A Very Unusual Air War (44 page)
Read A Very Unusual Air War Online
Authors: Gill Griffin
15 January
: This Mk IV was the best version of the Mustang. It had the one-piece moulded canopy and, with the cut-down rear fuselage, gave truly all-round visibility. A modified tail unit greatly improved stability and with six .5-inch machine guns it was a formidable aircraft. With its 6-hour endurance it was certainly one of the most successful weapons in shortening the war.
29 January
: It was in this test that the poor stability of the Mk 21 showed up most.
| Summary for:– January 1945 | 1. Spitfire | 1–55 |
| Unit:– AFDS Wittering | 2. Mustang | 3–40 |
| Date:– 3/2/45 | 3. Tempest | 1–05 |
| Signature:– H.L. Thorn e F/Lt | ||
| | ||
| H.L.Thorne F/Lt, pp S/Ldr O/C Flying AFDS |
During this winter period there was extremely cold weather with several heavy snow falls. This explains the lack of flying activity during December and January. There was one particular day when Wimpy and I had to use a car to carry out an inspection at Colley Weston and he demonstrated his complete recovery from his night flying fright. We were on the country road south of Wittering, Wimpy at the wheel, driving at high speed over ice-covered surfaces. I expected to end up in a ditch but we got away with it; the drive scared the pants off me worse than any flying experience. Wimpy at his best!
| YEAR | 1945 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| February | 1st | Spitfire 21 | LA201 | Self | | Cine camera | | −35 | |
| | 3rd | Spitfire IX | JL359 | Self | | Cine camera | | −25 | |
| | 4th | Spitfire IX | JL359 | Self | | Cine camera | | −25 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To Tangmere | | −45 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To base | | −45 | |
| | 7th | Spitfire 21 | LA201 | Self | | Cine camera | | −30 | |
| | 9th | Spitfire IX | BS552 | Self | | To Boscombe Down | | −40 | |
| | | Spitfire IX | BS552 | Self | | To base | | −45 | |
| | 10th | Spitfire IX | MJ421 | Self | | GGS tracking | | −40 | |
| | 14th | Spitfire IX | MJ421 | Self | | GGS tracking | | −25 | |
| | | Tempest V | EN529 | Self | | GGS tracking | | −25 | |
| | 18th | Spitfire IX | RR228 | Self | | (Cine camera) handling | | −35 | |
| | | Spitfire IX | RR228 | Self | | Handling | | −20 | |
| | 19th | Spitfire IX | PV295 | Self | | Cine camera | | −40 | |
| | | Mustang IV | 704 | Self | | Target | | −35 | |
| | 21st | Boston | BZ363 | Self | | Air test | | −20 | |
| | | Spitfire XIV | 253 | Self | | Gunsight test | | −15 | |
| | 24th | Boston | BZ363 | Self | | To Tangmere | | −50 | |
| | | Anson | ? | S/Ldr Wade | Self | To base | | 1–00 | |
| | | Spitfire 21 | LA201 | Self | | To Tangmere | | −40 | |
| | | Anson | | Self | F/Lt Cull | To base | | 1–00 | |
| | 28th | Meteor III | EE263 | Self | | Local | | −35 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,132 hours 50 mins | 3–30 | 11–20 | |
| | | | | | | | 60–00 | 1058–00 | 16–15 |
4 February
: I had flown FZ107 on and off since December 31st 1943, completing the test programme and much flying purely for pleasure. It was with a sense of regret that I flew it for the last time. Goodbye to a friend.
24 February
: This was the start of our move to Tangmere. After D-Day this airfield was almost empty, all the operational units, aircraft and personnel had moved to the Continent. It was decided by the Air Ministry that various fighter test and experimental units would be merged into one organisation under the heading CFE (Central Fighter Establishment). Among the units was AFDS (now with squadron status), A & AEE (Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment from Boscombe Down), FLS (Fighter Leaders School), part of RAE (Royal Aircraft Establishment from Farnborough) and others.
It was with great regret on all sides that Estelle and I left our rooms at Chain Cottage and started a search for new accommodation. With so many people moving to ‘Tangers’ this was not easy and we spent the first few weeks in one room in a council house at East Wittering with Mr and Mrs Kirby and their 12-year-old daughter. I remember only one feature of this house: in the front room was an Anderson air-raid shelter. We were pretty relieved to move into a furnished bungalow, near the seafront, in Bracklesham Bay towards the end of March. ‘Veronica’, a wooden bungalow just a stone’s throw from the beach, was very much a holiday home but ideal for us, with the spring and summer to come.
28 February
: The Meteor Mk III, with more powerful engines, was a great improvement on the earlier version of the aircraft.
| Summary for:– February 1945 | 1. Spitfire | 6–55 |
| Unit:– AFDS Tangmere | 2. Mustang | 2–05 |
| Date:– 2/3/45 | 3. Tempest | −25 |
| Signature:– H.L.Thorne | 4. Boston | 1–10 |
| 5. Anson | 2–00 | |
| 6. Meteor III | −35 | |
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| Signed: T.S. Wade S/Ldr O/C Flying AFDS |
| YEAR | 1945 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| March | 1st | Meteor III | EE263 | Self | | Air test | | −20 | |
| | | Meteor III | EE263 | Self | | Air test | | −25 | |
| | 4th | Spitfire IX | MJ421 | Self | | Weather test | | −30 | |
| | | Spitfire 21 | LA215 | Self | | Gun platform | | −40 | |
| | 17th | Spitfire IX | PV295 | Self | | Air test | | −25 | |
| | | Anson | | Self | Sgt Leslie | To Boscombe Down | | −40 | |
| | | Anson | | Self | | To base | | −40 | |
| | 22nd | Mustang IV | 204 | Self | | Target | | −30 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,137 hours 00 mins | 3–30 | 11–20 | |
| | | | | | | | 60–00 | 1062–10 | 16–15 |
1 March
: Fun and games on the first flight: the starboard engine suffered a flame-out and I had to make my first single-engine approach and landing in a twin. To my relief it turned out to be a piece of cake. A minor fault corrected for the second flight but I did not go far from the airfield.
| Summary for:– March 1945 | 1. Spitfire | 1–35 |
| Unit:– AFDS Tangmere | 2. Mustang | −30 |
| Date:– 2/3/45 | 3. Meteor | −45 |
| Signature:– H.L.Thorne | 4. Anson | 1–20 |
| | ||
| Signed: T.S. Wade S/Ldr O/C Flying AFDS |
| YEAR | 1945 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| April | 3rd | Spitfire IX | JL359 | Self | | Air test | | −30 | |
| | 4th | Mustang III | 890 | Self | | Handling at 25,000ft | | 1–25 | |
| | 5th | Mustang III | 754 | Self | | Air test | | −30 | |
| | 7th | Auster I | | Self | | To Westcott | | 1–15 | |
| | | Auster I | | Self | | Westcott to base | | 1–00 | |
| | 14th | Spitfire XIV | JL356 | Self | | Local | | −30 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,141 hours 25 mins | 3–30 | 11–20 | |
| | | | | | | | 60–00 | 1066–35 | 16–15 |
4 April
: This was not really a test flight. Climbing all the way to the south coast, at 25,000 ft I could see across the Channel to Cherbourg and the last of the Normandy invasion shipping.
7 April
: Many items of food, including eggs, were still rationed. The flight was one of a number that I made to collect a crate of 12 dozen eggs from my sister’s farm, for the Officers’ Mess.
On April 20th the European war came to an end and our work at AFDS came almost to a standstill. Like many servicemen, our own futures were in doubt and CFE in general and AFDS in particular were swamped by an influx of officers from Europe. The new CFE set-up was still being organised and a commanding officer had yet to be appointed. Wing Commander Douglas Bader, recently returned from his POW days at Colditz Castle, paid an escorted visit to Duxford and hoped to get the post. I was told that he was very disappointed to be passed over. Wing Commander Ronald (Razz) Berry, a hero of the Battle of Britain and the siege of Malta, was appointed commanding officer.
| Summary for:– April 1945 | 1. Spitfire | 1–00 |
| Unit:– AFDS Tangmere | 2. Mustang | 2–10 |
| Date:– 30/5/45 | 3. Auster | 2–15 |
| Signature:– H.L. Thorne | ||
| | ||
| Signed H.L. Thorne , F/Lt Acting S/Ldr O/C Flying AFDS |