List of Victories
Historian Alfred Price credited McKellar with 17 air victories, three shared destroyed, five probably destroyed and three damaged. Historians Christopher Shores and Clive Williams credit him with 21 air victories, three probably destroyed and three damaged as does E.C.R Baker. In his last combat they credit him with a possible 22nd victory, since a Bf 109 crashed in the area of his last combat and no RAF pilot made a claim. John Foreman credits him with at least 17 victories and acknowledges the unclaimed Bf 109 that crashed on 1 November 1940 near to McKellar might have been his last victory. Chaz Bowyer, another prolific historian and writer on RAF personnel credits McKellar with at least 20 victories.
During the period he flew Hurricane P3308, McKellar scored 13 victories and shared one more destroyed, four probable and one damaged, between 15 August and 7 October 1940. Thus earned the distinction of being the Hurricane with the highest number of kills during the Battle of Britain. It was later handed over to a Czech unit, No. 312 Squadron RAF on 4 January 1941 and written off in an accident on 30 April 1941.
| Victory No. | Date | Kills | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 October 1939 | 1 x Junkers Ju 88 | First enemy aircraft shot down into British waters. Gruppenkommandeur I./KG 30 Hauptmann Helmut Pohl's Junkers Ju 88 destroyed. Pohl survived and was captured by Royal Navy vessels; the rest of his crew killed in action. |
| 2. | 28 October 1939 | 1 x Heinkel He 111 | First enemy aircraft to fall on British soil since 1918; Stab./KG 26 code 1H+JA destroyed. Pilot Unteroffizier Lehmkuhl and Leutnant Niehoff wounded. Two crew members killed. Fate of the fifth is unknown. |
| 3–5. | 15 August 1940 | 3 x He 111s | Unknown. Claimed at 13:15. Opponents from KG 26. Of the eight He 111s lost by KG 26 two have not been attributed to a particular Squadron, two are credited to ground fire and four to No. 79 Squadron RAF and No. 235 Squadron RAF. The two outstanding victims were from 8 and 9 Staffel. The first unit lost He 111H-4, Leutnant Burk and his crew all missing presumed dead. The second, He 111H-4 was lost with its unnamed crew. The two He 111s believed to have been shot down by ground fire were both from 8 Staffel. Oberleutnant von Lübke and Oberleutnant Besser were lost with all of their unnamed crew members. |
| 6–9. | 9 September 1940 | 3 x He 111s 1 x Bf 109 |
Claimed over the Brooklands area at 17:45.
The identity of the He 111 victories are unknown. Seven Bf 109s are known to have been shot down on 9 September that cannot be matched to any specific RAF unit or pilot. McKellar engaged enemy aircraft over Canterbury and Croydon region at around 17:45. After patrolling at 15,000 feet, 605 engaged. The account of the air battle is confusing. McKellar's possible opponents were from, Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3 — or Fighter Wing 3), Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27 — or Fighter Wing 27), Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 53 — or Fighter Wing 53) or Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54 — or Fighter Wing 54). German casualties in the air battles were; Oberfeldwebel Müller of 4. Staffel (Squadron) JG 3 flying Werknummer 6138 posted missing. Feldwebel Bauer, 7 Staffel JG 3 flying Werknummer 5351, posted missing. Unteroffizier Massmann, Werknummer 6316, missing in action. Stab, I./JG 27's Oberleutnant Bode, flying Werknummer 6316 posted missing. Oberleutnant Daig, II./JG 27, missing. Feldwebel Höhnisch, Werknummer 1508 missing. Feldwebel Biber, I Staffel JG 54, Werknummer 6103, missing. |
| 10–12. | 15 September 1940 | 2 x Bf 109s 1 x Do 17 |
Claimed two Bf 109s over Edenbridge, Kent at 12:00. Later, at 14:30, claimed a Do 17 over Rochester, Kent. 605 Squadron engaged Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—Fighter Wing 51). Pilot Officer Currant dispatched Werknummer 3266, from 7 Staffel and flown by Leutnant Bildau was posted missing. Another Bf 109 from 9 Staffel, Werknummer 2803 was also shot down. Feldwebel Klotz was wounded and taken prisoner. Also involved in the action were Bf 109s from Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—Fighter Wing 3), Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—Fighter Wing 53) and Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—Fighter Wing 77). Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—Learning Wing 2) provided top cover. JG 26 suffered no losses. JG 3 lost three Bf 109s in aerial combat. I./JG 3 lost Werknummer 1563 pilot unhurt. 1 Staffel lost Werknummer 0945 and Feldwebel Volmer missing. 2 Staffel lost Werknummer 1606 pilot by Staffelkapitän Squadron Leader Oberleutnant Helmuth Reumschüssel missing. JG 53 lost eight Bf 109s with seven completely destroyed. Seven were not directly credited to RAF units. In air combat I./JG 53 lostUnteroffizier Schersand killed in Weknummer 6160. 1 Staffel Bf 109, Werknummer 5111 crash-landed in France 15% destroyed and the pilot unhurt after combat. 3 Staffel lost Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän Julius Jase killed in Werkummer 1590. the same unit lost Unteroffizier Feldmann. Two more Bf 109s—Werknummer 1174 and 5251 from III./JG 53 were destroyed but their pilots were unhurt. One was rescued from the Channel. JG 77 lost a 1 Staffel Bf 109, pilot unhurt, Werknummer 4847 force-landed after combat over Dungeness. Another, Werknummer, 4802 from 3 Stafel was lost with its pilot Unteroffizier Meixner. At 14:00 McKellar led 605 on an attack against II./Kampfgeschwader 3 (KG 3—Bomber Wing 3), II and III./Kampfgeschwader 2 (KG 2—Bomber Wing 2), I and II./Kampfgeschwader 53 (KG 53—Bomber Wing 53) and I and II./Kampfgeschwader 26. He claimed one of the Do 17s before being recalled by No. 11 Group RAF commanding officer Keith Park to create a reserve for further operations. McKellar would be credited with one Do 17 destroyed whose idenity is uncertain. Among the Do 17 losses, that have not been credited to a specific Squadron, were; Do 17 Werknummer 3405 (code U5+FT) and 3230 (code U5+JT) from 9 Staffel KG 2. The first crew Oberleutnant Staib, Unteroffizier Hoppe were killed, Gefreiter Zierer and Hoffman posted missing. The second crew; Unteroffizier Krummheuer, Feldwebel Glaser, Unteroffizier Lenz were killed and Unteroffizier Sehrt missing. Two more Do 17s were lost in around the same time. 8 Staffel KG 2's Werknummer 4245 U5+GS, piloted by Oberleutnant Hugo Holleck-Weitmann was lost. Holleck-Weitmann was killed and his crew Unteroffizier's Schweighart, wounded, and Lindemeier was missing. The remaining crews fate is unknown. The second—Werknummer 3440, U5+PS, was lost. Oberleutnant Werner kittmann, and his crew Unteroffizier's Stampfer and Langer posted missing. The remaining crews fate is unknown. |
| 13. | 16 September 1940 | 1 x He111 | Awarded DFC*DSO Victory claimed at night, 01:00. Location of victory not recorded. |
| 14–18. | 7 October 1940 | 5 x Bf 109s | Claimed four in one battle at 13:30—one near the village of Brasted, Westerham; one east of Biggin Hill; Maidstone and the final opponent fell near Ashford, Kent. The last and fifth claim of the day was made at 16:30 over Mayfield and Five Ashes.
The Germans lost 12 Bf 109s on this date. Most can be credited to other RAF Squadrons. Two of McKellar's victories can be identified. Werknummer (factory number) 3665, of 5 Staffel (Squadron) Jagdgeschwader 27 was shot down between Maidstone and Westerham. Unteroffizier Lederer posted missing presumed killed. The second was Werknummer 3881—Unteroffizier Paul Lege killed in action. Other losses included Werknummer 5391, of 4 Staffel Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—Learning Wing 2). Pilot Unteroffizier Ley missing presumed killed in action with 605 Hurricanes. Also lost that day in action was a 2 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—Fighter Wing 51) Bf 109, Werknummer 5805, which crash–landed near Calais after combat and was 65% destroyed. A second Bf 109 from the same unit, Werknummer 4103, was also destroyed. The pilot Oberleutnant Viktor Mölders—brother of the famous ace Werner Mölders—was posted as missing in action by the Luftwaffe. No times are given for these losses. |
| 19. | 20 October 1940 | 1 x Bf 109 | His first victory that day can be identified as belonging to 3 Staffel Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—Learning Wing). Unteroffizier Franz Mairl who was killed in action in Bf 109 Werknummer 2059 Yellow 8 over Ashford, Kent at 10:00. A second enemy all so fell that afternoon. Feldwebel Adolf Iburg from 9 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—Fighter Wing 54) crash–landed and was captured. The victory McKellar claimed was credited as damaged only. |
| 20. | 26 October 1940 | 1 x Bf 109 | |
| 21. | 27 October 1940 | 1 x Bf 109 | Claimed a Bf 109 at 09:30 over Croydon, Dungeness. The Germans lost 13 Bf 109s to all causes on this date. Seven machines were lost that day to unidentified Squadrons over kent; I./Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—Fighter Wing 3) lost Bf 109E-7 Werknummer 4124. The pilot Leutnant Wilhelm Busch who was posted missing in action. 8 Staffel JG 27's Bf 109 Werknummer 1329 damaged, force landed in France after combat 20% destroyed. The same unti lost its Squadron leader Oberleutnant Anton Pointer missing. 9 Staffel Werknummer 4818 force landed near Calais 405 destroyed. Pilot Albert Busenkeil was wounded. 2 Staffel Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—Fighter Wing 52) Werknummer 1268 Black 5 was lost over kent. Karl Bott was posted missing in action. 3 Staffel JG 52 lost Werknummer 2798 Yellow 2. Oberleutnant Ulrich Steinhilper killed. the same unit also lost Yellow 4, Werknummer 3525 shot down. Lothar Schieverhöfer missing in action. |
| 22. (Uncredited) | 1 November 1940 | 1 x Bf 109 | Logged as a claim over Faversham at 08:15. An Bf 109 did crash near to McKellar but no other RAF pilot claimed it as destroyed. It could have been brought down by McKellar but remains uncredited. |
| TOTALS | 21 kills |
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