit the Bismarck amidships. However, the attack that disabled the ship's rudder and doomed the German battleship was caused by a separate Swordfish torpedo strike from HMS Ark Royal some days later. Nonetheless, as a result of his leadership and actions in the hunt for the Bismarck, Esmonde was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
on 11 February 1942 (the award was actually announced on 16 September 1941).
His squadron was serving on HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (91)
HMS Ark Royal was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design...
when she was torpedoed in November 1941. Attempts to tow her to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
were abandoned, and on 14 November 1941 she sank. The Swordfish of the squadron ferried some of the ship's crew off the doomed ship prior to her eventual sinking, and Esmonde was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions on this occasion.
Victoria Cross
Esmonde earned his Victoria CrossVictoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
when he led his squadron against elements of the German Fleet which made the "Channel Dash" (Operation Cerberus
Operation Cerberus
The Channel Dash, , was a major naval engagement during World War II in which a German Kriegsmarine squadron consisting of both Scharnhorst class battleships, and heavy cruiser along with escorts, ran a British blockade and successfully sailed from Brest in Brittany to their home bases in Germany...
) from Brest in an attempt to return to their home bases at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel through the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. On 12 February 1942 off the coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 32 year old Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Esmonde led a detachment of six Fairey Swordfish in an attack on the two German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
(which had already managed to get from Brest without hindrance). These ships, along with a strong escort of smaller craft, were entering the Straits of Dover when Esmonde received his orders. He waited as long as he felt he could for confirmation of his fighter escort, but eventually took off without it. One of the fighter squadrons (10 Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s of No. 72 Squadron RAF
No. 72 Squadron RAF
No. 72 Squadron Royal Air Force started its service life supporting the army during World War I on operations in Middle East and afterwards was quickly disbanded. In its second incarnation the squadron was a real fighter unit, transitioning from Gloster Gladiator biplanes to Gloster Javelin...
) did rendezvous with Esmonde's squadron, and the two squadrons were later attacked by enemy fighters of JG 2 and JG 26 as part of Operation Donnerkeil
Operation Donnerkeil
Unternehmen Donnerkeil was the codename for a German military operation of the Second World War. Donnerkeil was designed as an air superiority operation to support the Kriegsmarine Operation Cerberus, also known as the "Channel Dash".In 1941 Kriegsmarine surface vessels had carried out commerce...
, the German air superiority plan for the mission. The subsequent fighting left all of the planes in Esmonde's squadron damaged, and caused their fighter escort to become separated from the bombers.
The torpedo bombers continued their attack, even with their damaged aircraft and lack of fighter protection. Heavy anti-aircraft fire from the German ships now added to their peril, and Esmonde's plane possibly sustained a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire that destroyed most of one of his port wings (the Swordfish, an antiquated aircraft made of laminated cloth stretched over a wooden frame, was a biplane). Esmonde led his flight through a screen of the enemy destroyers and other small vessels protecting the battleships. He was still some 2,700 metres from his target when he was hit by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
, resulting in his aircraft bursting into flames and crashing into the sea. The remaining aircraft continued the gallant attack, but all were shot down by enemy fighters. Only five of the squadron's 18 men flying that day survived the action, and four of these survivors were wounded. Of the survivors, four officers received the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, and the lone enlisted survivor was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal was, until 1993, a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Armed Forces and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy at sea...
. The disproportionate ratio of officer to enlisted survivors was most likely due to the fact that the officers, as the pilots, sat further forward in the aircraft and were closer to the large radial engine, which served as a shield from enemy fire. The enlisted members sat behind the pilots in rear-facing seats and were exposed to more enemy fire as a result.
The courage of the gallant Swordfish crews was particularly noted by friend and foe alike. Admiral Bertram Ramsay
Bertram Ramsay
Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay KCB, KBE, MVO was a British admiral during World War II. He was an important contributor in the field of amphibious warfare.-Early life:...
later wrote, "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed", while Admiral Otto Ciliax
Otto Ciliax
Otto Ciliax was an admiral in the German Navy. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
in the Scharnhorst described "The mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day". As he watched the smoking wrecks of the Swordfish falling into the sea, Captain Hoffmann of the Scharnhorst exclaimed, "Poor fellows, they are so very slow, it is nothing but suicide for them to fly against these big ships". Willhelm Wolf aboard the Scharnhorst wrote, "What an heroic stage for them to meet their end! Behind them their homeland, which they had just left with their hearts steeled to their purpose, still in view".
The award of the VC was gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 3 March 1942, the citation read:
He was remembered in Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's famous broadcast speech on 13 May 1945, "Five years of War", as having defended Ireland's honour:
Esmonde was buried in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent
Gillingham, Kent
Gillingham is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. The town includes the settlements of Brompton, Hempstead, Rainham, Rainham Mark and Twydall....
.
External links
- Lieutenant Commander E. Esmonde in The Art of War exhibition at the UK National Archives (includes image of original recommendation for the VC)
- Photo of Esmonde's grave
- Location of grave and VC medal (Kent)
- Esmonde Family Tree