caption serviceyears branch commands death_date birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name
wing group captain adolph malan and other pilots at merston , commander sussex , on the morning of d day crawford-compton , second from right , with 1939 & ndash ; 1968 united kingdom no. raf 22 group raf raf bruggen no. 64 squadron 02 january 1988 invercargill , new zealand united kingdom companion the order of the british empire distinguished service order & of bar distinguished flying cross & bar silver star -lrb- united the states -rrb- order of the bath commander of second world war 2 march 1915 bill air vice marshal malan and raf officers d day iwm cl 29.jpg bill crawford-crompton
 william vernon `` bill '' crawford-crompton
bill crawford-crompton

air vice marshal william vernon `` bill '' crawford-crompton cb , cbe , dso & bar , dfc & bar -lrb- 2 march 1915 -- 2 january 1988 -rrb- was a new zealand-born pilot and air ace of the second world war .
after the war , he went on to serve as a senior commander in the royal air force .
crawford-crompton was born in invercargill , new zealand on 2 march 1915 .
he joined the royal new zealand air force in 1939 .
in 1941 he was commissioned into the royal air force volunteer reserve as a pilot officer .
he was then posted as a pilot to no. 485 squadron rnzaf .
he is credited with shooting down 21.5 enemy aircraft , and for bravery was awarded the prestigious french chevalier of the legion of honour and united states silver star .
he took part in operation overlord and destroyed four enemy aircraft in july 1944 during that operation .
