Flying ace after he became the first pilot to down five German aircraft. The British initially used the term "star-turns" (a show business term), while the Germans described their elite fighter pilots as "Überkanonen" (which roughly translates to "top guns"). The successes of such German ace pilots as Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke were much publicised for the benefit of civilian morale, and the "Pour le Mérite", Prussia’s highest award for gallantry, became part of the uniform of a leading German ace. In the "Luftstreitkräfte" the "Pour le Mérite" was nicknamed "Der blaue Max"/The Blue Max, after Max Immelmann, who was the
David Thwaites (flying ace) different P-47s, however, he nicknamed them all "Polly". Following the completion of his tour in September 1944, he returned to the United States and became an instructor. Following the surrender of Germany, Thwaites was stationed in Germany and on August 19, 1946, while a member of the 396th Fighter Squadron/368th Fighter Group, his P-47 Thunderbolt was involved in an aerial collision in the vicinity of Borkum. David Thwaites (flying ace) David Franklin Thwaites (September 8, 1921 – December 15, 2015) was a fighter pilot and flying ace of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He became