Willie Tait
| James Brian Tait | |
|---|---|
Tait (fifth from left) standing with his crew by the tail of their Lancaster at Woodhall Spa, the day after the successful raid on the German battleship Tirpitz
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| Nickname(s) | "Tirpitz" |
| Born |
9 December 1916 Manchester, England |
| Died | 31 August 2007 (aged 90) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1936–64 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Commands held |
RAF Coningsby (c. 1953–55) No. 617 Squadron No. 78 Squadron (1942, 1944) No. 35 Squadron (1941) No. 51 Squadron (1941) |
| Battles/wars |
Second World War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order & Three Bars Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Mentioned in Despatches (2) |
| Other work | Computer programmer with ICL |
Second World War
Group Captain James Brian "Willie" Tait, DSO & Three Bars, DFC & Bar (9 December 1916 – 31 August 2007) was an officer in the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War. He conducted 101 bombing missions during the war, including the one that finally sank the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944. He succeeded Leonard Cheshire as commander of the famous 617 Squadron and, with six gallantry decorations to his name, remains one of the most distinguished airmen in the history of the nations of the British Commonwealth.
Tait was born in Manchester and educated at Wellingborough School. After visiting a Schneider Trophy event in 1928, he decided to join the RAF. He graduated from the RAF College Cranwell and was commissioned as pilot officer in the RAF on 1 August 1936 and joined No. 51 Squadron RAF, flying Whitley bombers. He was promoted to flying officer on 1 February 1938.
Tait was active on bombing operations with 51 Squadron in 1940, including several long distance raids on Berlin and the first British air raid on Italy, crossing the Alps to bomb Turin, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 February 1940. By the end of the year, he was commanding 51 Squadron. On 10 February 1941, he led the aircraft involved in Operation Colossus flying from Malta to drop paratroops in southern Italy. For this mission, he was awarded the DSO. He was given a temporary promotion to squadron leader on 1 March 1941, which was later made substantive with the same seniority.
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