Roderic Dallas - List of Victories

List of Victories

Historians have struggled to develop a definitive list of Dallas's victories; Adrian Hellwig, in the bibliography to his 2006 biography, lists over a dozen previous historians that have investigated the subject. He also refers to his difficulties in reconciling previous accounts. While various claim-by-claim analyses ascribe Dallas a score of 32 aircraft shot down, he was officially credited with 39, and with being second only to Robert Little—who was credited with 47—among Australian aces. However, Dallas's unofficial tally has been estimated at over 50. This list is a compilation of claim-by-claim analyses that follow, as much as possible, the British system of confirming victory: pilot log entries and/or combat reports did not count, unless verified by squadron or higher levels of command. Thus, inclusion of a confirmed victory in this list has depended on verification by the Squadron Record Book, and/or by RNAS/RAF Communique or other reliable secondary source verification. Victories not confirmed by these methods are marked "u/c".

No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes
u/c 6 February 1916 Nieuport 10 #3968 LVG Indecisive Germans dived away after Dallas hit the observer, and possibly the pilot.
1 20 February 1916 Nieuport 11 #3981 C type Destroyed Germans fled scene after observer was hit.
2 23 April 1916 Nieuport 11 #3987 Aviatik C Out of control Middelkerke As verified by Naval Communique.
3 11 May 1916 Nieuport 11 Aviatik C Destroyed Dallas's solo attack hit both pilot and observer.
4 20 May 1916 Nieuport 11 #3933 Friedrichshafen FF33 Destroyed Off Blankenberghe Dallas shot down and sank a seaplane.
5 21 May 1916 Nieuport 11 Albatros C-III Destroyed North of Dunkirk Dallas's solo attack on seven Germans sent one down in smoke.
u/c 22 May 1916 Destroyed Wing of enemy plane crumpled and it spun.
u/c 11 June 1916 Nieuport Fokker Eindekker Destroyed Dallas supposedly downed an attacking German after his own plane's engine had been hit.
6 1 July 1916 Sopwith Triplane #N500 Unidentified 2-seater (large brown biplane) Out of control Off La Panne Dallas downed German despite gun jam; confirmed by French artillery officer.
7 9 July 1916 Nieuport 11 Fokker E-III Destroyed Mariakerke Pilot killed.
u/c 9 July 1916 Nieuport 11 Large enemy biplane Inconclusive Mariakerke Per Squadron Record Book; Dallas fired into German, who dived erratically away.
8 30 September 1916 Sopwith Triplane #N500 Unidentified scout Out of control Southwest of St Pierre Capelle Verified by Squadron Record Book.
9 21 October 1916 Sopwith Triplane #N500 LVG 2-seater Destroyed Vicinity of Pervaise Verified by Squadron Record Book.
u/c 27 January 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 2-seater Enemy aircraft departed in steep dive. Near Dixmude Royal Naval Air Service Summary: "not verified".
10 1 February 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 LVG C-type Destroyed North of Dixmude Verified by Squadron Record Book.
11 5 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros D-II Out of control East-Southeast of St. Quentin Combat Report verified by Squadron Record Book.
12 6 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #5436 Albatros fighter Out of control Thomas Culling scored in same fight, and had victory recorded on this date.
13 8 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros C-type Out of control E of Cambrai Per Squadron Record Book, Combat Report counter-signed by witness and squadron commander.
2 u/c 16 April 1917 and 19 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 These victories are only in Dallas's logbook. They immediately followed his squadron's change of home airfields.
14 21 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros Scout Out of control Per Squadron Record Book. This victory is sometimes mistakenly dated 22 April 1917.
15 and 16 22 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Two Albatros D-IIIs Destroyed; set on fire and destroyed Arleux Dallas and wingman Thomas Culling constantly attacked 14 German airplanes for 45 minutes, per Squadron Record Book and Royal Flying Corps Communique #85.
17 23 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros C-type Destroyed Near Douai Per Dallas's Official Service Record and Squadron Record Book.
18 23 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Unidentified two-seater Set afire and destroyed Near Douai Per Dallas's Official Service Record and Squadron Record Book.
19 24 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros D.III Out of control SE of Lens Per Squadron Record Book and Combat Report; pilot hit.
20 and 21 30 April 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Rumpler C-type; "German Nieuport" Destroyed; out of control Near Haynecourt Per Squadron Record Book.
22 5 May 1917 Sopwith Triplane #N5436 Albatros D-III Out of control 4 miles E of Lens Per Squadron Record Book.
23 6 May 1917 Sopwith Triplane Albatros D-III Out of control Confirmed by Dallas's Official Service Record.
24 9 May 1917 Sopwith Triplane Two-seater Out of control Near Vitry Confirmed by Dallas's Official Service Record; German observer killed.
25 19 May 1917 Sopwith Triplane Albatros D-III Out of control Henin-Lietard Victory witnessed by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Cyril Ridley.
u/c 16 June 1917 Sopwith Triplane Aviatik Dallas's first possible victory as squadron commander.
3 u/c 22 June 1917; one in AM and two in PM Sopwith Triplane AEG; AEG; Halberstadt Douai? Dallas's second, third, and fourth possible victories as squadron commander.
26 22 July 1917 Sopwith Triplane Albatros C Out of control Lille Confirmed by Royal Flying Corps Communique #98.
27 12 August 1917 Sopwith Triplane N6508 Albatros Destroyed E of Wervicq Royal Flying Corps Communique #101.
28 16 August 1917 Sopwith Triplane Albatros D.V Destroyed N of Gheluwe Royal Flying Corps Communique #101.
29 16 September 1917 Sopwith Triplane Destroyed Reputedly in company with Captain Robert Little
30 15 November 1917 Sopwith Camel #B6427 DFW C-type Destroyed Ruggevelde Per Royal Naval Air Service communique. Scored while on home defense duties.
31 6 December 1917 Sopwith Camel #B6431 DFW C-type Out of control Ostend Scored while on home defence duties.
32 11 March 1918 Sopwith Camel Aviatik? 2-seater Destroyed Near Dixmude Per Royal Naval Air Service Communique.
33 11 March 1918 Sopwith Camel Rumpler C Destroyed Near Dixmude Per Royal Naval Air Service Communique.
34 12 March 1918 Sopwith Camel #5427 Kite balloon Destroyed—set aflame Only confirmed balloon victory, though he drove balloons down on several occasions.
35 19 March 1918 2-seater Destroyed Per Dallas's Official Service Record.
36 11 April 1918 RAF SE5a #C4879 DFW C-type Destroyed La Bassee Per Squadron Record Book.
37 12 April 1918 RAF SE5a #B178 Albatros Destroyed S of Estaires German Albatros was circling downed wingman when shot down.
38 2 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Albatros D.V Destroyed Brebieres Per Squadron Record Book.
39 8 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Albatros D.V Out of control Brebieres Victory witnessed by Lieutenant Rusden.
40 15 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Albatros C-type Out of control E of La Bassee Per Squadron Record Book.
41 18 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Rumpler C-type Destroyed Lille Per Squadron Record Book; this was reportedly an artillery spotter calling in fire on Dallas's airfield.
42 20 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Pfalz Out of control Merville Per Squadron Record Book, despite Combat Report stating "...no pilot is prepared to take credit..."
43 22 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 Pfalz Out of control W of Lille Dallas's solo attack picked off last plane in formation.
3 u/c 23 May 1918 RAF SE5a Fokker Dr.I; Fokker Dr.1; Rumpler 2-seater Dallas's squadron was changing home airfields at this time.
44 27 May 1918 RAF SE5a Pfalz Scout Destroyed Hantay Per Combat Report.
45 30 May 1918 RAF SE5a #D3511 DFW 2-seater Destroyed Estaires Per Squadron Record Book.

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