| rdfs:comment | - Wing Commander Ioannis Agorastos "John" Plagis, DSO, DFC and Bar (1919–1974) was a Southern Rhodesian flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War (1939–45), most noted for his part in the defence of Malta during 1942. The son of Greek immigrants, he was the war's top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin, with 16 confirmed aerial victories, including 11 over Malta. He held a number of commands towards the end of the war and finished it as Southern Rhodesia's most decorated serviceman, having won the Distinguished Service Order and other medals.
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| abstract | - Wing Commander Ioannis Agorastos "John" Plagis, DSO, DFC and Bar (1919–1974) was a Southern Rhodesian flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War (1939–45), most noted for his part in the defence of Malta during 1942. The son of Greek immigrants, he was the war's top-scoring Southern Rhodesian ace, and the highest-scoring ace of Greek origin, with 16 confirmed aerial victories, including 11 over Malta. He held a number of commands towards the end of the war and finished it as Southern Rhodesia's most decorated serviceman, having won the Distinguished Service Order and other medals. Initially turned down by Rhodesian recruiters as he was legally a foreign national, Plagis was accepted by the RAF, officially as a Greek, after Greece joined the Allies in late 1940. Following spells with No. 65 Squadron and No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron, he flew to Malta in March 1942 as part of Operation Spotter and joined No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron. Flying Spitfire Mk Vs, Plagis was part of the multinational group of Allied pilots that successfully defended the strategically important island against numerically superior Axis forces over the next few months. Flying with No. 185 Squadron from early June, he was withdrawn to England in early July. After about a year as an instructor in the UK, Plagis returned to action in September 1943 as commander of No. 64 Squadron, flying Spitfire Mk VCs over northern France. He took command of No. 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron in June 1944, and led many attacks on German positions during the invasion of France and the campaign that followed; he was shot down over Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, but only lightly wounded. After converting to flying Mustang IIIs, he commanded a wing based at RAF Bentwaters that supported bombing missions. He finished the war with the rank of squadron leader and remained with the RAF afterwards, commanding No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron during the occupation of Germany. Plagis retired from the RAF as a wing commander in 1948 and returned to Southern Rhodesia, where the capital city, Salisbury, had honoured his wartime contributions by naming a street in its northern Alexandra Park neighbourhood after him; he promptly received full citizenship. He set up home at 1 John Plagis Avenue, opened a bottle store bearing his name, and was a director of a number of companies, including Central African Airways in the 1960s. He contested the Salisbury City constitutiency in the 1962 general election, running for the Rhodesian Front, but failed to win. He died in 1974, reportedly by suicide.
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