Branse Burbridge Wing Commander Bransome Arthur " Branse " Burbridge ( born 4 February 1921 ) is a former RAF night fighter pilot and flying ace who holds the Allied record of 21 confirmed ' kills ' during World War II . Early life . Born in East Dulwich the son of a Wesleyan preacher , Burbridge lived in Knebworth and was educated at Alleyne ' s School in Stevenage . At the outbreak of Second World War in September 1939 , he was working as an insurance clerk . Although he had initially indicated that he would register as a conscientious objector , he came to the view that the war was a just cause , and joined the Royal Air Force in February 1941 , shortly after his 20th birthday , preempting his registration under the National Service ( Armed Forces ) Act 1939 , due on 22 February 1941 . His brother , Jarvis , was already serving in Bomber Command but was shot down and was a prisoner of war . Military service . Initial training . After pilot training at No . 54 Operational Training Unit ( OTU ) at RAF Church Fenton , he was posted to No . 85 Squadron RAF at RAF Hunsdon in October 1941 , flying Douglas Havoc s - the night fighter variant of the Boston . Burbridge claimed his first successes - a probable Junkers 88 over Ipswich on 1 June 1942 and a Dornier 217 damaged over Canterbury two nights later . Tour - expired , in late 1942 he was posted as an instructor to 62 OTU at RAF Unsworth and then briefly to 141 and 157 Squadrons . Teaming up with Bill Skelton . He returned to 85 Squadron at RAF West Malling in July 1943 as a Flight Lieutenant . 85 Squadron was commanded by John " Cat ’ s Eyes " Cunningham , and it was here that Burbridge teamed up with Flying Officer Bill Skelton as his Navigator / Radar Operator ( they had met at RAF Unsworth ) . Fellow navigator at 85 Squadron , Jimmy Rawnsley , described the pair thusly in his post war book " Night Fighters " : Mounting successes . Burbridge had far more success flying Mosquitoes with this squadron , initially on home defence duties prior to June 1944 , than on bomber support operations with No . 100 Group RAF against the Luftwaffe ' s " Nachtgeschwaders " . With radar operator Flight Lieutenant Bill Skelton alongside him , he claimed 21 kills over the next ten months , 16 over occupied Europe . They opened their account on the night of 22 – 23 February 1944 , destroying a Messerschmitt Me 410 south - east of Beachy Head . During the night of 24 – 25 March , they claimed a Dornier 217 damaged ( later confirmed destroyed ) and then after encountering more enemy aircraft off Dover , they downed a Junkers 88 . Their next confirmed ' kill came during the evening of 18 – 19 April , south of Sandgate , Kent , when a three second burst from 300 feet destroyed a Junkers 188 , it crashing into the sea . Burbridge reached flying ace status on the 25 – 26 April , after shooting down a Messerschmitt Me 410 south of Selsey Bill . For this act , Burbridge was recommended for the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) . Bar to the DFC . Burbridge and Skelton then flew missions supporting the D - Day landings , and on the night of 15 June 1944 , shot down Major Wilhelm Herget in his Junkers 188 , south - west of Nivelles . On the 23 June they suffered engine damage from the debris of their next victim , another Junkers 88 . For the growing tally of ' kills ' , Burbridge was recommended for a Bar to his DFC . In the late summer of 1944 he also managed to shot down three V - 1 flying bombs . In September , Burbridge started more offensive sorties and on the 12th downed Junkers 188 over the Baltic Sea and added two further Junkers 88s over Gutersloh airfield on the 14 – 15 October , and four days later another Junkers 188 over Metz . DSO and Bar . It was in November that Burbridge an Skelton , now becoming well known as the " Night Hawks " , claimed their best single night tally . On the 5th , over Bonn , they shot down four enemy aircraft ( with just 200 of 700 rounds of ammunition expended ) - three Junkers 88s and a Messerschmitt 110 . This night ' s actions earned Burbridge his first Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) . More enemy aircraft fell to the " Night Hawks " ; over Mannheimon 22 November 1944 they claimed a Messerschmitt 110 and a Junkers 88 near Bonn . On the night of 12 – 13 December they shot down another Messerschmitt 110 and Jumkers 88 outside of Essen and ten laters one more Messerschmitt 110 near Koblenz . Burbridge ' s and Skeltons 21st and final confirmed ' kill ' came shortly into January 1945 when south - west of Ludwigshafen they downed a Junkers 88 . This confirmed victory made them the highest scoring British and Commonwealth night fighter partnership of the War . For this action Burbridge received a Bar to his DSO . Burbridge left No . 85 Squadron in March 1945 to become commanding officer of the Night Fighter Leader ’ s School . He was later awarded the American DFC . Burbridge is quoted as saying " I always tried to aim for the wings of enemy aircraft and not the cockpit . I never wanted to kill anyone . " List of air victories . Burbridge ended the war the RAF ' s highest ranking night fighter ace , claiming 21 confirmed destroyed . Post war . A committed evangelical Anglican , Burbridge studied theology at the University of Oxford after the war , before becoming a full - time worker and lay preacher for the Scripture Union . In the 1970s he was a member of the pastoral team at St Aldate ' s Church , Oxford . Sale of medals . In February 2013 Burbridge ' s family reported that he is suffering from Alzheimer ' s disease and they were considering selling his medals and wartime memorabilia to fund his private care home . On 25 March 2013 , Burbridge ' s medals fetched £155 , 000 at auction Honours and awards . < br >