Clive Robertson “Killer” Caldwell, a flying ace, merciless killer, bootlegger, mutineer, prosperous businessman, and national hero, embodies all that is uniquely Australian
The most successful Australian air ace of World War II was Clive Robertson Caldwell, DSO, DFC & Bar. In the North African Campaign, Caldwell piloted Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks and Kittyhawks, and in the South West Pacific Theater, Supermarine Spitfires. He was the highest-scoring Allied pilot in North Africa and the highest-scoring P-40 pilot from any air force. In addition, Caldwell commanded two wings of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
‘Clive Robertson Caldwell. Better known by his nickname, “Killer” Caldwell,’ says Andrew T. Post, an aviation expert, on Quora.
‘He was Australia’s highest-scoring ace of World War II. The “Top Gun from Down Under.” Credited with 28.5 kills (throughout 300 sorties). Became an ace in a day. Fought in the Middle East, North Africa, and the South Pacific. Shot down Germans, Italians, and Japanese. Earned his nickname “Killer” in 1941, because he had no compunction about machine-gunning German pilots who’d bailed out of their stricken aircraft and were parachuting down to the ground. As he said:
“There was no bloodlust or anything about it like that. It was just a matter of not wanting them back to have another go at us. I never shot any who landed where they could be taken, prisoner.”
‘(For what it’s worth, shooting parachuting enemy pilots were fairly common among both German and Allied forces during WWII. Caldwell witnessed a close friend of his get shot by a German pilot in North Africa while descending to the ground on a parachute, and this may have hardened him to the grim realities of total war.)’
Post continues;
‘After serving with distinction in several different theaters of the Second World War, Caldwell was court-martialed in January of 1946 for allegedly smuggling liquor to US troops in the Dutch East Indies. He was demoted and left the service in February of 1946. He was also apparently involved in a mutiny shortly before the war’s end after he and several other officers resigned in protest at RAAF squadrons being assigned to strategically worthless missions. (He was cleared of all charges.)
‘After the war, he joined a cloth import/export firm in Sydney and later became a managing director. He died in 1994, being mourned by many Australians as a national hero.
‘I don’t think you could get much more Australian than that. Flying ace, ruthless killer, bootlegger, mutineer, successful businessman, a national hero.’
Post concludes;
‘He’s certainly always been one of the World War II aviators I admired the most.
‘Godspeed, Killer Caldwell.’
Photo: Marked with his initials, Wing Commander Clive ‘Killer’ Caldwell, poses beside his Spitfire at Strauss Airstrip in Australia’s Northern Territory. (AWM NWA0309) via HistoryNet
