A Very Unusual Air War (12 page)

21 August
: Once again, we escorted six Blenheims to a target between St.Omer and Lille. I was attacked by a single ME 109, which fired a short burst from astern which caused minor damage to the elevators and rudder. In taking violent evasive action I lost the squadron formation and returned alone. The slight damage to the tail unit was discovered after I landed.

In the operations of early and mid-1941 our objective was to draw the enemy into combat and to ‘show the flag’ to encourage the French and Belgians. I suppose that it was also felt necessary to prove to the Americans that not only had we not been defeated in 1940 but were also ready and willing to carry the fight to the Germans. The Bristol Blenheim twin-engine light bombers were comparatively slow and it was not easy for a Spitfire to maintain station. Initially, Hawker Hurricanes flew as close escort and escort cover. They had to stay close and so were more vulnerable to enemy attacks. As more and more Spitfires came off the production lines, losses from the earlier years were quickly replaced and many new squadrons were formed. The Hurricanes were phased out and Spitfires took over close escort duties in the daylight role. The Hurricanes continued to participate as fighter bombers and came to be known as Hurribombers. They were extensively used in the middle and far eastern theatres; for increased fire power they were armed with four 20mm cannons as well as the original four .303 machine guns and proved to be very effective. They were also the first replacements of the Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters of ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’ fame, which fought so gallantly over Malta and were more than a match for the Italian fighters.

21
August
: Escorted three Beaufighters to attack enemy minesweepers off Calais. No engagement.

24 August
: I managed to hitch a lift from White Waltham to Slough for a quick overnight visit to my eldest sister, Doris, and her family, to confirm arrangements for my wedding the following month.

26 August
: After the bombing, my section leader, who had been hit by flak, left the formation. I saw him clear of danger. I returned to escort the Blenheims as far as the French coast, then returned to base. They all returned safely.

27 August
: Escorted six Blenheims to bomb ‘Long Nez’ airfield in the Pas de Calais. No engagement. Then another chance for an overnight visit to the Climer family at Slough.

29 August
: Flew cover escort for six Blenheims to bomb Hazebrucke; we saw numerous vapour trails. Six ME 109s came down out of the sun to attack our centre (red) section. We took evasive action by turning sharply into the direction of the attack; they gave up the attack and dived away.

30 August
: An exercise intended mainly to boost the morale of the local population.

31 August
: Saw no sign of enemy activity, not even any flak, so no fun at all.

11 September
: After the glorious autumn weather of 1940, 1941 reverted to form with dull, wet weather and operations were severely curtailed, particularly in the first two weeks. On the 11th it was worse than usual with low cloud and rain. It was decided that each of the Kenley squadrons would carry out a ‘Rhubarb’ at different times throughout the day. Rhubarbs were notoriously dangerous so volunteers were called for. A Rhubarb was a low-level offensive patrol by a pair of our fighters over enemy-held territory to attack targets of opportunity, particularly road and rail transport such as lorries and army vehicles. We were under strict orders not to attack airfields as they were always heavily defended by light and heavy flak. A number of Battle of Britain aces who tried it were shot down – hence the ban. They were known as Rhubarbs because of the effect on the bowels of eating too much of it, the operation having much the same effect.

On this day Sergeant Osborne of B Flight and I were the suckers who volunteered. We took off mid-morning and wandered around the Pas de Calais for some time and, being at tree-top level, were never really sure of our exact position. Suddenly we found ourselves crossing the perimeter of Calais Marck, one of the main Luftwaffe fighter air bases in the area. We had no alternative but to carry on; it would have been fatal to attempt to turn back. So we streaked across the flying field heading for the far boundary, firing at a steam-roller which was working on the runway. Due to the bad weather and our low altitude, we caught the Germans literally with their pants down. Approaching the hangars we saw large numbers of the ground staff enjoying their mid-morning
Kaffee und Kuchen
at the German equivalent of the NAAFI wagon. As they streamed back towards their gun positions, we opened fire with guns and cannons and caught many of them as they ran.

We saw many bodies thrown to right and left but whether they were hit or just trying to avoid our fire we did not wait to enquire; but it is almost certain that there must have been many casualties. As we roared over the hangars and boundary hedges,
streams of ‘flaming onions’ were already looping over and round our aircraft. By the Grace of God and extreme good luck, plus the suddenness of our arrival and departure, neither Spitfire was hit and we escaped unscathed. Although we had not deliberately attacked the airfield, the C/O gave us both a severe telling off for our escapade.

13 September
: As far as Kenley was concerned, 13th September had been my stag night, which I celebrated by flying my Spitfire to Waddesdon, the village of my birth, to show off to family and friends my skill as a pilot. It was nearly my last flight as, in the course of my aerobatic display, I performed a slow roll at very low altitude over the village. While inverted I almost hit the old windmill that stood just south of the village. Luck was with me and I got away with it. Back at Kenley there was time for a few drinks with the boys, goodbye to Elsie and the girls, then down to Whiteleaf station in the evening and back to Waddesdon, this time by train, to begin a seven-day leave from the 14th to the 21st of the month.

Estelle and I were married at Waddesdon Church by the vicar, the Rev. George Dixon, who had baptised and confirmed me many years before. We spent our wedding night at the farm. Then it was off by train for a short four-day honeymoon, spent in a small hotel at Paignton in Devonshire. Days were spent enjoying local beauty spots and strolling along the seafront, admiring the barbed wire defences that lined the beaches.

On the 21st it was back, first to the farm then, for Estelle, on to Slough, where she lived with Doris, my eldest sister and her family, until June of the following year. During that time she worked as a secretary in the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) office of the local police force. I, of course, travelled back to Kenley to resume my efforts in the defeat of Hitler and his Nazis.

During my week’s leave the Squadron had run into trouble on several occasions and was badly mauled. Seven pilots were missing, together with their aircraft. Three of the five relatively new boys, with whom I had shared a bedroom, were among those lost. The Spitfire, Squadron letters LOA, which I regarded as ‘my’ Spitfire, was one of those lost. I always told my wife that by choosing that day for our marriage, she probably saved my life.

On returning to the Squadron Al Deere must have thought that I would be worn out and in need of a rest as he gave me only light duties for the next few days. These included a day as duty officer, quite an honour, as I was still only a Sergeant. I flew on only one operation, that on the 27th, a trip that involved only fighters and was intended to tweak the Huns’ tails. It obviously failed as, without bombers, the Luftwaffe showed no interest and saved their petrol.

During this month we had our first sighting of what we later learned was the Focke Wulf FW190. Sightings of a radial-engined machine had been reported as early as August but it was a well-kept German secret and we had no detailed knowledge of this machine. In the case of our squadron, in fact part of the Kenley Wing, our first sighting of the FW190 was when a large number of Spitfires, three or four Wings, made up of 12 or 16 squadrons, were involved in escorting a number of bombers. The FW190
appeared some distance in front of us flying at right angles to our particular Wing, travelling at very high speed. The pilot performed a series of quick rolls right and left. It was almost as if the Luftwaffe pilot was teasing us and metaphorically sticking up the proverbial two fingers, (he probably was), as there was no possibility of catching us. He ended the display with a perfectly executed climbing roll, immediately diving away at very high speed. Various attempts at identification were put forward; some said it was an early arrival of an American P47 Thunderbolt or even a Japanese Zero but after a few more sightings, it was found to be a new and very potent German fighter, something we learned to our cost over the ensuing year.

In my logbook the following note appears in pencil; I do not know why!

Operational hours to date 44 hours 45 minutes

Score to date 1 E/A.(enemy aircraft) confirmed