another Do17, and on 2 March 1940 he destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf109 fighter. The latter victory received considerable press coverage as Kain, his cockpit filled with smoke and fumes, had to crash-land his badly damaged aircraft after the battle. For this action he was awarded the DFC. On 26 March he shot down two Bf109s to become Britain’s first air ace of the war. During this dogfight his Hurricane was hit again: ‘there was a crash, the top of the hood was shot away and my machine caught fire. The shock must have knocked me out for a moment since when I came to the Hurricane was in a steep dive and flaming’. Suffering minor burns to his face and hands, he regained control and parachuted to safety.On 10 April Kain became engaged to an English actress, Joyce Phillips, adding to his growing popularity.

When the Germans launched their attack on the Low Countries and France, Kain was in the thick of the action, destroying three enemy aircraft between 10 and 12 May, and claiming two more on the 19th. By early June 1940 he had downed 17 German aircraft and was to be rested from operations. To mark his departure he flew an aerobatic display over the aerodrome at Echimenes on 7 June. He completed two low-level rolls and was attempting a third when he crashed onto the airfield, was thrown out of the aircraft and killed. Not yet 22, he was buried in Troyes cemetery. His remains were moved to the Allied section of