Group Captain John Alexander Kent, (23 June 1914 – 7 October 1985), nicknamed "Kentski" (sometimes given as "Kentowski") by his Polish comrades, was a Canadian fighter ace flying in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Considered one of the best young squadron leaders of the war, he went on to a distinguished postwar career before entering the aviation industry. Early years John Alexander Kent was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where he learned to fly and obtained his licence in 1931. He obtained a commercial licence in 1933 after working for the Northwest Aero Marine Company and became the youngest to achieve this in Canada. In 1935, Kent joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was posted to No. 5 Flying Training School on 15 March. He joined No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in February 1936, where he remained until October 1937 when he moved to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. For his research work, during which he deliberately made over 300 airborne collisions with various types of barrage balloon, he mainly flew the first prototype of the Fairey P.4/34 K5099. Kent was awarded the Air Force Cross on 1 February 1939. Second World War Kent was posted to the Photographic Development Unit in May 1940 flying unarmed Supermarine Spitfires in France. During the late stages of the fall of France, while on a low-level sortie with an armed Spitfire, he was attacked by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that subsequently crashed during the encounter. By early July, he was posted to RAF Hawarden flying Hawker Hurricane fighters. On 2 August 1940, as a Flight Commander, Kent joined No. 303 Squadron, a newly formed squadron consisting of Polish pilots based at RAF Northolt throughout the Battle of Britain. Kent's first combat victories came on 9 September 1940 when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and a Junkers Ju 88. On 23 September, he destroyed a Bf 109 and damaged a Focke-Wulf Fw 58 reconnaissance aircraft while intercepting a raid over Dungeness. He shot down a Ju 88 after a raid over London on 27 September. During a dogfight over the south coast of England on 1 October, Kent found himself alone with 40 Bf 109s. In the ensuing engagement, he shot down two of the enemy fighters and scored hits on another. Kent was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 25 October 1940 and,