Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War Fleet Air Arm operations D.S.C. group of five attributed to Lieutenant (A.) D. Levitt, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, a Firefly pilot who was decorated for his part in five strikes against the Tirpitz in July-August 1944: just a few days after being notified of his award, he was killed in action over Palembang in January 1945 - but not before himself shooting down a Japanese Oscar

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., hallmarks for London 1945, the reverse officially dated ‘1945’ and privately inscribed, ‘Lt. Dennis Levitt’, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine and better (5) £1200-1500

D.S.C. London Gazette 16 January 1944:

‘For undaunted courage, skill and determination in carrying out daring attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz.’

The original recommendation states:

‘This Firefly pilot has taken part in seven sorties of close escort and flak busting, including five strikes against Tirpitz. He has shown great determination and courage in all these attacks, which have been pressed home, and has set an excellent example to other pilot’s in his squadron.’

Dennis Levitt was decorated for the above cited deeds while serving as a Firefly pilot in No. 1770 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm. Commanded by Major V. B. G. Cheeseman, D.S.O., M.B.E., D.S.C., Royal Marines, in the period February 1944 up until the recipient’s death in action in January 1945, the Squadron first carried out a strike against the Tirpitz in Kaa Fjord, Norway, in July 1944, a strike mounted from H.M.S. Indefatigable and the first of five such sorties flown by Levitt, for he also participated in Operations “Goodwood” I, II, III and IV that August, when no less than four attacks of similar nature were mounted. Of these latter operations, John Winton’s Find, Fix and Strike states:

‘After Tirpitz had made her last trip to sea, for exercises in Alten Fjord with the 4th Destroyer Flotilla on 31 July and 1 August 1944, the Fleet Air Arm launched four more strikes against her, code-named GOODWOOD I, II, III and IV, beginning with the first two on 22 August 1944. Five carriers, Indefatigable, Formidable, Furious, Nabob and Trumpeter took part. The strike and escort consisted of thirty-two Barracudas (of 820, 826, 827, 828 and 830 Squadrons), eleven Fireflies of 1770, eight Seafires of 887, twenty-four Corsairs of 1841 and 1842, and nine Hellcats of 1840. The Barracudas and Corsairs did not reach the target but the Hellcats bombed through holes in the smoke clouds, without getting a hit. Five enemy aircraft were destroyed, for the loss of one Barracuda, one Hellcat and a Seafire. The same evening six Hellcats from Indefatigable escorted by eight Fireflies made a second attack with no hits. While the force was withdrawing that evening, U-354 torpedoed and sank the escort Bickerton and hit Nabob in the stern. Although a thirty-foot hole had been blown in her hull and she was well down by the stern, Nabob returned home safely, even flying off aircraft on the way. Two days later, on the afternoon of the 24th, Indefatigable, Formidable and Furious mounted the heaviest attack of all: seventy-seven aircraft, with thirty-three Barracudas armed each with a 1600lb bomb, ten Hellcats with 500lb bombs, and five Corsairs with 1000lb bombs, escorted by nineteen Corsairs and ten Fireflies. This time they achieved two hits. One, by a 500lb bomb on the top of 'B' turret, was unimportant but the other, by a 1600 pounder should have put paid to Tirpitz. It penetrated the main armoured deck and went down through eight decks to lodge deep in the bowels of the ship where it failed to explode. The Germans afterwards found it had less than half its proper amount of explosive. Two Hellcats and four Corsairs were lost. The last strike in the GOODWOOD series was delivered from Formidable and Indefatigable on 29 August. The bombing force was twenty-six Barracudas, two Corsairs and seven Hellcats, escorted by fifteen Corsairs and ten Fireflies. All the bombs were dropped, with several near-misses but no hits. ACorsair and a Firefly were lost.’

In November 1944, the Indefatigable was ordered to the Far East, Levitt and his fellow pilots taking part in in a number of attacks on the oil refineries at Palembang, Sumatra, in the new year, and it was in the course of one such operation on 29 January 1945 that he shot down a Japanese Oscar before he and his observer, Lieutenant J. F. Webb, R.N.Z.N.V.R., were in turn shot down; see The Forgotten Fleet, by John Winton, for a full account of these operations and mention of Levitt.

The son of Thomas and Sarah Levitt of Windlestone, Co. Durham, he was 23 years of age. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial, Hampshire; sold with original Admiralty letter of notification for the award of the D.S.C., dated 19 January 1945, mounted on card, together with copied research.