Editing W. G. G. Duncan Smith (section)

==Second World War==
A [[sergeant]] at the start of the [[Second World War]], Duncan Smith was commissioned as a [[pilot officer]] (on probation) on 29 September 1940.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34976|page=6143|date=22 October 1940}}</ref> Serving with No. 7 [[Operational Training Unit]] at the outbreak of war, Duncan Smith was posted to the [[Spitfire]]-equipped [[No. 611 Squadron RAF]] at [[RAF Hornchurch]] in October 1940. He was awarded a [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] (DFC) in June 1941, and went to [[No. 603 Squadron RAF]] in August 1941 as a Flight Commander. Duncan Smith was due for a rest but had to remain operational, leading his squadron while bringing their new [[squadron leader]] up to speed. He was promoted to [[flying officer]] (war-substantive) on 29 September.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35444|page=566|date=3 February 1942}}</ref> On 20 November he was taken ill, passing out after returning from a convoy patrol. Duncan Smith spent some time in hospital with [[double pneumonia]], the symptoms of which he had assumed was only the result of exhaustion from a long operational tour.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

Upon recovery in January 1942, Duncan Smith rejoined the Hornchurch Wing, now flying the improved [[Spitfire Mk.IX]]. In March 1942 he was promoted to acting squadron leader and given command of [[No. 64 Squadron RAF]]. He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 27 June.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35709|supp=y|page=4064|date=15 September 1942}}</ref> 

During the ill-fated [[Dieppe Raid]] on 19 August, Duncan Smith was shot down by an enemy fighter but rescued from the [[English Channel]] with injuries and eardrum pain. In August he became an acting [[Wing leader|wing commander (flying)]] at [[RAF North Weald]]. In November he was rested from operations with a posting to take charge of the Tactics Branch at Fighter Command, his input leading to the formation of the Fighter Command School of Tactics at [[RAF Charmy Down]]. He was promoted to squadron leader (war-substantive) on 30 November.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35900|supp=y|page=754|date=9 February 1943}}</ref>

While Duncan Smith's non-operational tour was recognised as very productive, he began to seek a return to operations, and he was sent to [[Malta]] to command the 244th Fighter Wing. During this time he flew in support of the Allied landings on Sicily. On 12 July his Mark IX Spitfire was badly damaged in combat, but this episode ended well when he landed at Safi airfield on Malta with his aircraft riddled with cannon shells in fuselage, elevator and rudder:<ref>Smith, Duncan W.G.G: ''Spitfire into Battle'', pp. 151–152</ref> {{blockquote|My Spitfire was in a mess. Cannon shells had blasted a couple of large holes in the side. One had burst against the radio and armour behind my seat. Another, having made a hole the size of a football, had torn the control wires to shreds. The elevator was hanging by one thread of frayed wire and my rigger neatly snapped this with a sharp blow from his fingers. "You will not be needing that any more," he grinned at me. "It all looks very untidy – doesn't it?" Another cannon shell had torn big pieces out of the elevator and rudder surfaces.}} Potential victors could be {{lang|de|Experten}} {{lang|de|[[Feldwebel]]}} Heinrich Steis from 4./JG 27 or {{lang|de|[[Oberfeldwebel]]}} Günther "Hupatz" Seeger of 7./JG 53. On 2 September 1943, just before the invasion of Italy, Duncan Smith ran out of fuel when a switch between fuel tanks failed. He was forced to bail out into the sea, injuring his kneecap in the process. He was rescued after more than six hours adrift. He was very lucky for a second time; while he was being dragged to the [[Royal Air Force Marine Branch#Second World War|Air Sea Rescue Services]] [[Supermarine Walrus]] by a rope, the Walrus was severely shot up by an enemy fighter:<ref>Smith, Duncan W.G.G: ''Spitfire into Battle'', pp. 164–169</ref> {{blockquote|The Walrus was badly holed below the water and a cannon shell had pierced the wing tank, but luckily, though petrol spewed all over the place, the old bus did not catch fire. The blow I felt was from a bullet that tore through the collar of my Mae West grazing my neck before smacking into the Walrus. We got down at Milazzon safely, after a brilliant landing by the pilot, and I was whisked off to the American field hospital close by. There they were very kind and after fixing up my leg and dressing the neck wound tried to keep me for the night, but I managed to talk the doctor into letting me return to Lentini. The Walrus Air Sea Rescue aircraft was a total wreck having been damaged in too many vital parts.}} The sad end to the story, other than Duncan Smith losing his footwear in the sea, was news that his comrade Dick Charrington had been shot down and killed during this rescue mission by an enemy fighter. Charrington may have been shot down by {{lang|de|[[Unteroffizier]]}} Alfred Scharl of 2./JG 53 who was credited with a kill at 17:20 2 September 1943, 15&nbsp;km north of Tropea at low altitude. The identity of the German pilot who severely damaged the Walrus is not known. After all those sunburns, injuries, wounds and the return of his ear pain from 19 August 1942, Duncan Smith was considered unfit for action. As an acting [[group captain]], he then took charge of 324 Wing, finally leaving in March 1945.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

Duncan Smith was credited with 17 enemy aircraft shot down, two shared destroyed, six probables, two shared probables and eight damaged in [[aerial combat]].<ref>Price 1997, p. 25.</ref> He was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] and [[Medal bar|Bar]] and the DFC and Bar in recognition of his bravery.

He was the author of ''Spitfire into Battle'' (1981), an account of aerial combat in the [[Supermarine Spitfire]].