Andrew B Mamedoff | |
|---|---|
_Squadron_RAF%2c_Pilot_Officers_A_Mamedoff%2c_V_C_%2527Shorty%2527_Keough_and_G_Tobin%2c_show_off_their_new_squadron_badge_at_Church_Fenton%2c_Yorkshire%2c_October_1940._CH1442.jpg){kind=icon} Andrew Mamedoff (right) withVernon Keough andEugene Tobin, Church Fenton, Yorkshire, October 1940 | |
| Nickname | Andy |
| Born | (1912-08-12)12 August 1912 |
| Died | 8 October 1941(1941-10-08) (aged 29) nearMaughold,Isle of Man, England |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1940–1941 |
| Rank | Flight lieutenant |
| Service number | 81621 |
| Unit | |
| Conflicts | World War II |
Flight lieutenantAndrew Beck Mamedoff (12 August 1912 – 8 October 1941), known as "Andy", was an American pilot who flew with theRoyal Air Force during theBattle of Britain inWorld War II. He was one ofeleven American pilots[1] who flew withRAF Fighter Command between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of Britainclasp to the1939–45 campaign star.
He was born inWarsaw,Russian Empire, in 1911 to Lev Mamedoff and Natalia Mamedoff (née Vonsiatsky). His father was an officer in theSpecial Corps of Gendarmes of the Russian Empire stationed in Poland,[2] while his uncle wasAnastasy Vonsiatsky, a Russian fascist politician.
Mamedoff's family fled Russia after theCivil War, and lived in Europe for a short time. After Vonsiatsky had settled inThompson, Connecticut, he convinced his wife to buy a neighboring farm for his sister's family.[3][4][5]
In Thompson, Mamedoff attendedTourtellotte Memorial High School.[6] He later enrolled inBryant University.[7]
He had learned to fly in the US and even had his own plane with which he performed at airshows.[8] He andEugene Tobin had been flying friends atMines Field in California before the war.[9] He was attempting to set up charter services in Miami immediately prior to the war. Mamedoff initially came to Europe to fight on the side of Finland against theSoviet Union, but hostilities had ceased before he arrived.[10]
In 1941 Mamedoff married an English woman, Alys Laird "Penny" Mamedoff (née Crockatt[11]) atEpping. He became the first American to take awar bride duringWorld War II.[12]
Mamedoff and his friends and fellow AmericansEugene Tobin andVernon Keogh were among 32 pilots recruited by American soldier of fortuneCharles Sweeny to join theFrench Air Force.[13] However, by the time they reached France,Germany had already invaded the country. The trio made their way to England and joined theRoyal Air Force in 1940. (Of the rest of Sweeny's recruits, four were killed, 11 were taken prisoner, and two others reached England.[14])
After converting to theSpitfire, Mamedoff was posted toRAF Middle Wallop and joinedNo. 609 Squadron on 8 August 1940. He was member of A Flight. On 24 August he took off at 16.10 as tail-end charlie. He was severely shot up by Me 109 and crashed at Tapnell Farm, near Freshwater flying in L1082.
He was posted toRAF Kirton in Lindsey inLincolnshire on 18 September 1940 and was a founding member of theNo. 71 'Eagle' Squadron along withArt Donahue, Eugene Tobin and Vernon Keogh.[15] He was posted toRAF Duxford in August 1941 to another"Eagle Squadron",No. 133 Squadron as aflight commander.
On 8 October 1941, Mamedoff was flying with 133 Squadron on a standard transit flight fromFowlmere Airfield toRAF Eglinton inNorthern Ireland in his Hurricane Z3781. The wreckage of his plane was found nearMaughold on theIsle of Man and it is thought that he crashed due to poor weather conditions. His body was later recovered for burial atBrookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey. He has been described as possibly the first Jewish American to have been killed in World War II.[16]
In 2013, three Members of the British Parliament visited Bryant University to honor Mamedoff's memory. They presented the University President, Ronald K. Matchtley, with a plaque which says, in part, that Mamedoff's "participation in the Battle of Britain in 1940 helped to prevent the spread of Fascism throughout the World." In his remarks on accepting the plaque, President Matchtley said that Mamedoff:
. . . liked fast cars and was a daredevil, even as a student, adding that he was “expelled from Bryant on several occasions.” Rather than displaying the kind of character the college expected, Machtley said, “He was a character.”[17]
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