Flypast 2015-01

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JANUARY 2015

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A special report from inside the ‘secret state’ PRESERVATION 14/11/2014 16:18

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Welcome

W

elcome to your January issue, a special edition that pays tribute to the men and women of Bomber Command. We’ve focused on some of the often overlooked aircraft types that served in the front line in World War Two, including the Manchester, Hampden and Fortress. Their role was vital in taking the conflict to Nazi Germany, and the crews of all three of the mentioned types paid an especially high price, for reasons highlighted in the features. Our Bomber Command coverage starts on page 39, and concludes with a special warbird formation flight photo in the centrefold. Talking of tributes to outstanding airmen, I was pleased to learn that Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown was guest of honour on the 3,000th edition of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, which was aired on November 14. I’m sure many FlyPast readers will be familiar with the great man’s achievements – he holds the world record for the most types of aircraft flown, made the first landing on the deck of a carrier in a jet, is an accomplished test pilot and author. It’s good news that the BBC recognises the important part he has played in aviation history, but I strongly feel it’s high time a leading civil honour – a knighthood – should be bestowed on the legendary figure from a grateful nation. Capt Brown – a sprightly 95 years young – has done so much for others, it’s surely time for an official pat on the back. Having got that off my chest, I’d like to conclude by saying that I very much hope you enjoy reading the Bomber Command tribute section, and the rest of this special issue. This is the month that was... Nigel Price Editor

Fifty years ago this month, Vought was putting the finishing touches to its Corsair II carrier-based light bomber. The type was a great success, with 1,569 examples being built. US NAVY

Assistant Editor Steve Beebee

Contributing Editor Ken Ellis

Advertising Manager Alison Sanders

Today, the final examples have just been retired from service by the last military user of the type – the Greek Air Force. (See page 16.)

FlyPast (ISSN: 0262-6950), January, is published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

EDITORIAL: Editor – Nigel Price Assistant Editor – Steve Beebee Contributing Editors - Ken Ellis and Dave Unwin

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Features 20

Luftwaffe Attack

92

Harvard Heaven

Robert F Dorr describes a USAAF unit’s reaction to the aerial assault, codenamed Bodenplatte by the Luftwaffe.

108 American Classic

Frank B Mormillo reflects on the return to flight of Larry Howard’s immaculate Laird LC-1B-300.

122 Malaya Air Drop

Doug Stephen recalls his time working as an air signaller on RAF Vickers Valettas over Malaya.

A five-ship Harvard display team is flying in New Zealand. Gavin Conroy goes airto-air with The Roaring Forties.

Contents January 2015

No.402

Front Cover

An artist’s rendition of RAF Boeing B-17 Fortress III KH999 ‘BU-W’ of 214 Squadron. ADAM TOOBY-FINESTHOURART.COM Harold Hoffman’s North American T-28A Trojan of the Commemorative Air Force at Midland, Texas, at sunrise during AIRSHO 2014 (see pages 102-103). FRANK B MORMILLO

20 Luftwaffe Attack

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108 American Classic

122 Malaya Air Drop

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Regulars

OMBER COMMAND A SPECIAL SECTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE MEN AND MACHINES THAT SERVED WITH RAF BOMBER COMMAND.

40 DAYLIGHT DEFEAT Andy Thomas describes the disastrous events that led the RAF to switch from day to night operations.

52 B-17 ‘SPOOKS’ Bomber Command used the Flying Fortress to jam enemy communications. Tom Spencer charts these risky ‘ops’.

44 MANCHESTER David Nicholas explores the early operations of the troublesome Avro twinengined bomber.

58 FLYING COLOURS Pete West profiles seven Avro-built bombers that served during and after World War Two.

50 LINCOLNSHIRE VALOUR Among the achievements earned by Scampton’s Handley Page Hampden units was the award of two Victoria Crosses.

60 LANCASTER VETERAN Patrick Otter recounts the career of ED888, veteran of 140 ‘ops’, and its link to three Australian brothers.

28

Museums – North Korea

Tom Singfield visits the traditionally secretive North Korea and its Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum.

34

From The Workshop

A trip to Aero Vintage in East Sussex where an Airco DH.9 is among the machines taking shape.

100 FlyPost and ‘Ops’ Board

Readers’ letters and dates for your diary.

102 Airshow

Trips to two spectacular airshows in Texas.

116 Glory Days

David Reeves recalls the remarkable career of Farnborough flight test observer Peter Lear.

118 What’s New

The latest books, prints and aviationrelated products receive the FlyPast verdict.

130 Finals

Avro Lancaster Just Jane.

News

• Veteran ‘reunited’ with Mustang • New homes for Boulton Paul

WIN!

exhibits

• Concorde nose movement

A taxi ride in Avro Lancaster Just Jane. See page 100.

Spotlight

restored

• Bf 109E coming to Britain • Canberra cockpit at Sywell • Corsair jet retires

Lockheed Starfighter

GIVE THE GIFT THAT LASTS ALL YEAR! A subscription to FlyPast makes a great gift. See pages 32 and 33 for details or visit www.flypast.com to find out more about our digital packages.

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70

Origin and History

72

Inside the Starfighter

74

Men Behind the F-104

We scrutinize the jet’s history.

Cutaway artwork.

The Starfighter’s entry into service was not without difficulty. Warren E Thompson describes incidents from the jet’s early days.

82

Starfighter in Profile

84

In Combat

90

Warriors

Pete West artwork of an F-104G that flew with the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

The brief but effective use of the F-104 in Vietnam is explored by Warren E Thompson.

Images of the Starfighter in service.

14/11/2014 16:51

NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Huie in the cockpit of the original ‘Etta Jeanne II’ at Duxford in 1945. IWM DUXFORD/HUIE H LAMB Lt Col Huie H Lamb, 90, is ‘reunited’ with his Mustang on October 30. IWM DUXFORD The fighter now represents P-51K Mustang 44-11631 ‘Etta Jeanne II’ of the USAAF’s 82nd FS, 78th FG. KEY-STEVE BEEBEE

Duxford Mustang rolled out in veteran’s colours On an unseasonably warm morning at IWM Duxford on October 30, 90-year-old USAAF veteran Lt Col Huie H Lamb climbed into the cockpit of North American P-51 Mustang Etta Jeanne II for the first time since 1945. The fighter, actually 44-73979 and formerly painted as P-51D Big Beautiful Doll, has been given new colours to accurately represent the P-51K (44-11631) flown by Huie with the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, from Duxford. This fighter, like its short-lived

predecessor Etta Jeanne, was named after Huie’s younger sister. Huie had to ditch his first Mustang in the North Sea on December 29, 1944, during his debut mission flying the type, and subsequently had 44-11631 painted as Etta Jeanne II. Hailing from Abilene, Texas, he flew a total of 61 combat missions with the 82nd in World War Two, comprising over 167 hours in Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and around 108 hours in Mustangs. He is credited with destroying 5½ enemy aircraft, including two German jets.

“The Mustang was a little harder to land than the P-47,” said Huie, “but much more manoeuvrable at low level. It’s like a dream seeing Etta Jeanne II today. I never imagined for a moment that I’d see a fighter in those colours again, and it’s a great thrill. They have done a marvellous job.” Previously at IWM Lambeth as Big Beautiful Doll, the fighter has undergone an extensive conservation programme at Duxford and in 2016 will be displayed within the Cambridgeshire attraction’s

reorganised American Air Museum. The full-scale model of Big Beautiful Doll that can currently be seen inside is likely to be removed and installed as a ‘gate guardian’. Etta Jeanne II will firstly be returned to Duxford’s Hangar 5: Conservation In Action until room can be found for it elsewhere, probably in the AirSpace Hangar, which greets visitors as they arrive. Huie is one of many pilots and personnel profiled on IWM Duxford’s new American Air Museum website: www.americanairmuseum.com

Prize-winning Comet racer marks anniversary The Shuttleworth Collection’s de Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSS Grosvenor House was rolled out onto the grass at Old Warden, Beds, on October 20, to mark the 80th anniversary of its participation in the MacRobertson Air Race. Organised in 1934 by the Royal Aero Club, the event began at Mildenhall in East Anglia, and ended at Flemington

racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. Flown by C W A Scott and Tom Campbell Black, Grosvenor House won the race in a time of 70 hours and 54 minutes. One of only five Comets built by de Havilland, G-ACSS returned to flight on August 1 in the hands of Roger ‘Dodge’ Bailey after almost 12 years on the ground (see October 2014 issue). www.shuttleworth.org

De Havilland DH.88 Comet G-ACSS at Old Warden on October 20. DARREN HARBAR

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www.flypast.com Fighter Factory’s Messerschmitt Bf 109G at MeierMotors in Germany. MATTHIAS DORST

‘Gustav’ taking shape in Germany The team at MeierMotors in Germany is continuing to make progress on its restoration of Jerry Yagen’s Messerschmitt Bf 109G. The project is based on a Spanishbuilt Hispano Buchón which has been converted to accommodate a DaimlerBenz DB605 engine, thereby restoring the Messerschmitt-style nose. The powerplant, restored by Vintage V12s in Tehachapi, California, is now in place, and the wings have been mated to the fuselage at MeierMotors’ Bremgarten

base. Once airworthy, the fighter is likely to be shipped to the US where it will fly as part of Jerry’s Fighter Factory collection in Virginia. “We are hoping that it will be flying in Germany this coming spring,” Jerry told FlyPast. “It has been a long and slow process, but when it races down the runway and lifts into the sky, it will all be worth it. This aircraft will be a wonderful addition to the other magnificent German aircraft inside our World War Two-era hangar.” www.fighterfactory.com

New homes for Boulton Paul exhibits Several exhibits belonging to the Boulton Paul Association have joined other UK-based museums after the RAF Museum Cosford announced it could no longer accommodate them. The aircraft and models arrived at Cosford when the Boulton Paul Heritage Museum was forced to close after the owners of its site decided to sell the land. A full-scale replica of a Boulton Paul Defiant is to be displayed at

the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge, while a replica of a 1917-built P.6 research aircraft will be going to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in Flixton. The latter has also given a home to a Hawker Hunter cockpit and a replica of an Overstrand nose. Other interested parties were due to meet at Cosford on November 17, shortly after FlyPast closed for press. www.boultonpaul.com

Messerschmitt on its way to Britain Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 3579 White 14 has been sold by Platinum Fighter Sales and will be flying in British skies in 2015. The 1939-built Battle of Britain veteran was once flown by Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille, who eventually accrued 158 victories. Having completed numerous combat sorties, including a victory over a Supermarine Spitfire, the Bf 109 was damaged in combat and removed from frontline service after a belly

landing. It was repaired and later flew in Russia. Purchased from the Russell Aviation Group in Canada by an anonymous buyer, 3579 is now destined for the UK, where following an inspection it will be placed on the British civil register. One of only two airworthy ‘Emils’ and the only flying example in

Europe, it is expected that White 14 will participate in the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2015. www.platinumfighters.com

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 ‘White 14’ is coming to the UK. PHILIP MAKANNA-GHOSTS VIA JOHN RAYNER-PLATINUM FIGHTERS

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Canberra cockpit arrives at Sywell Sywell Aviation Museum acquired the cockpit section of English Electric Canberra B.2 WH887 from Matt Buddle on October 25. It had previously been at Upwood, Cambs. The original aircraft was built by Short Brothers in Belfast, and arrived in RAF hands at Wyton, Cambs, on January 29, 1954. Initially it served

with 1323 Flight, followed by 542 and 21 Squadrons, before becoming part of the Station Flight at RAF Upwood. Converted into a TT.18, it was taken on by the Royal Navy on November 27, 1969. It was also used by the Fleet Requirements Unit and later the Fleet Requirements Air Direction Unit. After a period in storage at

St Athan from November 1986, WH887 was returned to service and flew until 1992. The jet’s last operational use was from Llanbedr, before it was again stored and eventually sold for scrap in 2004. In 2008 the Canberra’s cockpit was saved by Matt Buddle and Sean Edwards

and returned to the aircraft’s former base at Upwood, where it was meticulously restored. The museum at Sywell is working to incorporate the exhibit into its displays during the closed season and will unveil it to the public at its opening on April 4, 2015. www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk BEN BROWN

The cockpit of Canberra B.2 WH887 (left) alongside Hawker Hunter F.2 WN904 at Sywell. BEN BROWN

Canadian ‘Bird Dog’ restoration complete

briefings

Purple Hill Air has finished restoration work on Cessna L-19E ‘Bird Dog’ C-FTAL at Thorndale, Ontario. The aircraft was collected from them by owner Murray Kot and his son Jason on October 23. The Cessna was built for the US Army as 56-4038, and delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1957. Following an accident, it served as an instructional airframe until being retired in July 1971. Sold to Collège Édouard Montpetit in Quebec, it then moved on to Edmonton, and in early 1990 became operational with the Air Cadet League of Canada in British Columbia where it towed gliders. It

was sold in 2014 to its current owner. The aircraft has been returned to the colours it wore with the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre at Rivers Camp, Manitoba. Printed on its fuselage is a dedication to Lt William S Brown who was an aviator in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and a veteran of the Korean War. Led by John Goris, the staff at Purple Hill Air have worked hard to complete the task before winter so that Murray and Jason can take the aircraft to Florida for 2015’s Sun N’ Fun event at Lakeland. ERIC DUMIGAN Cessna L-19E ‘Bird Dog’ C-FTAL is flying again following restoration. ERIC DUMIGAN

The Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, which has recently won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, is seeking more volunteers to help maintain its collection in Hampshire. Assistance is sought in all areas, including aircraft maintenance, gardening, archiving and catering. Contact: manager@ farnboroughairsciences.org.uk RICHARD HALL

The wreckage of what is believed to be Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina Y-78 of 321 (Dutch) Squadron has been located off the coast of Sri Lanka. The aircraft was flying from China Bay air force base on an evening sortie on December 9, 1943 when it suffered an engine failure around 90 minutes into the flight, causing the machine to descend rapidly and crash land onto the sea. Before the crippled Catalina sank, all 11 crew were able to escape into dinghies and reach safety. The discovery is approximately 50 miles (80km) out to sea and the wreck is located at a depth of around 42m. BOB FISCHER

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www.flypast.com

Fokker F-27 Troopship and V-2 for new museum Fokker F-27M Troopship C-10, a former Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) 334 Squadron machine, has been restored for display at Soesterberg’s new National Military Museum, which is due to open in December The now defunct air base at Soesterberg was home to the RNLAF’s F-27M fleet, including C-10, for many years. After retirement, the aircraft was placed on static display at the

former Military Aviation Museum, painted in a red, white and blue livery. Several years ago, the machine was removed from display to receive conservation work. It was recently returned to Soesterberg, having been restored and repainted in a 1970s RNLAF camouflage scheme. A fully restored V-2 rocket has also been placed on display within the new museum. Kept in storage for decades,

the V-2 left the Army Museum in Delft and a few years ago emerged at The Hague, where it was part of a temporary exhibition. Very little restoration had been carried out, but it had been repainted in a three-tone camouflage scheme. Following extensive work on the rocket, it has now been conserved and returned to the largely green colour scheme that it wore towards

The restored V-2 at the National Military Museum. BOTH ROGER SOUPART

the end of World War Two. It is displayed in an ‘action’ scenario, its nose pointed towards the ground as if about to impact and explode. ROGER SOUPART

Fokker F-27M Troopship C-10 at Soesterberg following restoration.

Magister among newcomers at Paderborn

The Quax-Flieger group in Paderborn, Germany, has acquired three new aircraft, including Fouga Magister D-IFCC. Owned by club members, the jet is currently the only flying Magister in Germany. During the summer, the club also obtained Dornier Do 27 D-EQXG and Piaggio 149 D-EADP, both former Luftwaffe machines. Quax-Flieger is planning to host monthly open days in 2015. STEFAN SCHMOLL

A group of military wives and serving female personnel is raising money for the Royal Air Forces Association by producing a 1940s-inspired Women Of The War calendar for 2015. They have dedicated the project to the many unsung female heroes of World War Two. The calendar costs £9 including postage from www.rafcalendargirls.org.uk

Dominic Winter, boss of a Cirencester-based auctioneering company that sells many and varied aviation items, among other artefacts, passed away on October 20, aged 61. A memorial service is planned for early 2015 for his friends, clients and acquaintances. If you would like to attend please contact Claire Pitts: [email protected] January 2015 FLYPAST 9

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Concorde nose movement restored at Duxford The hydraulically operated ‘droop nose’ of the Duxford Aviation Society’s (DAS) Concorde ‘101’ G-AXDN, along with electrical systems within the cockpit, have been restored to full working order. Volunteer group Heritage Concorde carried out the work using items donated by Cheshire-based Hydraulics Online. Working alongside volunteers from DAS, Heritage Concorde has returned the nose to operational condition, meaning that ‘101’ is now the only example in the UK with the ability to demonstrate the mechanism. In service, the supersonic airliner came in to land at a steep angle of attack and the ‘droop snoot’ was developed to aid the flight crew’s visibility. It was normally lowered to 5 degrees on

take-off and 12.5 degrees on approach. As a pre-production test aircraft, G-AXDN is unique in that the nose can also be lowered to 17.5 degrees. The full geometry of these nose positions was demonstrated to the media and public at IWM Duxford on October 24, an impressive spectacle that also marked 11 years since the last commercial Concorde flight. The cockpit lighting has also been restored, an endeavour that required about a year of work. The third Concorde built, ‘101’ first flew on December 17, 1971, and after completing its test flying duties was retired to the Cambridgeshire airfield on August 20, 1977. Its nose – normally displayed in ‘clean’, upright position – had not been drooped since its arrival 37 years ago.

The electric lighting in the cockpit has been fully restored.

The museum has also received a 20ft (6m) long model of a Concorde in British Airways livery from the British Airways Heritage Collection. Featuring cutaway sections revealing the interior, the

model is on long-term loan and will be displayed next to G-AXDN. The unveiling and handover of the model was carried out on October 24 by former Concorde pilot Capt John Hutchinson. www.das.org.uk

briefings

Concorde G-AXDN lowers its nose at Duxford on October 24. BOTH DARREN HARBAR

A Vickers K machine gun, recovered from Short Sunderland T9044 which sank in the Milford Haven waterway in 1940, has been put on display at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. The gun, which is described as being in remarkable condition, underwent initial conservation work by volunteers, led by the late Mike Hurley. MARTIN CAVANEY

The wreckage of Messerschmitt Me 262A-2 9K+AL was unearthed by members of the Museum Deelen Air Base near Arnhem on October 23. The KG 51 jet was shot down on September 12, 1944 near Elden, killing pilot Uffz Herbert Schauder. The Germans took the wreckage to Deelen and concealed it in a bomb crater. www.museumvlbdeelen.nl

Following a record attendance at this year’s Little Gransden Airshow (see Airshow, November 2014 issue), the event’s organisers have announced they are to donate £65,000 to the BBC’s Children in Need appeal, and £1,000 to a local hospital’s sick baby unit. Plans are proceeding for 2015’s show which will take place on Sunday, August 30.

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NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Yorkshire Skytrain comes back to life The Yorkshire Air Museum’s Douglas C-47B Skytrain KN353 released its brakes and moved under its own power for the first time since 1997 on October 12 at Elvington. With Andre Tempest at the controls, the aircraft gently taxied and turned for 20 minutes. The ground run is the culmination of

many years of restoration work by museum staff. George Astley MBE played a key role in the process and witnessed the first engine test on April 7, 2013. Sadly, George has since passed away, but the C-47 now carries his name under the cockpit as a tribute to his contribution. Built in Oklahoma City in 1944,

KN353 entered military service at Montreal in February 1945 and was soon transferred to Australia and then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), flying with a communications unit. In October 1947 it went to 12 MU at Kirkbride, Cumbria, surviving a bird strike en route. In 1953 the Skytrain left RAF service and was bought by Transair, with

whom it flew as G-AMYJ. The machine then had a long and successful career with several small airlines, and was eventually bought by Coventry’s Air Atlantique for pollution control work. Following retirement in 1997, it remained at Coventry until donation to the museum in 2001. IAN FINCH www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

Douglas C-47B Skytrain KN353 taxiing at Elvington on October 12. IAN FINCH

Lottery funding for Bomber Command Centre

briefings

The Heritage Lottery Fund has approved a £3.1m award to create the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincolnshire. Once complete, the centre will provide ‘a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command’. Construction is due to start this month (December) with the first phase scheduled for completion by next June to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The rest of the costs for the £8m project are being sought through other means, and £1.2 million has

already been raised since the launch in May 2013. The project will also create an archive that digitises and preserves hundreds of personal stories and documents including the recollections of veterans. TV historian Dan Snow, an ambassador for the project, said: “There are few more deserving projects in the UK than the IBBC. Lincolnshire needs a proper memorial to the service personnel who faced appalling conditions as they did their bit to liberate Europe from fascism. This centre will be a world leader.” www.internationalbcc.co.uk

A wartime tragedy that occurred 70 years ago was commemorated on October 12 at Woodend, Northants. On October 11, 1944 three Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 96th Bomb Group collided in bad weather while on a navigational exercise. Eleven crewmen perished as two of the machines fell to earth near Woodend. The recent ceremony was attended by members of the Royal British Legion and Eighth Air Force Association, with the USAF represented by Col Mellars of the 422nd Air Base Group. The memorial was erected in 2001 and the remains of the aircraft it commemorated are on display at Sywell Aviation Museum. BEN BROWN

Spanish Phantom on gate guard duty

McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom CR.12-45, a former Spanish Air Force machine, has been repainted and mounted on a pole at Torrejón, Madrid. The jet, pictured on October 12, has been placed on a roundabout near the air base’s main gates. BOB ARCHER

Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown has become the patron of The People’s Mosquito, the UK’s DH.98 restoration-to-flight project. Led by John Lilley, the charitable organisation formed in December 2011, with the objective of restoring a de Havilland Mosquito to flying condition in British skies. www.peoplesmosquito.wordpress.com

An Indian team specialising in World War Two recoveries has identified the site where a Vickers Wellington and two Nakijima Ki-43 ‘Oscar’ fighters crashed on June 17, 1944. It is thought that the bomber shot down the two fighters but sustained damage causing it to follow them down into Loktak Lake, Manipur.

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www.flypast.com

Rare Vietnam War drone German T.6H Harvard to be restored goes on display

The Gyrodyne QH-50D UAS in California prior to delivery to its new home. THE HELICOPTER MUSEUM

The Helicopter Museum in Westonsuper-Mare, Somerset has taken delivery of a rare Gyrodyne QH-50D drone anti-submarine helicopter. Developed in the 1960s, it was the first vertical take-off and landing unmanned air system (UAS) to enter operational service.

Designed for use from World War Two-era warships that lacked sufficient flight deck space for conventional helicopters, the QH50D could carry two torpedoes or depth charges but was also flown on surveillance and targeting missions. The Gyrodyne saw limited frontline service during the Vietnam War when it directed the guns of US Navy warships shelling enemy positions from the Gulf of Tonkin. The drones were subsequently used at the White Sands missile range in New Mexico before the last survivors were withdrawn from service and mostly scrapped. The museum’s example was discovered in California in early 2013. It is the only QH-50D on display in Europe and one of only two examples to exist outside the US. www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk

North American T.6H Harvard AA+666 is being refurbished by Antique Aeroflyers of Mengen in southern Germany. The group plans to complete the Harvard and return it to the yellow paint scheme it wore during service at Mengen as a post-war Luftwaffe trainer. The airfield was used as an instructional facility for the Bundesluftwaffe (post-war Luftwaffe) between 1957 and 1963.

The Harvard was in storage at Manching in Bavaria for many years following retirement from service, but the project has now been taken on by Alois Bader, Guenther Kaelberer and Walter Klocker. A number of other US classics are also based at Mengen – including Travel Air 4000 NC8877 and Curtiss Robin NC292E, both built in 1929, making them the oldest aircraft still flying in Germany. STEFAN SCHMOLL www.antique-aeroflyers.de

North American T.6H Harvard AA+666 at Mengen. ANTIQUE AEROFLYERS VIA STEFAN SCHMOLL

Corsair back in US skies

Barry Avent of South Carolina, US, has recently completed restoring his Goodyear-built Vought FG-1D Corsair N43FG and has begun displaying it at events in the southeast states. It was a star performer at the Vintage Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in (pictured) at Camden, South Carolina, in October. OWEN O’ROURKE

US-based Beech C-45H N6495D has recently received a new paint scheme, and now represents a machine in service with the US Army. Built in 1960 as AF449, the aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines. It is pictured on October 11 at Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington state, where it is currently based. JOE G WALKER

The De Havilland Educational Trust is offering two bursaries – for flying and for engineering – to assist those wishing to work with historic aircraft. Applications are invited for the Amy Johnson Engineering Bursary and the Fiona McKay Flying Bursary. Closing date is March 31. www.dehavillandeducationaltrust.co.uk

Hawker Sea Hawk IN240, previously on display in Vishakapatnam, India, has been severely damaged during a gale. The winds toppled the aircraft from its pole mount, breaking the wings and extensively damaging the canopy, tail and elevators. It is not yet known if the former Indian Navy machine can be repaired. January 2015 FLYPAST 13

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Swiss Dewoitine returns to flight Dewoitine D.26 HB-RAI returned to flight in August after an intensive period of restoration, managed by Edouard Schubert, Laurent Calame and Vincent Seguin. The aircraft is owned and operated by the Association for the Conservation of

Aeronautical Heritage (AMPA), based at Lausanne in Switzerland. Built in 1931 and given the military code 284, the D.26 served as a trainer for pilots progressing to fighters. In 1982, it was acquired by AMPA and flew until the summer of 2006 when it was

grounded due to problems with its Hispano-Suiza 9Q radial engine. While the unit was being overhauled, the fuselage was fully stripped and restored along with the wings which were recovered with modern fabric. The brakes and other systems were also rebuilt.

Laurent Calame flew the Dewoitine’s first post-restoration flight to the Payerne International Airshow where the aircraft was displayed in the static park. Daniel Koblet subsequently flew the parasol aircraft on an air-to-air photo sortie. JOE RIMENSBERGER

Daniel Koblet flying AMPA’s Dewoitine D.26 HB-RAI from Lausanne. JOE RIMENSBERGER

Award for Shuttleworth volunteers

briefings

The Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS) has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Presented by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis, the award recognises outstanding contributions made by volunteers to their communities. The SVAS, which aims to educate the public about the history of aviation and motoring, and supports the work of the Old Warden-based Shuttleworth Collection, was among five groups selected for the honour from more than 300 nominated by the public. Edmund Wood, Chairman of the Shuttleworth Collection Trust, said: “Without the support of the working

Helen Nellis, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, with members of the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society. DAVE SCOTT-SHUTTLEWORTH COLLECTION

volunteers, who contribute in excess of 25,000 hours a year, it would

The Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) of Rochester, Kent, is gradually restoring the only surviving Short Scion II floatplane, G-AEZF, built locally by Pobjoy in 1937 and flown from the River Medway. It was one of only 22 Scions produced. The team reports that significant progress has been made with the fuselage, but tracing correct instruments for the cockpit is proving difficult. They are particularly interested in sourcing a late 1930s-era air speed indicator, altimeter, fore and aft level gauge, a Mk.IIIa compass, a clock and a Reid and Sigrist turn and bank indicator. If you think you can help please contact MAPS via its website: www.mapsl.co.uk

probably be impossible to maintain our status as a living and working

collection, and community educational establishment.” www.svasweb.org

The Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in West Sussex has acquired the front cockpit and cutaway engine of DHC Chipmunk T.10 WZ876. Built in 1952, the Chipmunk served with the RAF as a primary trainer until 1970. In civilian hands it flew as G-BBWN, but was badly damaged in a forced landing accident in 1996. Deemed beyond repair, it never flew again. The cockpit and engine were obtained by Michael Long in 2002 and refurbished to static display standard over the next 10 years. The Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood purchased the cockpit in 2012 and used it as a systems trainer for their students converting to the Chipmunk. www.tangmere-museum.org.uk

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Corsair jets bow out of service The 336th Bomber Squadron of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) in Greece retired its Vought A-7 Corsair IIs at the end of October after 39 years’ service. In 2007, the 336th became the only

unit in the world still operating the distinctive jets, the first of which flew in 1965. To mark the type’s withdrawal, a ceremony was held on October 17 at Araxos Air Force Base, home of

the 336th. An A-7E was unveiled in a special paint scheme, commemorating all the Hellenic Air Force squadrons that operated the type. KEITH MEACHEM

Vought A-7E Corsair II 159648 wearing a commemorative paint scheme at Araxos. KEITH MEACHEM

Museum celebrates Northrop’s 75th birthday

The museum’s Northrop YF-23A Black Widow II on display on October 25. FRANK B MORMILLO

briefings

The Western Museum of Flight at southern California’s Torrance Municipal Airport celebrated the 75th anniversary of Northrop Aircraft on October 25. The commemoration featured past and present Northrop personalities, including John Northrop, son of founder Jack, as well as some of the aircraft produced by the company. One of the highlights of the day was a static line-up featuring the museum’s YF-17 Cobra and YF-23A Black Widow II fighter technology demonstrators.

Numerous other items of Northrop memorabilia are also displayed in the museum, including an F-5A Freedom Fighter, a JB-1 ‘Bat’ flying bomb and the homebuilt S-1 ‘Sierra Sue’ experimental light aircraft, as well as a number of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. Northrop products and projects are highlighted but the collection also includes artefacts from many other southern California aircraft and aerospace companies, including a North American F-86F Sabre. www.wmof.com FRANK B MORMILLO

De Havilland Tiger Moth N28681 has been restored to airworthy status by its four owners in Williamson, Georgia. The 1945-built machine (formerly PG621 and F-BDOK) had been damaged in a forced landing following an engine failure. Its current owners returned it to the air in late October following a year of work. GEOFF JONES

Manston Jaguar gets ‘winter coat’

SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3A XZ106 has been repainted in a 41 Squadron ‘winter camouflage’ scheme at the RAF Manston History Museum in Kent. Built as a GR.1, it made its first flight on February 23, 1976 and was subsequently allocated to II Squadron at Laarbruch, West Germany. It had been upgraded to GR.1A status by August 1984 and received further modifications before being sent to Thumrait, Oman, on

December 6, 1990 from where it flew sorties during the first Gulf War. It became part of 41 Squadron on return to the UK in 1991, and was further upgraded to become a GR.3A at St Athan in 2002. Retired from military service in 2005, it first went to Everett Aero at Bentwaters, Suffolk, in 2006 before arriving at its current home on November 21, 2008. www.rafmanston.co.uk

WITH THANKS TO DAVE TAYLOR

SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3A XZ106 in its new paint scheme at Manston. DOUG SMITH VIA DAVE TAYLOR

Wreckage from Northrop A-17 Nomad 3521 was recovered from Lake Muskoka in Ontario, Canada, on October 28. The aircraft crashed into the lake following a mid-air collision on December 13, 1940. It was discovered in 2010 and the remains of its crew – Flt Lt Peter Campbell and LAC Theodore Bates – were removed and laid to rest in 2012.

A Hawker Hunter Mk.58 belonging to ATAC of Newport News, Virginia, crashed near Naval Base Ventura County in California on October 29, killing the pilot, who has now been named as Charles Rogers of Utah. A civilian aircraft contracted to the US Navy, it had been taking part in a training exercise. The FAA is carrying out a full investigation.

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Bournemouth’s Boeing 737 Palmair Pilot’s exhibition ashes The latest exhibit at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum is the fuselage of Boeing 737-200 G-CEAH. The museum aims not only to display the aircraft but cover the history of its one time operator Palmair. The Bournemouthbased airline operated only one aircraft for the majority of its time, serving Mediterranean holiday destinations. Palmair also undertook successful day trips to European capitals and cities, extending to Egypt and Russia. The visits became popular and attracted regular customers. Cabin crew knew the majority of passengers personally. As a result, Palmair was voted the world’s best airline in 2003’s Holiday Which? Due to competition from low cost carriers, Palmair ceased flying in October 2010. Bournemouth Aviation Museum

scattered over sunken flying boat

Boeing 737-200 G-CEAH at Bournemouth Aviation Museum. VIA MIKE PHIPP

decided to create a permanent reminder. The interior of the 737 comprises display cases, storyboards and pictures relating to the airline, its chairman Peter Bath and parent company Bath Travel. It was officially opened by Liz Bath, Peter’s widow, with more than 100 former flight and cabin crew in attendance.

Bulldogs in tribute flypast

Other projects currently under way at the museum include restoration of the nose of Handley Page Victor K.2 XL164 (formerly at Gatwick Aviation Museum), the forward fuselage of BAC 1-11 ZE432 and Piper Cherokee G-TLET – the latter a ‘hands-on’ exhibit for children. www.aviation-museum.co.uk WITH THANKS TO MIKE PHIPP

The ashes of a World War Two pilot who died in June have been scattered over the wreck site of the Short Sunderland he flew 74 years ago. Members of Wg Cdr Derek Martin’s family carried out the poignant ceremony from the boat Picton, provided by the Port of Milford Haven. Earlier, a memorial service had been held at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. Derek was the last surviving airman who flew Sunderland I T9044. He was part of the crew that delivered T9044 from Pembroke Dock to Oban, Scotland, in September 1940. Two months later the aircraft returned, but sank at its moorings in a gale. The memorial service was attended by Derek’s widow Betty, along with members of her family and representatives and supporters of the 210 Squadron Association, of which Derek was President. Also present was the mayor, Cllr Pam George. The weekend also marked the final reunion for the 210 Squadron Association. WITH THANKS TO JOHN EVANS

The Beagle Pup and Bulldog Club organised a fly-in on September 27 at Brighton City Airport, Shoreham, as a tribute to aircraft designer John Larroucau who died in 2014. John’s widow Margaret and members of his family witnessed the commemorations, which included a number of flypasts, including a poignant ‘missing man’ formation. John designed the Pup in the 1960s, the prototype making its debut at Shoreham on April 8, 1967. KEITH WILSON

Kinner Sportster N14201 was recently rolled out at its new home, Mengen airfield in southern Germany. Built in 1934, the machine was recently imported from the US, and is one of only two examples still flying. The monoplane, which continues to carry its American registration, is owned and operated by Antique Aeroflyers. STEFAN SCHMOLL

An information board detailing the fate of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V Z9289 of 102 Squadron was unveiled in Pogmoor, Barnsley, on October 24, close to where the aircraft crashed on January 6, 1942. A plaque (pictured) was erected in Cresswell Street several years ago. The new board adds detail about the incident. WITH THANKS TO DAVID ANDREWS January 2015 FLYPAST 17

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Yale under restoration in US

Maggie Appleton has been appointed CEO of the RAF Museum. RAFM

RAF Museum names new boss

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The RAF Museum has appointed Maggie Appleton MBE as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing AVM Peter Dye OBE. With over two decades of experience in the heritage sector, Maggie has led several significant initiatives, notably the £6.2m development of Stockwood Discovery Centre, which opened in July 2008. Since August of that year, Maggie has been the Chief Executive of Luton Culture, a charity that comprises museums, arts, libraries and community centres. She is currently a Heritage Lottery Fund committee member for the East of England and a board member for the Museums Association. She received an MBE for services to museums and heritage in 2012. Taking up her new post in January, Maggie will be responsible for leading the RAF Museum through a major period of transformation in terms of infrastructure, exhibitions and activities, which will include the centenary of the RAF in 2018. www.rafmuseum.org

North American NA-64 Yale 64-2166 (N314BT) has been acquired by Richard Epton of Brooks, Georgia, and will be restored at Barnstormers Workshop in Williamson. Most of the work on the former RCAF machine’s fuselage has already been completed by previous owner Glenn Marsh. GEOFF JONES

We salute you Flt Lt Fred Ainsley DFC - flew Avro Lancasters with 640 Squadron - died on October 10, aged 93; Air Cdre Cecil Alldis CBE DFC AFC - flew Hampdens with 144 Squadron and was chief instructor at 2 FTS when the Jet Provost was introduced - on October 6, aged 96; Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Anson KCB - Buccaneer test pilot and CO of 801 Squadron, the first RN Buccaneer unit - on September 22, aged 85; LAC Roy Colin Barker - Burma Star holder who later wrote articles for FlyPast about World War Two in South East Asia – on October 27; Sqn Ldr Alan Deller DFC - Short Sunderland captain with 230 Squadron in India and Burma - on October 12, aged 99; Colin Dudley DFC - Halifax navigator with 578 Squadron and later sculptor who designed the wreath on the Bomber Command Memorial - on October 28, aged 91; Flt Lt Denis Flavell DFM BEM - wireless operator who flew with 77 Squadron - on October 29, aged 93; Flt Lt Charles Frizell - Canadian Battle of Britain pilot who flew Hurricanes with 257 Squadron and was later a liaison officer with the Chinese Air Force - on September 29, aged 92; Col Ronald Gower DFC - flew Austers during the Korean War with 1903 (Independent) AOP Flight - on September 10, aged 91; Lt Cdr Johnny Hone - an observer on Albacores with 821 Squadron flying in support of the 8th Army in the Western Desert - on July 8, aged 92; Wg Cdr Stanley Hubbard DFC AFC* - flew Halifaxes with 78 Squadron and later became a test pilot - on October 26, aged 93; Wg Cdr Bill Lamb MVO - engineering officer in Burma and senior engineering officer of the King’s Flight and Queen’s Flight - in August, aged 91; Fg Off Richard McLernon DFC - flew Mosquitos with 571 Squadron of the Light Night Striking Force - on September 11; Sqn Ldr ‘Jake’ McLoughlin MBE BEM - a founder member of the RAF Falcons parachute display team who made 1,213 parachute jumps, and also commmanded an anti-aircraft squadron in the 1977 Belize crisis - on September 15, aged 83; W/O Ron Parker - flew Vickers Wellingtons with Training Command and later with Coastal Command on anti-submarine duties - on October 15, aged 92; Fg Off Alan Potter - wireless operator with 61 and 617 Squadrons whose ‘ops’ included nine raids on Berlin - on October 15, aged 91; Maurice Wells DFM – New Zealander who flew Lancasters with 12 Squadron and later became patron of his local RNZAFA branch – on September 9, aged 95.

Europe’s largest surviving Great War-era aerodrome – Stow Maries in Essex, is set to benefit from a £200,000 grant towards restoring four buildings. The allocation comes from the Heritage Fund (run by not-for-profit business Wren) which supports restorations of historically important structures. The money will be used to repair the Royal Engineers’ workshop, night flying store, pilots’ ready room and motor transport workshop. Stow Maries’ Jeremy Lucas said: “Once they are safe and weatherproof, we can tell even more of the story of the work done to protect London from air attack during the Great War.” www.stowemaries.org.uk

Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association is now selling copies of John Dibbs’ magnificent photos of the two flying Lancasters as featured in the November issue of FlyPast. Two different 18in x 12in images are available priced £15 each plus p&p. For more details e-mail: [email protected] or see www.lancasterassociation.co.uk

The wreckage of a Halifax has been located by a mini-submarine at a depth of 590ft in the Trondheimsfjorden near Vikhammer, Norway. Although not confirmed at the time FlyPast was published, the bomber is believed to be W7656 of 35 Squadron which was lost on April 28, 1942, during a raid against the German warship Tirpitz.

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Aviation Retail Direct, 10 Sutton Court Rd., Hillingdon, Middx. UB10 9HP, Tel: 01895 231707, Fax: 01895 236707 Aviation Retail Direct, The Heathrow Academy, Newall Road, Heathrow Airport 'North Side', Middlesex TW6 2AP

WORLD WAR TWO BODENPLATTE

Luftwaffeƒs Below right

Stefan Kohl’s Messerschmitt Bf 109 ‘White 11’ going into battle during Bodenplatte. No known photographs of the German fighter exist, so the markings shown in this artwork are representative. ADAM TOOBY-WWW. FINESTHOURART.COM

LAST CHANCE I n his cramped cockpit, Oberfeldwebel Stefan Kohl checked the throttle setting and fuel mixture of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 White 11. Satisfied all was well, he shifted his focus to the snowcovered European battleground below. Before take-off he had told his colleagues how important the mission was that day: “We can reverse the course of the war.” It was New Year’s Day, 1945 and Kohl was certain that, together with hundreds of comrades in the Luftwaffe, he was going to deliver a crushing blow to the Allies.

After delays and communications foul-ups, the Reich was launching Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), a massive aerial counter-offensive aimed at obliterating 18 continental Allied airfields. It was an all-out assault – in military terms, the technique called ‘swarming’ – to surprise and overwhelm the British, Canadians and Americans. More than 900 Luftwaffe warplanes were in the air. The Wehrmacht (the German army) had long been preparing for the massive, final ‘slugfest’ and in a furious attack launched

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The all-out assault codenamed Bodenplatte was the Luftwaffe’s final attempt to foil the Allied advance. Robert F Dorr describes the 365th Fighter Group’s experience on the first day of 1945 on December 16, 1944 surprised Allied troops in the Ardennes, a forested plateau in Belgium and northern France. The Germans opened the assault along a 50-mile (80km) front, initially with 21 armoured divisions. They called it the Ardennes Offensive or ‘The Big Blow’, and as the attack created a swollen area along the front line the Americans came up with the name ‘The Battle of the Bulge’. Two weeks later the Luftwaffe’s aerial counter-offensive was finally kicking in. Kohl, flying Bf 109G14 461340 of 13/Jagdgeschwader

53, was in the first group to take off that morning, at 08:12 hours, led by Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann, from StuttgartEchterdingen. They formed up with another component of JG 53 near Kaiserslautern and continued their 160-mile journey, guided by a Junkers Ju 88G pathfinder of NJG 100, piloted by Leutnant Albert Gerber. As they closed in, Kohl was expectant. With so many of his Luftwaffe brothers around him in a crowded sky, there was no way today

could not be a resounding success for the Reich. And the target assigned to Kohl’s Gruppe? Metz, in France, the base of the US Ninth Air Force’s 365th Fighter Group (FG) – known as the ‘Hell Hawks’.

Below

Bf 109 pilot Stefan Kohl after capture by the Americans at Metz on January 1, 1945.

“It was an all-out assault – in military terms, the technique called ‘swarming’ – to surprise and overwhelm the British, Canadians and Americans. More than 900 Luftwaffe warplanes were in the air” January 2015 FLYPAST 21

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WORLD WAR TWO BODENPLATTE

Above

Senior officers at Metz just after Bodenplatte: on the left is Major George Brooking. Others are Captain John Mozenbecker, 365th FG commander Colonel Ray Stecker and Captain Robert M Fry.

Rude awakening

Twenty-year-old 2nd Lt Robert Hagan had just slung his parachute over his shoulder in the ready tent of the 365th’s 386th Fighter Squadron (FS). The airfield at Metz was lined with P-47D Thunderbolts in factory-fresh natural metal with clear bubble canopies, but Hagan’s

fighter was an older, olive-drab ‘razorback’ P-47D, 42-76275, named Fran after his fiancée. Just as he exited the tent, Hagan heard the thud of explosions from the distant north end of the field. Someone was shouting “Messerschmitts!” There was a clatter of gunfire. Hagan joined the

general rush as pilots and ground crews searched for cover amid machine gun bursts from the arriving Bf 109s, including Kohl’s. Encumbered by his bulky winter flying gear, Hagan stumbled towards a shallow anti-aircraft gun emplacement. He recalled: “It was loud, confusing and chaotic.” Anti-aircraft gunners at Metz added the blasts of their heavy weapons to the thud of explosions from German cannon shells. In a corner of his vision, Hagan saw a row of parked Thunderbolts taking bomb blasts and beginning to burn. When the attack began, Major George ‘Bob’ Brooking, commander of the 386th FS, was in the officers’ latrine, a canvas tent housing a wooden bench over a pit in the frozen earth. Hearing gunfire, he pulled back the flap to reveal an amazing sight: six Bf 109s coming headon, their guns stitching fountains of dirty snow in a line headed right for him. The startled commander

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launched himself out of the tent and sprawled in the snow outside, heavy parka hood pulled over his head, bare buttocks exposed to the hot steel filling the air. As the ’109s pulled up into their next strafing pass, Brooking decided his parka didn’t offer the desired protection; he jumped to his feet, pulled up his trousers and dropped again into a rapid crawl for a gun pit about 50ft away. He tumbled into the emplacement and joined the gunners who were blasting away with their quad-mount 50-cal Browning M2 machine guns at the Luftwaffe fighters. “They were shooting too low and behind the ’109s,” he said. “I started yelling over the gunfire: ‘Lead ’em. Lead ’em a little more.’” Brooking was a duck hunter and his advice paid off – the quad crew put a burst into the cockpit of a Luftwaffe fighter, sending it smashing into the field just short of the gun pit Hagan had occupied. The army gunners scored hits on a second Bf 109, which dived out of control. The fighter clipped the roof of a radio trailer, burst

into flames and cartwheeled into a hangar. Hagan and others were trying to find a way to get into the air but were unable to reach any Thunderbolt that wasn’t destroyed or damaged.

Below

A P-47 of the 365th FG burning on the pierced steel plank taxiway at Metz.

Steamrollered

In the alert flight area at the south end of the runway, 1st Lt Samuel B Lutz joined a group of engineers running for cover behind their heavy steamroller. The German warplanes wheeled up from their initial pass and began systematically raking the field with gunfire. The steamroller provided some protection, but with Messerschmitts strafing from every direction the men had to constantly shift their position. To Lutz it seemed as if each of the Luftwaffe pilots was personally shooting directly at him. The only P-47s near him were burning and useless. He stood up and began banging away with his Colt automatic, but a weak recoil spring caused it to jam. He was scared, excited and mad all at the same time. “I was especially mad about the beautiful P-47s burning

“The startled commander launched himself out of the tent and sprawled in the snow outside, heavy parka hood pulled over his head, bare buttocks exposed to the hot steel filling the air”

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WORLD WAR TWO BODENPLATTE

“I was especially mad about the beautiful P-47s burning and blowing up. And I was doubly scared when some of our 500-pound bombs started to go off nearby”

and blowing up. And I was doubly scared when some of our 500-pound bombs started to go off nearby.” An incoming Messerschmitt streaked toward the group, guns blazing. Lutz felt he could have touched the pilot. At that moment the ’109 caught a burst in the cockpit from a quad-50, killing the pilot and instantly sending it nose-first

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into the ground. A fourth ’109 was shot down near the 387th FS headquarters, leaving a trail of smoking wreckage some 80 yards long across the flight line.

Friendly fire

Laverne ‘Acorn’ Alcorn had launched in 42-76094 as the 388th FS’s 13th, or spare, Thunderbolt on the second mission that morning. Not needed, the 2nd Lieutenant was returning to Metz when everything went crazy. He sighted the runway and began his letdown. “All of a sudden I was bracketed by four black bursts of heavy flak.” Alcorn jinked violently to throw off the supposedly friendly gunners’ aim in case they loosed a second salvo. He wondered what had gone wrong. “I couldn’t figure out how I was going to get back if they were going to shoot at me. I saw one German fighter low over the field, and about that time I heard a radio call from Metz telling me the field was under attack.”

The now wary American pilot jettisoned his bombs ‘safely’ into a French field and then turned in pursuit of the departing Germans. He raced east for five or ten minutes, “but I never caught up with them”. At Metz, orange fireballs gave way to greasy clouds of black smoke, punctuated by occasional explosions, as more bombs cooked off in the heat. It was a shambles: 22 P-47s were burning on the field. One squadron, the 386th, was effectively out of action and at least 11 Americans had been wounded. Second Lt James ‘Mac’ McWhorter recalled: “Before the attack, we had 24 operational Thunderbolts and one war-weary bird. After the Germans left, we had one war-weary P-47 and 24 damaged or destroyed. It looked real sad.” McWhorter’s assigned P-47D, 42-28296, was damaged but eventually returned to airworthiness.

What do you think of that? Fragments from US anti-aircraft shells hit Bennemann’s Bf 109 in the cockpit, injuring the German leader. Coming behind him, Kohl was at full throttle, strafing parked Thunderbolts. He destroyed some of them, showing the Americans, he thought, what the Luftwaffe was capable of.

Gunfire struck Kohl’s port wing. His controls froze. His left aileron was immobilised and the Bf 109 had taken other damage. “I’ve got to get out!” he thought aloud. Too low and too fast to attempt a belly-landing in a hostile setting, Kohl put his Bf 109 into a climb, jettisoned the canopy and pushed his stick forward. This was familiar stuff to Kohl because he had previously baled out three times. Now he was tossed from his aircraft. He had just enough time to pull his ripcord and to see his parachute canopy open before striking the ground. After an unsuccessful escape attempt and encounters with French resistance fighters and US Military Police, Kohl, who spoke French and English, was seized by the Americans and marched right to the airfield he’d just attacked, where he came face-to-face with Brooking, the 386th FS commander. Brooking described Kohl as “the most arrogant sonofabitch I’ve ever seen”. He escorted the German pilot while his picture was taken and papers were filled out before arranging some coffee for him. “I had been fighting these guys and now I had one face-to-face, and he spoke English.” Kohl was confident the attack

Left

Robert Hagan’s ‘razorback’ P-47D, 42-76275 ‘Fran’ of the 386th Fighter Squadron. PETE WEST

Below left

Metz airfield burning after the Bodenplatte attack. Below

Wreckage of a P-47D at Metz following the Bodenplatte attack.

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WORLD WAR TWO BODENPLATTE

Carnage at Eindhoven

Above

Sgt Glenn Smith, ground crew with the 365th FG, sitting in Bf 109G6 760357 at Metz at around the time of the Bodenplatte attack. Below

A burned-out P-47 scattered across the frozen taxiways at Metz. A 500-pound bomb lies under a severed Thunderbolt wing. ALL AUTHOR’S COLLECTION UNLESS NOTED

had succeeded. Never mind that his Bf 109 had been shot out of the sky or that he was a prisoner. He pointed to the smouldering wreckage of US warplanes and asked Brooking: “What do you think of that?” The tone was of a victor talking to the vanquished, the German savouring the sweet smell of success. The men of the 365th FG had been in combat over Europe for less than a year, but had never seen anything like the destruction they now surveyed. What Kohl and his colleagues didn’t know was that American industry had manufactured almost 100,000 aircraft during 1944 alone and Republic was rolling a new P-47 out of the doors of its two factories at a rate of one an hour.

Reckoning

Bennemann’s JG 53 paid a heavy price for hitting Metz – two dozen

Bf 109s and 14 pilots. Across the whole of the Luftwaffe’s assault, 40% of the German fighters taking part were destroyed or damaged and 234 pilots were killed, captured, or wounded. Additionally, most of the Ju 88s used as pathfinders were blasted from the sky. These losses were irreplaceable. Generalleutnant Adolf Galland saw the Luftwaffe’s epitaph written in Bodenplatte’s failure: “The Luftwaffe received its death blow,” he said afterwards. Two days later Metz was overflowing with factory-fresh P-47s. Kohl was still in the custody of the ‘Hell Hawks’ and Brooking was getting to know his prisoner. Finally, aware that his side had won in this climactic encounter, Brooking gestured towards the silvery new Thunderbolts on the flight line, turned to the captured German and said: “What do you think of that?”

During Bodenplatte no Allied airmen were harder hit than those at Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, where the Typhoon-equipped 438 ‘Wildcat’ and 439 ‘Sabre-Toothed Tiger’ Squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) came under attack from Bf 109s and FockeWulf Fw 190s of JG 3. Fg Off Ross Keller of 438 was caught in the middle of it, taking off when Fw 190s swooped in from above the treeline with guns blazing. His Typhoon was almost airborne when bursts of gunfire ripped it to pieces, killing the pilot. Canadian soldier Michael Curphey wrote in his diary: “The Typhoon made a clattering sound when it came down. A second Typhoon was accelerating halfway down the runway when bullets kicked up debris around it, tore into the fuselage and ignited a small fire. The aircraft veered off the runway with the pilot scrambling out of the cockpit and running in one direction while the Typhoon went in another.” Spitfire IXs from 414 ‘Black Knight’ Squadron RCAF, returning from a probe along the front, engaged the German fighters and shot some down in a raging battle that came just a little too late for those on the ground. No fewer than 51 Typhoons were destroyed or damaged.

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MUSEUMS NORTH KOREA

Northern Secrets W

hile the totalitarian state of North Korea (officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) is not the most obvious tourist destination, around 800,000 people are said to visit its Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang every year. Though an impressive attraction, it is one that relatively few Westerners have had the opportunity to explore. [Free movement for Westerners is ‘discouraged’ by the North Korean authorities – the country’s residents endure much worse - ED] Cameras are not allowed inside the main building, but it is possible to take photographs of the exhibits on

display outside. The building opened on ‘Victory Day’ in July 2013 after extensive renovations. The aviation artefacts were originally stored in the basement, but are now visible under open-fronted structures. The DPRK military exhibits are all in good condition and can be seen on one side of the display area, with US military items (mostly wrecks) on the other. Inside the museum building there are various war-themed exhibitions some of which are linked by simulated Korean War trenches. And alongside the complex the famous American ‘spy’ ship USS Pueblo is moored on the River Botang. It was captured in 1968, and its 83 crew members held for 11 months.

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Tom Singfield was among a group of Westerners visiting an impressive military museum within the traditionally secretive North Korea

Clockwise from top left

Yakovlev Yak-9 ‘White 12’ at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in North Korea. The museum’s impressive Lavochkin La-9 ‘102’. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 ‘009’ at Pyongyang.

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MUSEUMS NORTH KOREA

“The MiGs have painted-on medal markings while some of the fighters have been adorned with stars under the cockpit to show their shoot-down tally” War relics The US aircraft consist of the wrecks of two Vought F4U Corsairs, two Douglas AD-4 Skyraiders, an AD-2 Skyraider, a Grumman F9F Panther jet, a B-26 Invader (which was apparently coded BC-2), a North American F-86D Sabre (believed to be 52-10031) and pieces of a Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter. The most complete American machine is US Army Hiller UH-12 (OH-23 Raven) 613094 which was captured during the Korean War along with its twoman crew. The North Korean aircraft consist of two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s, ‘009’ and ‘1032’; Yakovlev Yak-18 ‘03’; Lavochkin La-9 ‘102’, and the

particularly smart looking Yak-9 ‘12’. The MiGs have painted-on medal markings while some of the fighters have been adorned with stars under the cockpit to show their shoot-down tally. Around 70 miles to the north at Hyangsan’s International Friendship Exhibition, immaculately restored Ilyushin Il-14 ‘535’ (147001342) is on display, painted in the national airline’s red, white and blue civilian colours. Unseen for more than 20 years, it was restored at Pyongyang airport where its presence was first noted in early 2012. It has since been moved into its own display hall where, sadly, photography is forbidden.

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Clockwise from top left

A largely intact wreck of a US-marked Vought F4U Corsair. Remains of a North American F-86D Sabre at Pyongyang. Yakovlev Yak-18 ‘03’ on display at Pyongyang. One of two MiG-15s at the museum, ‘1032’ has stars displayed beneath its canopy indicating victory marks. The distinctive tail section of a Douglas B-26 Invader, a veteran of the Korean War. Hiller UH-12 613094 is the most complete US exhibit at the museum. ALL TOM SINGFIELD

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FROM THE WORKSHOP RETROTEC

Rising to the Cha I

think it’s fair to say that some of the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft of all time were manufactured in Britain during the ‘between wars’ years of the 1920s and 1930s. The Hawker Fury and her biplane sisters, for example, epitomise style and sleek lines. It’s also true that these machines had very complex structures, with fuselage tubing and pressings that took countless hours to produce. Expensive and difficult to make in the 1920s and 1930s, today they are not far from impossible to replicate. Perhaps this is why so few biplane fighters and bombers from that era have been rebuilt over the years. But doing the seemingly impossible and rebuilding these classic aeroplanes is the hallmark of Aero Vintage and Retrotec – sister companies based in East Sussex. They work alongside Aero Vintage Spares, the online sales shop that has a huge selection of early aviation aircraft parts. The companies have extensive re-manufacturing facilities and are well-known for their Accles & Pollock special shaped tubing, made using the original dies, some dating back over 100 years including all the Sopwith special shapes. Evidence of the wonderful restoration work performed by Guy Black (the group’s founder and chief executive) and his team can be seen flying at airshows around the world, and includes the Hawker Nimrod Mk. I G-BWWK, Mk. II G-BURZ and Hawker Fury Mk. I G-CBZP. These restorations have been carried out to the highest possible standards and levels of authenticity – no matter how difficult or small that detail may be: “We particularly enjoy engineering challenges”, said Guy, while looking at the incredibly complex tubing and auxiliaries that make up the Swedish Hart biplane currently under rebuild in his workshop. “And we’ve never been beaten yet by any of the challenges we’ve faced.”

The economic slowdown, which has affected many companies in the engineering sector, doesn’t seem to have hit Guy’s workshop, which today employs around 17 people. There are currently several high-profile projects under way for clients, and for themselves. (The aircraft operations side of the business is run by the Duxfordbased Historic Aircraft Collection.)

Rare bomber Dominating the workshop today is a very rare World War One biplane bomber – a DH.9. This project is fast approaching completion and, all being well, will re-fly during the spring of 2015. One of a batch of 200 DH.9s ordered on March 23, 1918, E8894 was built by the Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Hendon. It was delivered close to Armistice Day. There are few RAF records, but it is believed to have been sent to a transit facility south of London, presumably pending moving on to France if the war had continued. However, it is recorded that E8894 was then sent to India under the Imperial Gift Scheme in the early 1920s. Relatively little is known about E8894’s subsequent time in India, but it – and fellow DH.9 D5649 – ended up in storage in an elephant stable, probably unflown. Many years later rumours abounded that two or three DH.9s, a type almost extinct, survived in the Bikaner Palace in Rajasthan, western India. Guy investigated, found the dilapidated biplanes and negotiated their return to the UK in 2000. The third still remains at Bikaner, imaginatively restored by locals and is on display in the palace museum. The pair arrived at the Aero Vintage workshop and the long process of returning them to immaculate condition began after a period of storage. Guy takes up the story: “The DH.9 projects

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hallenge

Nigel Price takes a peek at the engineering masterpieces under way inside the Retrotec workshops in East Sussex Documentary history Guy Black and Britain at War Magazine editor Andy Saunders are charting the story of the DH.9s in a very special book being published in 2015. Called DH.9: From Ruin to Restoration, it will cover the type’s history, profile the engine and tell the story of the restoration from an engineer’s perspective. It’s sure to be a must-have for FlyPast readers!

Far left

The hand-drawn roundel on the port side. Note the marking is cream, not white. Left

An extremely rare BHP engine has been meticulously restored and recently fitted to the DH.9’s airframe. Below

The completed fuselage of DH.9 E8894 (G-CDLI) in the workshop on October 28.

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FROM THE WORKSHOP RETROTEC Swedish Hart Retrotec engineers are making great progress on the rebuild to flight status of a Swedish-built Hawker Hart for a Scandinavian customer. The type was used as a dive-bomber and made far stronger than the other Hawker biplanes. The restoration has been extremely challenging because very little technical information survives, and so the team have used reverse engineering to recreate the drawings and work out what’s missing. “This aircraft was found on a Swedish island and I acquired it around 15 years ago,” said Guy. “We’ve been quietly working on it over the years, but I sold the project to a Swedish collector and he’s commissioned us to restore it to fly. There was a lot of steel in Hawker biplanes, and we’ve obviously had to change a lot of it, but we’re using as much of the original material as we can, and then making the rest. “Because it was a dive-bomber, it was built to be much stronger than, say, a Hawker-built Hart. Extra fuselage tubes and struts were used to make the Swedish Hart stronger and able to withstand the tremendous forces applied during its military work. That’s proved to be quite a challenge to deal with. The fuel tank, for example, has two internal baffles rather than one – it’s stronger throughout. The biggest difficulty we’ve faced is making a new engine mounting ring. It’s incredibly heavy-gauge steel to hang the Nohab-built radial engine on.”

In Retrotec’s workshop, Arvydas Cicevicekauskas and his wife Alina are reconstructing a 1916 Sopwith Pup for a customer. It will incorporate an original 80hp Le Rhone rotary engine, and is being made to the original specification of a Pup forced down and captured by the Germans and subsequently test flown by them.

Although the DH.9 was primarily a bomber, it was fitted with a fixed 0.303 Vickers forward firing machine gun along with another flexibly mounted Lewis gun in the rear cockpit and has a belt of inert 1918 dated 0.303 ammunition with the extremely rare Prideaux disintegrating links in the Vickers ammunition box.

have been under way since the mid2000s. Over the years, I’ve been collecting parts, so having the components for the project hasn’t been a problem. What has been difficult is getting the information – almost no drawings have survived.” The plan was to overhaul both DH.9s to the company’s extraordinarily high standard, with one destined to fly and the other to go on static display inside a national collection in the UK. (It’s worth noting that at this point there wasn’t a single DH.9 on show in the UK, something Guy was determined to put right.) Evaluation of the airframes revealed that D5649 was in the best condition of the pair, and it was selected to become the museum aircraft for the Imperial War Museum. Much of the original structure could be kept as it wouldn’t be subjected to the strains and stresses a flying

aircraft would endure. E8894 would be rebuilt to airworthy standard, the second of the pair to be completed.

E8894’s turn D5649 entered the workshop and following its meticulous restoration went on show at the IWM Duxford in April 2007. It was then E8894’s turn. The task facing the team was immense. The aircraft’s woodwork had been ravaged by insects and the engine was missing. “I think termites had been having the DH.9 for breakfast for some 80 or so years,” said Guy. “It was in an atrocious condition.” The team soon got to work and stripped the airframe down to its basic components. All the parts were cleaned, evaluated and tested and all the original items that could be reused were overhauled and put on one side awaiting the assembly process. Any components that were

missing or beyond repair to flight safety standards were manufactured in-house by the resident engineers. Gradually the project started to be rebuilt and the airframe grew, Phoenix-like, from the ground up. At the time of FlyPast ’s visit in late October, the airframe and engine had been completed, as had the wings. The attention to detail is staggering. Take the roundels on the fuselage side, for example. “They have been hand painted, as they would have been done during the Great War,” said Guy, “as they didn’t have masking tape at that time. You’ll notice the markings are not pure white – the white paint we have today is a much brighter white created by adding titanium dioxide to the mixture, which they didn’t have then. The original would have been an off-white light cream. We have much of the aircraft’s original fabric and colour samples, so we know exactly what the colours were.”

An appropriate powerplant has been acquired, overhauled and is expected to be running and ready for flight by the time these words are read. The unit is a BHP (Beardmore-Halford-Pullinger) engine that was produced alongside the troublesome Puma. Overhauling the unit has been tricky, and the team are keen to hear from any readers with information on modifications made to the standard BHP or Puma engines during their service life. If you can help, please get in touch via the Aero Vintage website. With all the major engineering tasks now completed, thoughts are turning to the first flight, which is expected to take place during the spring. Duxford – a World War One aerodrome where DH.9s were based in the Great War – is an obvious choice as a base for E8894’s much deserved turn in the limelight. www.aerovintage.co.uk

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Also in the workshop is Aero Vintage’s 1942-built Morane MS.500 Criquet G-BPHZ, which is undergoing a major overhaul. Interestingly, a German number plate (1827) has been discovered fixed on the tail’s structure during the work, indicating the airframe started off as a Fieseler Storch fuselage but was probably not completed by the war’s end. The Jacobs radial-powered G-BPHZ has been heavily modified over the years, so the team are returning it to its original MS 500 Morane specification, complete with an Argus engine and for added interest an original gun ring in the rear section of the cockpit.

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RAF Benevolent FUnd F_P.indd 1

12/11/2014 10:22

OMBER COMMAND

SALUTE WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF BOMBER COMMAND WITH A SPECIAL SECTION DEDICATED TO THEIR BRAVERY

Armourers prepare to load bombs onto a Short Stirling prior to another combat sortie. KEY COLLECTION

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OMBER COMMAND EARLY DAYLIGHT OPERATIONS

DAYLIGHT

DEFEAT THE DISASTROUS ‘BATTLE OF THE HELIGOLAND BIGHT’ CAMPAIGN RESULTED IN BOMBER COMMAND SWITCHING FROM DAY TO NIGHT OPERATIONS AS ITS PRINCIPAL MEANS OF ATTACK. ANDY THOMAS OUTLINES THE RAIDS THAT CHANGED THE RAF’S THINKING

Above

Wellington Ia N2871 of 9 Squadron at North Coates, bearing the scars of the Battle of Heligoland Bight on December 18, 1939. VIA M J F BOWYER

A

s war began in 1939 Bomber Command had every expectation that its medium bombers would be able to successfully penetrate enemy territory. Tight formations with mutually supporting fire from power-operated turrets would be sufficient to defeat attack by fighters – or so it was thought.

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE

On the day after Britain declared war, September 4, a force of 14 Wellingtons from 9 and 149 Squadrons carried out an armed reconnaissance off northwest Germany, looking for enemy warships. The formation located the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau off Brunsbüttel, braved the barrage of flak and headed for home. On that last

JULY 14, 1936

JANUARY 1, 1939

The Air Defence of Great Britain is divided into four specialised Commands, including RAF Bomber Command under AM Sir John Steel at Uxbridge.

RAF Bomber Command strength stands at 75 squadrons, plus three Auxiliary Air Force units.

leg, the Wellingtons were attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109Ds of I/ JG 77, which shot down two 9 Squadron aircraft. Despite this experience, such sorties continued. A raid on the morning of December 3 by 24 Wellingtons from 38, 115 and 149 Squadrons off Heligoland did nothing to dispel confidence in the

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Left

Personnel of ‘B’ Flight, 9 Squadron, in October 1939. On December 18 Fg Off Challes, Fg Off Allison and Plt Off Lines flew in the same ‘vic’ – the Wellingtons of all three were lost. VIA ALISTAIR GOODRUM

SEPTEMBER 3, 1939

SEPTEMBER 4, 1939

OCTOBER 25, 1939

After Britain declares war on Germany, ten Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers of 51 and 58 Squadrons carry out the first RAF raid over Germany, dropping around six million propaganda leaflets.

Bomber Command suffers its first losses of the war, when five Vickers Wellingtons of 9 Squadron are shot down during a raid on German warships in the Elbe Estuary.

The Handley Page Halifax fourengined bomber flies for the first time.

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OMBER COMMAND EARLY DAYLIGHT OPERATIONS

Above

Sgt Frank Petts’ crew flew Wellington Ia N2873 on the ill-fated Heligoland raid. F PETTS

tactics. As the bombers withdrew, marauding Bf 109Ds from I/ZG 26 were successfully fought off.

SHATTERING DEFEAT

A dozen Wellingtons from 99 Squadron headed once more for Heligoland Bight on December 14. Off the island of Wangerooge the bombers were intercepted by newly-delivered Bf 109Es of II/JG 77 and Bf 110Cs of 1/ZG 26 and the Luftwaffe fighters shot down half the force. This incident was assessed as an aberration, so on the morning of the 18th, in fine, clear weather two dozen aircraft drawn from 9, 37 and 149 Squadrons in boxes of six set out for the German coast. Two returned early, but the remainder ploughed on. Over Jade Bay the formation was intercepted by waiting fighters resulting in ten Wellingtons being shot down and two more ditching on the way home. (Of the 12 lost, five each were from 9 and 37 Squadrons, while 149 suffered the other two.) When the ten surviving aircraft reached England, most bore the scars of battle. As the carnage of the day became apparent, the raid became known as the ‘Battle of the Heligoland Bight’. This shattering defeat brutally exposed the fallacy of the daylight policy and brought to an end the idea of bombing Germany in strength by day. December 18, 1939 was the harbinger of the night offensive.

“This shattering defeat brutally exposed the fallacy of the daylight policy and brought to an end the idea of bombing Germany in strength by day” VICKERS WELLINGTON I

Construction: 11,462 Wellingtons of all models were built, including one prototype, 3,055 Mk.I, 1,519 Mk.III, 220 Mk.IV and 64 Mk.VI. First Flight: The prototype flew for the first time on June 15, 1936 followed by the first production version in December 1937. Powerplant: Two 1,050hp (783kW) Bristol Pegasus XVIII nine-cylinder radials. Later versions had more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin or Bristol Hercules units. Dimension: Span 86ft 2in (26.3m). Length 64ft 7in. Height 17ft 5in. Wing area 840ft2 (78.1m2). Weight: Empty 18,556lb (8,417kg). Loaded 25,800lb. Performance: Max speed 235mph at 15,500ft. Service ceiling 18,000ft. Loaded range 1,200 miles. Max range 2,550 miles. Armament: Six to eight 0.303in machine guns in nose and tail turrets and beam positions. Maximum bomb load 4,500lb. Crew: Five or six. Note: performance and weights varied according to role and configuration.

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE DECEMBER 3, 1939

JUNE 3, 1940

First flight of the Short Stirling, the RAF’s largest bomber of World War Two.

A total of 651 bombing sorties are flown on the last day of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk.

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO MANCHESTER

HOBSON’S

CHOICE DAVID NICHOLAS EXPLORES THE EARLY OPERATIONS OF THE TROUBLESOME AVRO TWIN-ENGINED BOMBER

Below

Manchester I L7282 was an early delivery to 207 Squadron at Waddington and was fitted with the FN 21A ventral turret. VIA ROBERT KIRBY

D

espite considerable misgivings as to the reliability of its two RollsRoyce Vulture engines, the Avro Manchester was deemed ready for service in late 1940 and it fell to 207 Squadron to introduce the type into service. Commanded by the popular Wg Cdr Noel ‘Hettie’ Hyde, 207 was re-formed at Waddington on November 1 and the first aircraft arrived five days later.

Slowly the core of experienced crews got to grips with the complex new bomber and tried to understand the frailties of the powerful and unorthodox 24-cylinder 1,760hp (1,312kW) Vultures. Among the more serious problems was the Manchester’s single-engined performance and difficulty in feathering the propellers. In an effort to reduce weight the ventral Fraser Nash FN 21A turret was removed and

other modifications were made. It was not until mid-February 1941 that 207 had six of the new Avro bombers on strength.

OPERATIONAL DEBUT

On the evening of the 24th Wg Cdr Hyde in L7300 F-for-Freddie led five others, most armed with a dozen 500lb bombs to attack the German cruiser Admiral Hipper in Brest on the type’s operational debut. The half-dozen made individual runs

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE JANUARY 9, 1941

FEBRUARY 11, 1941

The four-engined Avro Lancaster, initially called the Manchester III, gets airborne for the first time.

The first RAF four-engined bomber raid is undertaken when three Stirlings from 7 Squadron attack oil depots in Rotterdam.

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E “Slowly the core of experienced crews got to grips with the complex new bomber and tried to understand the frailties of the powerful and unorthodox...Vultures”

FEBRUARY 25, 1941

JULY 1941

Bomber Command commences regular night-time operations against industrial targets in Germany, usually consisting of at least 100 aircraft.

The Command targets 16 German industrial towns and cities but achieves little success, with accurate bombing proving problematic.

from between 10,000 to 15,000ft in the face of flak and searchlights. Despite this reception Fg Off Peter Burton-Gyles – known as ‘BG’ – flew several orbits over the target in L7284 D-for-Don to establish the best direction for the attack. They made several runs on which the observer/bomb aimer Sgt Ken Houghton dropped a stick of six bombs. A hydraulic problem prevented the bomb doors from closing, resulting in a wheels

Above

Wg Cdr Noel ‘Hettie’ Hyde (second left), CO of 207 Squadron, at a PoW camp. 207 SQUADRON RECORDS

Left

Target for the Manchester’s first raid was the cruiser ‘Admiral Hipper’ berthed in the French port of Brest. RAF BENSON

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO MANCHESTER up landing back at base. The hydraulics of Hyde’s aircraft also gave trouble and other observations from the crews resulted in Avro making several more modifications. The following day a second Manchester unit began forming when 97 Squadron, under Wg Cdr D F Balsdon, received its first example at Waddington. No.97 moved a short distance across Lincolnshire to Coningsby on March 10. No.207’s second ‘op’ was also its first on Germany when five Manchesters participated in an attack by 106 aircraft on Cologne. Fg Off Frankie Eustace’s aircraft suffered a serious oil leak – a common Vulture problem – and so bombed a target of opportunity before returning home. Fg Off Mike Lewis in L7294 suffered a hydraulic failure and also returned. The others made several passes over Cologne at between 8,000

and 10,000ft. Unconvinced of his location, ‘BG’ dived to just 2,000ft to make his attack allowing the rear gunner, Sgt ‘Eddy’ Edmonds to blaze away with his four Brownings.

SLOW TO CLIMB

These initial raids coincided with a crisis of engine supply from Rolls-Royce, while engineers at Waddington struggled to produce operationally capable aircraft. On March 3 when the main target was Cologne, 207 was able to send just two Manchesters on a small diversionary attack against Brest but bad weather meant that neither ‘BG’ nor Flt Lt Derek French were able to locate their target. French was chastised the next morning for having jettisoned his bombs to lighten the aircraft. Weather and serviceability conspired against further ‘ops’ until the night of March 12. On the

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE FEBRUARY 22, 1942

MARCH 3, 1942

MAY 30-31, 1942

AM Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris is appointed Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command.

The Avro Lancaster, which reached its first unit on December 24, 1941, makes its operational debut.

The first 1,000-bomber raid is mounted. Aircraft are despatched to Cologne – 868 attack the main target dropping 1,455 tons of explosives.

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“...as Fg Off Hugh Matthews lifted L7313 C-for-Charlie off from Waddington it was shot down by a Junkers Ju 88 intruder – the whole crew perished except for wireless operator F/Sgt Bill Cox, who lost a leg” AVRO MANCHESTER IA

Two 1,760hp (1,312kW) Rolls-Royce Vulture II piston engines. Span 90ft 1in. Length 68ft 10in. Height 19ft 6in. Wing area 1,131ft2 Weights: Empty 45,000lb. All-up 56,100lb. Performance: Max speed at 17,000ft 284mph. Range 1,200 miles. Service ceiling 19,200ft. Armament: A total of eight machine guns in nose, dorsal and tail power-operated turrets. Max bomb load 10,250lb. Powerplant: Dimensions:

AUGUST 15, 1942

JANUARY 16-17, 1943

The Pathfinder force is launched to aid bomb accuracy by dropping flares over the target area. Its first ‘op’ is on August 18-19.

The RAF attacks Berlin, using target indicator marker bombs for the first time.

Manchester’s deepest penetration thus far six attacked Hamburg, each with ten 500-pounders. However, as Fg Off Hugh Matthews lifted L7313 C-for-Charlie off from Waddington it was shot down by a Junkers Ju 88 intruder – the whole crew perished except for wireless operator F/Sgt Bill Cox, who lost a leg. The others continued and in fine weather successfully dropped their loads on the Hamburg shipyards. Meanwhile Wg Cdr G E Valentine’s 61 Squadron at Hemswell began exchanging its Hampdens for Manchesters in mid-March. Three aircraft from 207 attacked Lorient in Brittany on the 20th, although F/ Sgt Frank Harwood’s L7278 suffered oil pressure problems and climbed very slowly. Loss of oil pressure in the port engine resulted in a rapid temperature rise before the Vulture caught fire. Most of the crew baled out before the blazing aircraft came down, tragically killing its skipper and W/Op Sgt Bennett Hogg who had gallantly stayed to help. Incidents of power loss, and bearing and crankshaft failures were causing real concerns about the new bomber. No.207 was able to send four Manchesters to Düsseldorf on March 28, each pilot struggling out from Waddington. Fg Off Arthur Paape saw the oil pressure dropping but managed to get L7318 back

Clockwise from top left

Flt Lt John Siebert as portrayed by Eric Kennington in pastel. 207 SQUADRON RECORDS

Flown by Fg Off Peter Burton-Gyles, L7284 was a participant in 207 Squadron’s first raid. RAF WADDINGTON

Sgt Jim Taylor (left) at the wireless operator’s position. On the right is air gunner Sgt Scott. JIM TAYLOR

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO MANCHESTER Below

The troublesome Vulture engine often left a crew to make ‘Hobson’s Choice’ as this 207 Squadron example was duly christened. RAF WADDINGTON

before the Vulture caught fire. The others successfully bombed, but en route home L7303 P-forPip flown by Flt Lt John Siebert was shot down over Holland by a Messerschmitt Bf 110C nightfighter of 3/NJG 1 flown by Ofw Gerhard Herzog. Sadly, Siebert was killed but the rest of the crew of the first Manchester to fall over enemy territory became prisoners of war.

VULTURE WOES

On the tenth night of Manchester ‘ops’, on April 8, Keil was targeted. This was the debut of 97 Squadron which contributed four, among them L7291 flown by Fg Off ‘Flap’ Sherwood; 207 sent eight led by the CO, Wg Cdr Noel ‘Hettie’ Hyde. The bombers crossed the North Sea bathed in full moonlight and ‘Hettie’ had managed to coax L7302 R-for-Robert up to almost 17,000ft. Over the port they were

coned by searchlights and engaged by heavy flak. The starboard engine temperatures increased rapidly and soon after the Vulture burst into flames. Feathering the propeller had no effect, so the crew members were forced to bale out and were captured. Sorties continued at a low rate amid a depressing number of engine problems. Nonetheless, during a raid by a trio from 207 against Hamburg on May 2, Manchesters dropped 4,000lb ‘Cookies’ and a week later the unit sent four to Berlin, both ‘firsts’ for the type. Six aircraft, including four from 97, returned the following night, May 11, though the later unit suffered its first loss when L7323 ditched. It lost another against Berlin on the 15th after which there were no further operations until mid-June.

Engineers continually worked on the troublesome Vultures, regularly changing oil filters and viscosity valves to try to alleviate problems, but with limited success. Manchesters returned to the fray on June 21 when 18 – the biggest number thus far, with 61 Squadron making its debut – attacked Boulogne, each armed with a 7,500lb load of 500lb GP bombs. After three more raids culminating in Hamburg on the 29th, the Manchester was grounded once more. It had been a troublesome introduction to service. Sgt Col Smith DFM of 97 Squadron said of the Manchester: “It was just awful! The Vultures did not give enough power but if you ran it at max power for too long to gain a decent height they overheated and caught fire.” Perhaps that is why one 207 Squadron crew christened its aircraft Hobson’s Choice?

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE FEBRUARY 25, 1943

MARCH 5-6, 1943

The start of the Allied roundthe-clock strategic bombing campaign in Europe, in cooperation with the USAAF.

Bomber Command commences the Battle of the Ruhr, an attempt to diminish German industrial strength.

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OMBER COMMAND PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES

LINCOLNSHIRE

VALOUR AMONG THE ACHIEVEMENTS EARNED BY SCAMPTON’S HAMPDEN UNITS WAS THE AWARD OF TWO VICTORIA CROSSES

A portrait of Flt Lt Roderick Learoyd VC, including his Pinocchio nose-art, by Frank Salisbury, that hangs in the Officers’ Mess at Headquarters Air Command, High Wycombe. HQ AIR COMMAND The fire ravaged fuselage of Hampden P1355 upon its return from the raid on Antwerp, September 16, 1940. Sgt John Hannah put the fire out in flight during the sortie and was awarded the VC for his bravery. 83 SQUADRON RECORDS

Hampden P4403 ‘Pinocchio’ of 49 Squadron in which Flt Lt ‘Babe’ Learoyd earned his VC during an attack on the Dortmund-Ems canal on the night of August 12, 1940. DOUGLAS GARTON

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Rare colour view of 83 Squadron’s Hampden I X2898. It proudly carries the Welsh flag and the motto ‘Cymru am Byth’ Wales Forever! VIA R FREEMAN A trio of Hampdens of 49 Squadron in formation over the Lincolnshire countryside near Scampton during 1941. VIA CHAZ BOWYER

Flt Lt Roderick ‘Babe’ Learoyd (right), who received the Victoria Cross with 49 Squadron, congratulating Sgt John Hannah of 83 Squadron with his award of the highest military decoration for valour. 83 SQUADRON RECORDS

Hampden crews of 83 Squadron conducting pre-flight planning at Scampton before a raid in January 1941. RAF SCAMPTON

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OMBER COMMAND SPECIAL OPERATIONS

‘SPOOKS’ BOMBER COMMAND PUT THE FLYING FORTRESS TO USE JAMMING ENEMY COMMUNICATIONS. TOM SPENCER CHARTS THIS UNSUNG AND RISKY TASK

Above

Rare flying view of 214 Squadron Fortress III KH999 – note the ABC aerial. AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

O

ther than a brief flirtation with the Fortress I during 1941, Bomber Command had little interest in the later models of Boeing’s B-17, preferring the greater load-carrying capacity of British ‘heavies’. Later, the B-17’s roominess, stability and high-flying capability led to it being considered for a new role, radio countermeasures (RCM). With typical generosity, the US Eighth Air Force agreed to provide surplus B-17Fs for Bomber Command’s 100 Group – formed to manage support operations. On

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE

January 10, 1944 three USAAF B-17Fs and personnel arrived in Sculthorpe, Norfolk, to begin training RAF crews most of whom came from one of the last Stirling bomber units, 214 Squadron. The unit’s new ‘hush-hush’ task matched its Latin motto, which translated as ‘Avenging in the Shadows’. The first Fortress II (B-17F) for 214 Squadron arrived on January 28 while a couple of former Coastal Command Mk.Is were used for training. Bristling with aerials, RCM Fortresses required an eightman crew comprising the pilot,

MAY 16-17, 1943

AUGUST 17-18, 1943

The famous Dambuster raid takes place, in which Lancasters of 617 Squadron aim to destroy four dams on the Ruhr.

Almost 600 aircraft are despatched to bomb the German rocket research base at Peenemunde. The enemy’s V-2 programme is delayed by around two months.

two navigators, a flight engineer, wireless op, two air gunners and a special equipment operator – the ‘spook’. Crews also often carried extra men to dispense ‘window’ – reflective material to help jam enemy radar. Such was the nature of the task that even other crew-members were discouraged from talking ‘shop’ with the ‘spooks’, who were usually German speakers. Some of them were refugees, such as 19-yearold Sgt John Hereford, who had been born in Berlin as Joachim Herzog to a Jewish family that fled Germany in 1933.

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LOADED WITH GEAR AND CODENAMES Fortress II KJ117 of the Radio Warfare Establishment, Swanton Morley. Note the ABC aerial. AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

’

Gradually modified operational Fortress IIs were delivered from Scottish Aviation and fitted with a plethora of specialist equipment. The gear came with a barrage of codenames, including Monica tail-warning radar and Mandrel, Piperack, Jostle, Airborne Grocer, Carpet and Airborne Cigar jammers. Airborne Cigar, also known as ABC, was a communications jammer that identified and then interfered with frequencies used for night-fighter control. It required a large 8ft 9in mast fitted to the rear fuselage and an extra crewmember to operate it. Fortress IIs were also equipped with improved navigation equipment such as Gee and Loran (long-range air navigation). Chutes were fitted under the rear fuselage for dropping Window, aluminium foil strips that could confuse enemy radar displays.

D-DAY CONFUSION

Led by Wg Cdr Desmond McGlinn, 214 Squadron began Fortress operations on the night of April 20, 1944 when two shadowed a raid on La Chapelle

in central France while two more supported an attack near Brussels. Using the Fortress’ high-flying capability to full advantage they cruised at over 25,000ft to jam enemy radar or disrupt VHF voice communications used to direct Luftwaffe night-fighters. In May, the squadron reached full strength and moved to Oulton, Norfolk, but lost the first of 11 Fortresses on ‘ops’ on the 25th when covering an attack on enemy positions in France. As the invasion force crossed the Channel on the night of June 5, five of 214’s ‘Forts’, flown by

SEPTEMBER 15-16, 1943

NOVEMBER 18, 1943

Lancasters of 617 Squadron drop the 12,000lb Blockbuster bomb for the first time during a lowlevel attack on the DortmundEms Canal.

The start of Bomber Command’s major offensive against Berlin. Over the next four months, 9,111 sorties are flown.

the CO (Wg Cdr Des McGlinn), Sqn Ldrs Bill Day, Bill Jefferies, Flt Lt Murray Peden and Fg Off Cam Lye, patrolled at 27,000ft off Dieppe. They then flew perpendicular to the coast in support of a Lancaster raid on coastal batteries. Two aircraft had to return early with malfunctioning equipment; McGlinn’s was attacked and damaged by a night-fighter although the tail gunner, Plt Off Jimmy Sharp, claimed he shot it down. The next day the first two Fortress IIIs (B-17Gs) were delivered, with the distinctive chin turret

Left

One of 214 Squadron’s German-speaking ‘spooks’ was Sgt John Hereford who had been born in Berlin. VIA G R PITCHFORK

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OMBER COMMAND SPECIAL OPERATIONS “Wynne remained at the controls to ensure his nine colleagues departed safely. He then found he had sufficient control and in a remarkable solo feat the 23-year-old managed to fly the damaged aircraft back to land at Bassingbourn”

Above

Fortress III KH999 ‘BU-W’ of 214 Squadron. PETE WEST Right

Fortress III HB796 with the full RCM mods, including a chin H2S radar radome and prominent aerials on the fuselage top and adjacent to the tail turret. It joined 214 Squadron and was lost over the Ruhr on February 9, 1945. AUTHOR’S COLLECTION

Far right

Flt Lt Johnnie Wynne, who flew his Fortress back to England on three engines after safely baling out his crew. 214 SQUADRON RECORDS

replaced by an H2S radome. The squadron’s next operation was on the night of the 11th during a raid on Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, and more followed.

MAIN FORCE SUPPORT

Returning from the Ruhr early on June 22, 1944, SR382 was shot down in flames over Holland by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 of NJG 1. It survived the first pass, but during the second onslaught Hptn Heinz Struning’s fire hit the starboard inner engine and rendered the controls useless. Five of Plt Off Cassan’s crew managed to bale out, but he and three others died. During a bad night Flt Lt Peden brought SR381 limping back to Woodbridge, Suffolk, badly damaged by two night-fighters following which air gunner F/Sgt Stanley received the DFM for his conduct in fighting them off. No.214’s Fortresses supported Bomber Command’s raids through the rest of the year using Jostle (a hugely powerful transmitter) for the first time on July 4; it also flew as

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE

part of the ‘Special Window Force’, on chaff dropping sorties. Tasking in August was typical with 40 Jostle, 27 Mandrel (to jam German Freya radar) and 36 Window sorties flown, for the loss of W/O Lee’s crew in Fortress III that went down over Belgium; four died and six became prisoners. During July, 214 Squadron was joined by another RCM unit at Oulton. No.223 Squadron was established using former USAAF B-24J Liberators. The following month Operation Big Ben began with long, arduous sorties up and down the Dutch and German coasts in fruitless attempts to jam the nonexistent radio guidance system for V-2 ballistic missiles.

HIDEOUS CRIME

Sorties flown by 214 were usually at 2,000ft above the bomber stream and jamming would start usually over the North Sea, on an instruction from 100 Group HQ, and was maintained for the duration of the raids it supported. However, during December 1944 a

new procedure began that required the jammer to circle the target area within 5 miles of the aiming point throughout the raid. This effective, but ‘hairy’, tactic led to a marked increase in losses in early 1945. Two Fortresses failed to return in February, with just two of the crew surviving. Worse followed in March when five Fortresses, one third of the squadron’s establishment, were lost, again with many fatalities. On the evening of March 14, Flt Lt Johnnie Wynne and his crew left Oulton in Fortress III HB779 to

MARCH 30-31, 1944

APRIL 14, 1944

In a disastrous attack on Nuremberg, Bomber Command suffers its heaviest losses of the war – of 795 aircraft despatched, 95 fail to return.

Strategic bombing operations in Europe are placed under the command of Gen Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force.

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give RCM support to an attack by 244 Lancasters on the oil refinery at Lützendorf southwest of Leipzig. As instructed they orbited the area, conducted their jamming activity and on completion set course for home. While flying near Pforzheim in southwest Germany, the Fortress was hit in the port wing by flak and the port inner engine caught fire. Wynne managed to fly the crippled aircraft across the Rhine but with the increasing vibration he ordered his crew to bale out. Wynne remained at the controls

to ensure his nine colleagues departed safely. He then found he had sufficient control and in a remarkable solo feat the 23-year-old managed to fly the damaged aircraft back to land at Bassingbourn. His nine crew all landed safely and were soon captured. Two were processed into the prisoner of war (PoW) ‘chain’ but the other seven were held at Buhl in France. Three days later, while being transferred to Luftwaffe control, encouraged by the local Nazi leadership, the Hitler Youth overpowered the military JUNE 5, 1944

JUNE 8-9, 1944

On the day before D-Day, Bomber Command flies a number of diversionary ‘ops’.

The first use of the new 12,000lb Tallboy bomb by 617 Squadron – explosions block a rail tunnel and prevent Germany from moving armour to northern France.

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OMBER COMMAND SPECIAL OPERATIONS

Above

Fortress III, KJ121 of 223 Squadron at Oulton in April-May 1945. This flew three of 223’s nine operational Fortress sorties. VIA R FORDER Above right

A cartoon picture of an RCM Fortress highlighting the amounts of Window foil strips that had to be loaded for a typical mission! Right

Fortress III HB793 of 223 Squadron. J D R RAWLINGS

guard and dragged the airmen outside. Sensing the ominous signs three managed to run clear but four were summarily executed. Having been caught the next day, one of the three escapees was given a severe beating and shot. The remaining two were later captured and became PoWs. The perpetrators were later identified by the Allies and executed for this hideous crime. During March 1945 Fortress IIIs began to re-equip 223 Squadron, the unit staging its first successful operation alongside its Liberators on April 19. That night Flt Lt Bremness’ crew in KJ121 supported a small-scale combat sortie off Denmark. Both squadrons flew their final operations on the night of May 2 when 223 sent four B-17s along with five Liberators to join 11 Fortresses on a ‘spoof ’ raid against Keil. With the end of the war in Europe both units were disbanded in late July and their Fortresses put into storage, although a handful of RCM Fortresses remained in use with the Radio Warfare Establishment until March 1946. In just a year of bomber support Fortress operations, 214 Squadron lost 15 aircraft with 81 aircrew killed and 37 becoming prisoners. It was a depressingly heavy toll, so commonplace among Bomber Command units.

214 SQUADRON OPERATIONAL LOSSES Date May 24, 1944 Jun 22, 1944 Jun 22, 1944

Target Antwerp Ruhr Ruhr

Serial, code SR384 ‘A’ SR382 ‘B’ SR381 ‘F’

Captain Plt Off A J N Hockley Plt Off J D Cassan Flt Lt D M Peden

Aug 26, 1944 Sep 13, 1944 Nov 16, 1944 Jan 17, 1945 Feb 9, 1945 Feb 24, 1945 Mar 4, 1945 Mar 7, 1945 Mar 14, 1945 Mar 15, 1945 Mar 15, 1945 Mar 22, 1945

Ruhr Calais BS Ops BS Ops Ruhr BS Ops Dortmund-Ems Hamburg Lützendorf Misburg Lützendorf Hamburg

HB763 ‘T’ HB767 ‘A’ HB787 ‘J’ KJ103 ‘M’ HB796 ‘T’ HB805 ‘C’ HB815 ‘J’ KJ106 ‘G’ HB802 ‘O’ HB803 ‘L’ HB779 ‘L’ KJ112 ‘F’

W/O J R Lee Flt Lt P R S Filleul F/Sgt C J Ashworth Fg Off N T Scott Plt Off J P Robertson Fg Off J M Shortle Plt Off H Bennett Fg Off G Stewart Flt Lt H Rix Fg Off P J Anderson Flt Lt J G Wynne Flt Lt W D Allies

Casualties 2 KIA, 7 PoW 5 KIA, 3 PoW See notes, below 6 KIA, 4 PoW 9 KIA, 1 escaped 10 KIA 1 KIA, 1 WIA 10 KIA 8 KIA, 2 PoW 8 KIA, 2 WIA 5 KIA, 5 PoW 10 PoW 2 KIA 5 KIA, 4 PoW 10 KIA

Notes: SR381 was written off on return to base, one member of the crew was wounded. KIA- killed in action; PoW - prisoner of war; WIA - wounded in action.

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE OCTOBER 14, 1944

NOVEMBER 12, 1944

The highest number of Bomber Command sorties in a single day, 1,576, are flown as part of a concerted attack on Germany.

Lancasters from 9 and 617 Squadron attack and eventually sink the German warship Tirpitz.

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Bomber Command Philip Jackson Limited Edition Sculptures Now Available New release, exclusive to Catto Gallery – The Maquette of Bomber Command Memorial (Green Park, London) It's rare for a publicly commissioned sculpture to be reproduced and made available to the public. It's even rarer when the sculpture is one of the best-loved and most high-profile in the UK.  All of which makes Philip Jackson’s Bomber Command a very special investment indeed. A limited edition of twenty, 17-inch maquettes of the national monument is now on sale at the Catto Gallery.

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO IN PROFILE

FLYING COLOURS PETE WEST PROFILES SEVEN AVRO-BUILT BOMBERS THAT SERVED DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR TWO.

AVRO MANCHESTER I - L7427 ‘OL-Q’ OF 83 SQUADRON, MARCH 1942

Severely underpowered, the twin-engined Manchester entered service in 1940 but was retired two years later. Its design paved the way for the much more successful Lancaster.

AVRO LANCASTER I - JA847 ‘PG-C’ OF 619 SQUADRON, 1942

Powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Lancaster I was introduced in February 1942 and became the most widely built variant, with over 3,400 made.

AVRO LANCASTER II - DS604 ‘QR-W’ OF 61 SQUADRON, 1942

Due to a shortage of Merlins, the Lancaster II was equipped with Bristol Hercules engines. A total of 300 were built.

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AVRO LANCASTER B.VII - NX750 ‘WS-V’ OF 9 SQUADRON, 1946

The B.VII was the final production version of the Lancaster. The mid-upper turret was moved further forward and defensive armament was upgraded.

AVRO LINCOLN B.2 - RF386 ‘DX-Y’ OF 57 SQUADRON, 1945

The Lincoln was too late to see service in World War Two. The B.2 was delivered from 1948 – a maritime patrol variant was developed into the Shackleton.

AVRO VULCAN B.1 - XA905 OF 83 SQUADRON, 1957

Early versions of the Vulcan, which first flew in 1952, were built to carry nuclear weapons and were painted in ‘anti-flash white’.

AVRO VULCAN B.2 - XM597 OF 44 SQUADRON, 1982

The only time the Vulcan was used in anger - long after Bomber Command ceased to be - was during the Falklands War when six long-range ‘Black Buck’ missions were flown against Port Stanley.

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO LANCASTER

M-FOR-MOTHER

SQUARED PATRICK OTTER RECOUNTS THE CAREER OF ED888, VETERAN OF 140 ‘OPS’, AND ITS LINK TO THREE AUSTRALIAN BROTHERS

Above

Plt Off Jim Bell and crew in front of ED888 on July 20, 1944. The Lancaster, then with 576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds, had just completed its 100th op. VIA ANDY THOMAS

Right

WAAF Rose Hammond beside a 576 Squadron Lancaster at an icy Elsham dispersal during the winter of 1943-1944. ELSHAM WOLDS ASSOCIATION VIA DAVID FELL

F

resh from air test at Avro’s Woodford airfield Lancaster III ED888 joined 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in North Lincolnshire in April 1943. It was assigned to ‘B’ Flight and allocated the code letters ‘PM-M’. (‘PM’ denoted the unit; the individual ‘M’ being its call-sign, M-for-Mother.) An unremarkable airframe – or so it seemed upon delivery – it went on to fly on more combat sorties than any other Lanc. On the night of May 4/5 ED888 made its operational debut when Scotsman W/O Nick Ross and his crew took it to Dortmund. A week later M-for-Mother was flown to Duisburg by Sgt Denis Rudge

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE

and crew, the first of 25 ‘ops’ they would undertake in ED888. Another crew with a long association with the aircraft was that of Fg Off Gomer Morgan. They flew 15 times in ED888, including a raid on Berlin on November 26/27, 1943, the last the aircraft was to fly for almost a year with 103 Squadron. That month the unit’s ‘C’ Flight was detached to form the nucleus of a new Elsham-based squadron, 576. With 53 bomb tallies painted on its nose, ED888 was one of the aircraft transferred to the new unit where it was allocated the codes ‘UL-V’ – V-for-Victor. Three months later, a re-assignment of codes within 576

replaced the ‘V’ with an ‘M’. As this was the second M-for-Mother with the unit, as per squadron practice, a small ‘2’ was placed alongside the ‘M’ in the manner of the mathematical symbol for ‘squared’. With 576, ED888 became known as ‘Mike-Squared’ but as its number of ‘ops’ rose, it was more popularly termed the ‘Mother-of-them-All’. The first operation with the new codes was to Essen in March 1944 when two engines were lost on the approach to the target. The flight engineer managed to restart one, only for ED888 to be attacked and damaged by a night-fighter. A second attack was beaten off but on the return flight another engine failed. The pilot, F/Sgt Charles

MARCH 14, 1945

APRIL 29, 1945

MAY 2-3, 1945

MARCH 26, 1950

The first 22,000lb Grand Slam bomb is dropped by 617 Squadron on Bielefeld viaduct in Germany.

The start of Operation Manna in which Bomber Command aircraft drop 6,500 tons of food and clothing to people in the Netherlands.

An attack by de Havilland Mosquitos of 8 Group on enemy airfields marks Bomber Command’s last offensive ‘op’ of World War Two.

Eight Tengah, Singapore-based Avro Lincolns drop 1,000lb bombs on a terrorist base in Malaya.

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Wearmouth, made a safe landing at West Malling, Kent. It was a busy summer for 576 and during a raid on rail yards at Revigny, eastern France, in July ‘Mike-Squared’s’ rear gunner Sgt David Langmead shot down the second of the two night-fighters he was credited with. Langmead was part of the crew of Plt Off Jimmy Griffiths, on their 29th operation in ED888 and the last of their tour. Flying with them that night as ‘second dickie’ was Plt Off Jim Bell. Five days later he and his crew took ‘Mike-Squared’ on their first and its 100th operation, a daylight attack on the V-2 missile site at Wizernes. Bell’s crew flew the next 31 ‘ops’ in ED888 – unusually it wasn’t AUGUST 1950

MAY 1951

The Boeing B-29D Washington enters service with RAF Bomber Command. They stay in service until 1958.

The English Electric Canberra, Bomber Command’s first jet, enters service with 101 Squadron at Binbrook, Lincs.

Above

During the 1988 to 1993 airshow seasons, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Mk.I PA474 paid tribute to the 140-raid veteran ED888. It carried the complex bomb tallies and still managed to accommodate a small version of the City of Lincoln coat of arms on the nose as well. The code letters also incorporated the ‘Mike Squared’ lettering. THE PLANE PICTURE COMPANY VIA BBMF

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO LANCASTER Far right

A staged shot for the press, painting another bomb tally on ED888.

flown on ‘ops’ during the brief periods when Jim and his team were stood down. ‘Mike-Squared’ undertook two more raids with 576 before it changed hands. No.576 moved to Fiskerton, Lincs, in late October 1944, leaving 103 Squadron as the sole occupants at Elsham. Left behind was ED888, which was re-allocated to 103’s ‘B’ Flight, with which it was given the code ‘PM-M’ – it retained the little ‘2’ and the nickname ‘Mike Squared’. At this point, its bomb tally stood at 131.

HIGHEST TALLY

Shortly after 9pm on Christmas

Above

The Henry brothers taking tea for a press photo opportunity, which was widely used. Left to right: Gaven, John and David. The same photo was used in the press cutting opposite - note Gaven’s name is spelt incorrectly in the paper cutting. Bottom right

Sgt Denis Rudge and crew – they clocked 25 ‘ops’ in ED888.

BAND OF BROTHERS Intertwined with the wartime story of Lancaster III ED888 are three Australian brothers. The trio flew on the same operation with 103 Squadron from Elsham Wolds thanks to a special dispensation from King George VI. Normally units were discouraged from allowing siblings to fly on the same ‘op’ but on October 30, 1944 the Henry brothers, Flt Lt John (28), Flt Lt David (25) and Plt Off Gaven (23), all Lancaster pilots from Armidale, New South Wales, flew with 103 for a raid on Cologne. All three successfully completed the sortie. Newspapers in Britain and Australia extolled the story of the three brothers. Readers were told that on 103 Squadron they were referred to as ‘Mk.I, Mk.II and Mk.III’. (There was also a ‘Mk.IV’, Ronald, who served as an engine fitter with a flying-boat unit in West Africa.) But all was not quite as it seemed. John joined 103 in March 1944 and David followed a few weeks later. At the time Gaven and his crew (five of whom were Australian) were not on the strength of 103, they were still serving their time at 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit at Lindholme, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. When a new crew joined a squadron, the pilot would often fly with an experienced crew to get the ‘feel’ for ‘ops’. This was referred to as a ‘second dickie’ trip. It seems Gaven was brought over from Lindholme with his training incomplete to fly his ‘second dickie’ with the crew of flight commander Sqn Ldr P Hague, to enable the press to get the ‘three brothers’ story. This unconventional tactic was needed because the Cologne raid was the last in John Henry’s tour and it was David’s 23rd. John would have left the squadron and his RAF Elsham base in North Lincolnshire before Gaven’s crew finally joined officially on November 5. The third operation flown by Gaven and his crew was an 8½ hour trip to the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg on November 21. Their aircraft that night was ED888 and afterwards the ground crew got to paint the 136th bomb tally on its nose.

Eve 1944 Canadian pilot Flt Lt Sam Saxe made a perfect landing at Elsham. He taxied ED888 to its dispersal, shut down the four RollsRoyce Merlin 28s and brought to an end the operational life of perhaps the most famous Lancaster to fly with Bomber Command. Saxe and his crew, who were relatively new to 103 Squadron, had taken ED888 to Cologne. It had ‘visited’ the city four times before, but this was the last of a staggering 140 ‘ops’ – the largest number achieved by any Lancaster. ‘Mike Squared’ was to outlive Sam Saxe. He was one of four killed when his 103 Squadron Mk.I NF913 H-for-How was shot down in an attack on Dessau, Germany, on March 7/8, 1945.

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE JANUARY 1955

The Vickers Valiant, the first of the new V-Bombers, is received by 138 Squadron at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

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“In its time at Elsham ED888 visited Berlin 14 times, attacked 74 other targets and had been flown by 34 different crews” In its time at Elsham ED888 visited Berlin 14 times, attacked 74 other targets and had been flown by 34 different crews. It had undergone 19 engine changes, its gunners had shot down two German night-fighters and it had been patched up several times in an operational life of 941 flying hours. After the December 24 raid, ED888 ended its days at Elsham as the squadron ‘hack’. In January 1945 ED888 went to Avro for a complete overhaul but was never to fly operationally again. Soon after returning to

Elsham ED888 appears to have been damaged and was declared ‘Category B’ – repairable at a maintenance unit or by the manufacturer. In August it was part of a batch of Lancasters flown to 10 Maintenance Unit at Hullavington in Wiltshire for a few weeks before making the final sortie to Tollerton, near Nottingham. There a private company had been given the job of scrapping hundreds of unwanted Lancs.

FINAL JOURNEY

Fate was to play a hand in that final journey. Flt Lt John

MAY 1956

OCTOBER 31, 1956

MAY 15, 1957

The Avro Vulcan becomes the second V-Bomber to enter service. It is followed by the Handley Page Victor in November 1957.

Canberra and Valiant bombers flying from Malta and Cyprus attack 12 Egyptian airfields in the Canal Zone during the Suez Crisis.

Valiant XD818 of 49 Squadron drops the first British hydrogen bomb near Christmas Island in the southwest Pacific.

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OMBER COMMAND AVRO LANCASTER Right

A target photo of Paris (Dugny), taken from a 103 Squadron Lancaster on 10 August 10, 1944. VIA ANDY THOMAS

Below right

The bomb release button from ED888 ‘liberated’ by John Henry after he had ferried it to Tollerton for scrapping. Below

‘Mike Squared’, 103 Squadron Lancaster IIII at Elsham.

Henry DFC was one of a group of Australian aircrew who, while waiting to return home, had the job of ferrying former warhorses to the breakers. John and flight engineer Flt Lt Bob Fairlie, also a 103 veteran, had been detailed to fly ED888. By then 29, John had received his DFC after finishing his tour with 103 Squadron. During his time at Elsham, John had not flown ED888, but he knew the history of the remarkable bomber. John was determined to save at least a little from the scrap merchant. Once on the ground he and Fairlie carefully disconnected the bomb release cable and, after giving the old Lancaster a final nod, walked away. Veteran of 140 ‘ops’ ED888 languished at Tollerton until January 1947 when the wrecking team turned its axes on it. John took the bomb release cable back with him to Australia. Following his death in a road accident in 1978 on his way to an RAAF aircrew reunion, his

brothers presented the memento to the newly-formed Elsham Wolds

Association. This relic of ED888 now has pride of place in the association’s museum on the old Lincolnshire airfield.

“John was determined to save at least a little from the scrap merchant. Once on the ground he and Fairlie carefully disconnected the bomb release cable and, after giving the old Lancaster a final nod, walked away”

BOMBER COMMAND TIMELINE FEBRUARY 1, 1962

SEPTEMBER 27, 1964

APRIL 30, 1968

The V-force begins its Quick Reaction Alert readiness commitment to maintain one loaded weapon system and crew per operational squadron at 15 minutes readiness.

The BAC TSR.2, intended as a replacement for the Canberra, makes its first flight. It is cancelled by the government in April 1965.

RAF Bomber and Fighter Commands are merged to create RAF Strike Command, with headquarters at High Wycombe.

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We close this special Bomber Command tribute with a formation photograph of two famous Avro aircraft still flying today - Lancaster B.I PA474 and Vulcan B.2 XH558. JOHN DIBBS

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GAZING INTO THE ABYSS

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Peter Green and Andrew Thomas describe the vital role of the RAF’s Central Fighter Establishment.

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Spotlight Lockheed

F-104 Starfighter 20 Pages in detail 70 Origin and history 72 Inside the ‘manned missile’ 74 Men Behind the Starfighter 82 Artwork Dutch F-104 84 In combat - the ‘Star’ at war 90 Warriors

Main picture

Four Lockheed CF-104G of the Royal Canadian Air Force flying from Mildenhall, Suffolk, in 1982. KEY

69_Spotlight Opener_fpSBB.indd 69

Spotlight this month focuses on one of the most distinctive jet fighters ever produced, Lockheed’s rocket-like F-104. Resembling a manned missile due to its very short wingspan, the Starfighter was exceptionally fast but sometimes proved unreliable.

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter

Scrutinizes the history of...

The Lockheed

Above

Lockheed F-104A Starfighter 6737 flying from Edwards Air Force Base for Sidewinder missile tests. KEY

F-104 Starfi W

ith its long fuselage and minimal wingspan, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter looked rather like a manned rocket from certain angles. It’s true to say this Mach 2 interceptor and fighter-bomber was unlikely to be mistaken for any other type. Lessons learned during the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 were starting to bring about significant changes in combat aircraft design. Increased speed was an essential requirement, and the Starfighter was one of the fastest machines of its day, breaking several records. Despite a sometimes poor safety record, it was nevertheless a success overall, and was operated by the air forces of 15 nations. Its service career spanned from 1958 to 2004, the last examples being flown by the Italian Air Force, though it should be noted that the USAF retired them from frontline duties in 1969, just 11 years after receiving them. The Starfighter’s most distinctive design feature was its unusually

short wings – each measured approximately 7ft 7in (2.3m) from tip to root. Exceptionally thin to help achieve very high speeds, they were built around two main spars and featured sharp leading edges. Due to their small size, Lockheed’s engineers had to design an undercarriage that folded vertically into the main fuselage, rather than sideways into the wings. The fuel tanks also needed to be housed within the main airframe. Following discussions with pilots who had flown the North American F-86 Sabre in Korea, Lockheed chief engineer Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson and his design team first presented plans to the USAF in November 1952. With a requirement then issued for a new fighter jet, three other companies also took up the challenge, but it was the Lockheed aircraft that was granted a development contract in March 1953 for two XF-104 prototypes. The first of these ‘hopped’ into the air on February 18, 1954, but

the first official flight took place a few weeks later, on March 4. Although the second prototype was lost shortly afterwards, the design was accepted by the USAF after issues with undercarriage retraction and directional stability had been resolved, along with the addition of greater fuel capacity. The first machine’s successor, the YF-104A, flew on February 17, 1956, the first of 16 trials aircraft. It was lengthened to 54ft 8in (16.7m) and fitted with a General Electric J79 engine plus improved landing gear and air intakes. Following further modifications, the air force received its first Starfighters in January 1958, with the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron becoming the first operational F-104 unit the following month.

Combat record

Engine problems and accidents took their toll from an early stage, but by the time the F-104C was brought in, flying with the USAF’s Tactical Air Command as a multi-role fighter

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SPOT FACT The CL-1200 high-mounted wing version never came to fruition

Origin & history

Italy’s ‘flying Ferrari’ Capable of (a claimed) Mach 2.4, Italy’s version of the F-104 – built by Fiat under licence – was arguably the ultimate incarnation of the Starfighter. A total of 246 F-104S models were produced, with 40 delivered to the Turkish Air Force, and the rest to the Italians. The ‘S was equipped with the more powerful J79-GE-19 engine and had a new radar system for the interception role, plus additional underbelly and wing hardpoints for missiles and bombs. It was cleared for a much higher take-off weight than ‘normal’ Starfighters, and was capable of carrying up to 7,500lbs (3,400kg) of stores. The Italian fleet received its final significant upgrade in 1998 and the type served on until late 2004 when the last examples were finally replaced by F-16s, pending the delivery of Eurofighter Typhoons.

rfighter and fighterbomber, most of the initial problems had been ironed out. The type saw limited service in the Vietnam War, mostly in the air superiority role. Although Starfighter pilots experienced little aerial combat and scored no airto-air ‘kills’, the jet was seen as a successful deterrent. F-104 units flew almost 3,000 sorties in 1965 – one was shot down by a Shenyang J-6 when the US aircraft entered Chinese air space, and two were lost in a mid-air collision while searching for the missing jet. After a second deployment ended in 1967, most Starfighters were withdrawn and replaced by McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms. The last F-104s in USAF hands were fitted with upgraded J79GE-19 engines, and their final use in US markings was for training West German pilots from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Germany had selected the F-104G for its air force over the

25

English Electric Lightning, among other rivals. The ’G model was the most produced of all Starfighter variants, with around 1,200 built. The General Electric engine was retained but built under license in Europe, Canada and Japan. In German hands, the issue of safety again reared its head. Fatigue problems dogged the design in its later years, and well-known Luftwaffe veteran (and F-104 unit commander) Erich Hartmann, World War Two’s top-scoring fighter pilot, condemned it as unfit for use. Pakistan had some success with its Starfighters in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Although certain sources dispute the claim, Fl Lt Aftab Alam Khan reported that he shot down an Indian Dassault Mystère IV over West Pakistan and damaged another, thus marking the first airto-air ‘kill’ by any Mach 2 aircraft. Pakistani Starfighters also intercepted an Indian Folland Gnat, forcing its pilot to land and surrender. In the

subsequent war between the two nations in 1971, India’s MikoyanGurevich MiG-21s appeared to have superiority over the F-104As, with two of the latter being shot down. A total of 2,578 F-104s were produced by Lockheed or under licence by overseas manufacturers. It achieved a number of notable firsts (see November 2014 issue), including being the first aircraft type to simultaneously hold the world altitude and speed records. However, it also garnered a considerable amount of adverse publicity due to its accident rate, and through a scandal in which Lockheed was accused of bribing political and military figures in order to secure foreign contracts, resulting in some high profile resignations. It was the first combat aircraft capable of sustained Mach 2 flight, but by the mid-1970s its reputation had considerably diminished, with most users phasing them out in favour of Phantoms and later the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Top

Inside the cockpit of an early production Starfighter. LOCKHEED Above

A trio of Lockheed F-104 Starfighters destined for Germany, Canada and Japan, flying over California. LOCKHEED

mm was the thickness of the hydraulic cylinders driving the ailerons

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Pitot head Glass-fibre radome Radar scanner Scanner tracking mechanism Radar package mounting rail AN/ASG-14T1 fire control radar Front pressure bulkhead Gun camera

Windscreen panels Lead computing gunsight Stand-by compass Instrument panel shroud Control systems cable drive units Rudder pedals Ejection seat footrests Cannon muzzle aperture Side console panel Engine throttle lever Control column Instrument panel Rear view mirrors Cockpit canopy cover, hinged to port Ejection seat headrest Pilot’s downward ejection seat Rear pressure bulkhead Cockpit air delivery from conditioning pack on starboard side Circuit breaker panel Canopy aft glazing, hinged to port Avionics bay access panel Modular avionics equipment packs Close-pitched fuselage frames Cannon barrels Nosewheel doors Taxying lamp Forward retracting nosewheel Torque scissor links M61 Vulcan six-barrel rotary cannon Control cable duct Ammunition feed chute Ammunition magazine Anti-collision light Ammunition loading door, hinged to port

43 Emergency ram air turbine on starboard side 44 Engine bleed air supply to air conditioning 45 Forward fuel filler 46 Starboard air intake 47 Dorsal spine fairing 48 Forward fuselage fuel tank, total internal capacity 747 imp gal (897 US gal, 3,396 Iit) 49 Intake half-cone centre-body 50 Port air intake 51 Shock cone boundary layer bleed air duct 52 Boundary layer bleed air duct

53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

Intake duct access panel Intake duct framing Boundary layer spill duct Control cable runs Rear tank filler Fuel tank access panels Bifurcated intake duct Leading edge flap hydraulic jack Wing root attachment members Wing attachment fuselage main frames Fuselage upper main longeron Intake flank fuel tanks Main undercarriage hydraulic reaction jack Shock absorber strut Wheel door mounted landing lamp Mainwheel leg pivot fixing Aileron control linkage Hydraulic reservoir, port and starboard Engine starter housing Ignition units Engine withdrawal rail Multi-spar wing panel construction Pylon attachment hard point Starboard leading edge flap Wing tip missile launch rail

78 AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile 79 Starboard aileron 80 Aileron power control actuators 81 Power control unit servo valves 82 Starboard ‘blown’ flap 83 Starboard underwing fuel tank 84 Fin root fillet 85 Hydraulic connectors 86 Starboard airbrake panel 87 Elevator servo controls 88 Fin spar attachment joint 89 Tailplane power control actuators 90 Two-spar fin torsion box construction 91 Tailplane push-pull control rods

92 93 94 95

Fin tip fairing Tailplane rocking control arm Tailplane hinge fitting One-piece all-moving horizontal tailplane 96 Tailplane spar 97 Close-pitched rib construction 98 Hinge fitting tail rudder

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SPOT FACT Jordan, Greece, Denmark and Norway all operated F-104s

99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116

Rudder Rudder rib construction Servo valves Rudder power control actuators Autostabiliser tab Exhaust nozzle shroud Variable area afterburner nozzle Tailplane spar attachment mainframes Nozzle actuators Afterburner duct Rear position lights Brake parachute housing Runway emergency arrester hook Port airbrake panel Engine thrust mounting Rear fuselage break point, engine removal Airbrake housing Airbrake scissor links

22

117 Ventral fin 118 Hydraulic accumulators on engine ventral access hatch 119 Wing root fillet 120 Airbrake hydraulic jack 121 Engine bleed air vents 122 General Electric J79-GE 3A afterburning engine 123 Flap hydraulic jack 124 Flap blowing air duct 125 Flap rib construction 126 Port ‘blown’ flap 127 Underwing tank tail fins 128 Port aileron 129 Aileron rib construction 130 Aileron servo valves 131 Power control actuators 132 Port AIM-9B Sidewinder air-to-air missile 133 Tip tank asymmetric tail fins 134 Port navigation light 135 Wing tip tank, capacity 142 imp gal

Inside the F-104A Starfighter 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

Tip tank mounting spigot Fuel fillers Tank vane Wing tip stores support structure Missile launch rail Sidewinder infra-red seeker head Underwing tank, capacity 162 Imp gal Wing pylon Multi-spar wing panel construction Port mainwheel Hinged axle rotation linkage Pylon attachment hardpoint Mainwheel leg door Leading edge flap position indicator and synchronisation linkage Flap rib construction Port leading edge flap Navigation light

F-104As were converted into radio-controlled drones

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter

Missileers W

hen the F-104 entered service it featured an unusual ejection seat, the Stanley C-1. This fired downwards, as there were fears the pilot would never be able to clear the Starfighter’s ‘T-tail’ from a conventional upward launching seat. However, a low-level escape could prove fatal with the system as fitted. Brigadier General Robert Titus and Captain Iven Kincheloe had carried out a lot of test flying in the USAF ‘Century Series’ of fighters, including the F-104. Both had done time in the Korean War – Kincheloe achieved five MiG ‘kills’ to make him the tenth jet ace in the war. He also flew the Bell X-2, achieving 2,060mph in it.

Robert Titus recalls his introduction to the Starfighter in 1958: “Lou Schalk, one of the top test pilots for Lockheed, trained me in flying the F-104 during the early days... When I first arrived at Edwards Test Center, he asked me if I wanted to fly one of the birds and I said sure. I told him I hadn’t filled out a questionnaire on the F-104 and his only reply was that nothing ever happens on the first flight, so I got on my gear and walked out to the plane. “Lou told me to make an afterburner take-off, pick up to Mach 0.9, climb to 35,000ft, level off and run out to Mach 2, come out of ’burner and come back to Edwards because by then I would be out of

fuel. I did all of that and Lou met me and was happy because I hadn’t exceeded Mach 1 on the climb. “A short time later [July 26, 1958] Lou was to depart Palmdale to do a demo and I was to pick him up on take-off in another F-104. I had been feeling bad with flu symptoms but showed up and filled out a local flight plan. ‘Mac’ Lane, our fighter boss, told me to forget about flying that day. “Iven Kincheloe was standing there and said he’d take the flight and I briefed on the plan. He made a military power take-off and had just cleared the runway when his engine failed. He ejected but was too low. The ’chute streamed and he went into the burning wreckage.

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s

SPOT FACT The unit cost of a single F-104G was $1.42m

Men Behind the Starfighter

Warren E Thompson describes incidents from the early days of Lockheed’s ‘missile with a man in it’ “Iven had been selected as one of the first three pilots in the next rocket-powered aircraft, the [North American] X-15. A tragic loss.” The seat on F-104s later changed to the Lockheed C-2 which gave the pilot a safe exit out of the top of the aircraft.

F-104 Top Gun

The Starfighter was designed and configured for air-to-air combat at altitude and beyond the speed of sound. However, its days as solely an air defence fighter were short – it also proved to be excellent at delivering ordnance accurately to ground targets. In September 1962 pilots assembled at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, for an inter-

100

unit fighter-bomber competition entitled William Tell ’62. Representing the F-104 community was Captain Charles E Tofferi. The exercise tested the pilots’ ability in a wide range of combat tasks such as marksmanship and bombing accuracy. When one of the hardest parts of the contest, nuclear weapons delivery, was over, Tofferi was in third place. Air-toair marksmanship was next. At a range of ½ mile, using his 20mm M61 Gatling gun, he destroyed the target in 33 seconds, achieving a perfect score of 3,000 points. Next came napalm dropping – again top marks. When strafing, four vehicles were set ablaze in as many passes, again using the potent 20mm.

Above

John O’Donnell cruising between China and Formosa while serving with the 83rd FIS in 1958. JOHN O’DONNELL

Left

Capt Iven C Kincheloe in a high-altitude partial pressure suit poses beside an F-104. USAF

rounds per second could be fired by the F-104C’s M61A1 20mm gun

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SPOT FACT The type was designed for optimum performance at Mach 1.4

“...on October 20, 1966, Tofferi was out on an armed reconnaissance when he was shot down by ground fire over the Plain of Jars in northern Laos...” Above

An F-104, armed with Gatling gun and two AIM-9 Sidewinders, off the coast of Formosa in 1958. JOHN O’DONNELL

Right

F-104A 56-0791 of the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Taoyuan on September 15, 1958. USAF Below right

F-104A instrument panel. LOCKHEED

At that point he was told he already had enough points to ensure his win. Rather than relax, he chose to compete in the rocket firing where he delivered all of them ‘on time-on target’ to gain another perfect score. It was the only perfect close support sortie of the meet. When the contest was over, Tofferi had accrued 19,018 out of a possible 24,000 points; he had ousted ten F-100 Super Sabre and three F-105 Thunderchief pilots. For his outstanding performance, he was awarded the General Jesse H Auton Trophy and the Hoyt Vandenberg Trophy, becoming the USAF’s newest supersonic William Tell champion. While flying with the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing

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Men Behind the Starfighter (TFW) on October 20, 1966, Tofferi was out on an armed reconnaissance when he was shot down by ground fire over the Plain of Jars in northern Laos, and was not seen to eject from the cockpit of F-104C 57-0910 before it crashed. He had paid the ultimate price.

George AFB-based F-104Ds, May 1962. HAROLD PLAIN

Show of Force

In 1958 mainland China was threatening to invade the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, off the coast of Nationalist China, then known as Formosa, now Taiwan. The US vowed to deploy its new supersonic jets to Formosa as a sign of solidarity. It was decided to transport the jets via cargo aircraft, rather than fly them halfway around the world. First Lt Ed ‘Gris’ Grischkowsky was heavily involved with some of the early Starfighter operations, and recalls participating in Formosan deployment: “There was much ado about the possibilities of a major conflict with the Chinese and Left

Captain Ed ‘Gris’ Grischkowsky on the flight line of the 476th TFS at George AFB. ED GRISCHKOWSKY

2

Sidewinder missiles (or fuel tanks) could be carried on the wingtips

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SPOT FACT Unlike some supersonic jets, the F-104 did not have variable geometry engine inlets Below right

A 476th TFS F-104 en route from Moron, Spain, to Hahn, Germany, in August 1962. RAY HOLT Bottom

An F-104 at Hahn, West Germany, while the 476th TFS was deployed there. ED GRISCHKOWSKY

it was serious. The 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, at Hamilton AFB in California, was the only combat-ready F-104 squadron in the inventory at that time. “The C-124 Globemasters began arriving at Hamilton. In an impressive display of teamwork an F-104A was loaded on the plane, accompanied by a qualified pilot, a crew chief and some maintenance and armament people. The route was from Hamilton to Hickam AFB in Hawaii, then to Wake Island and over to Okinawa. The next step was to Taoyuan, west of Taipei. “The total trip took four days, including refuelling stops, crew rests etc. On arrival at Taoyuan, much was required to get our jets flyable, such as reassembly and

ground tests of engines. As an experienced pilot, I was designated as a ‘test pilot’ of the newly reassembled jets. “The arrival, one by one, of each of our F-104As in a C-124 cargo bay presented unique problems for our maintenance people. I don’t believe a checklist had yet been developed that told how to reassemble a Starfighter. To say our assigned area was austere is definitely an understatement. There was a bare hangar set aside and electric power was sporadic at best. “The pressure was definitely on our maintenance guys who had to scramble to get us in an operational status, and time was not on our side. All that glory heaped on

our pilots needs to be shared by those that make it possible on the ground. In the case of getting us in the air while working on the Formosa deployments, they deserved far more than we could give them. “We were ready to fight whatever the Chinese sent up against us. To describe our mission in Formosa, we were defending the cause of liberty with a high-Mach fighter and it ended up being a ‘show of force’ only. We sat on alert at the end of the runway and periodically one of our Starfighters was despatched to make a high-speed run between China and Formosa, usually at Mach 1.4, just to remind the Chinese of our capability. We didn’t get much flying time due to

Raising 'ZELL' Left and below

ARPS F-104A in a vertical climb (below) and a ZELL-equipped F-104G (left) under tests in the USA. BOTH LOCKHEED

Three F-104As were transferred to Edwards AFB and designated as NF-104As. They were used by the Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) to achieve outstanding altitudes thanks to a Rocketdyne booster [rocket engine] installed under the fin. The Luftwaffe – a major user of the F-104 - worried about its forward airfields being quickly eliminated in case of war, did great work on the Zero Length Launch (ZELL) concept. Nuclear-armed F-104Gs were to have been trucked out to remote locations and launched from a ramp using a jettisonable rocket booster.

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Men Behind the Starfighter the circumstances of being on alert. After four months, it was decreed that the 83rd FIS would be replaced by the F-104 squadrons based at Westover AFB, Massachusetts. “We left our jets in place at Taoyuan and received replacement birds from Westover, WrightPatterson and Moses Lake, Washington. There was never any doubt the presence of our F-104s at Taoyuan had a big impact on China and is probably why we didn’t fly any combat against them.”

Kiss of Death

‘Gris’ Grischkowsky recalled a memorable deployment to Spain. “In 1960, the 479th TFW operating from George AFB, California, had a standing

2

commitment to keep one F-104 squadron at Moron air base, Spain, to provide air defence for Strategic Air Command’s B-47 Stratojets stationed there on a rotational basis. “In December 1960, it was time for my 435th TFS to deploy to Moron. Since the wing had a longstanding commitment to keep a squadron there, it was decided to deploy two F-104Ds – only 21 of this model were made – and leave them there when each squadron rotated. They would provide instrument check flights, orientation flights for dignitaries etc. The D-model had space for much less fuel in order to accommodate a second seat. “Due to my being a high-timer

in the F-104, as was Wally Durst, we were appointed the dubious distinction of ferrying the F-104Ds over to Moron. Much planning later, the appointed departure time arrived. My assigned back-seater was a major from HQ Tactical Air Command. I was the alternate lead and Captain Bob Ashcroft flying an F-104C was the only other member of our flight of three. “Take-off was at ‘zero dark thirty’ due to the necessity of a daylight landing after a long trip. Of course, going eastbound we were losing daylight time with each hour. The route was over New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and ‘feet wet’ over South Carolina. Our rendezvous with the KB-50 Superfortress tankers were

F-104Cs were downed by SAMs over Vietnam on August 1, 1966

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SPOT FACT A Pakistani Starfighter pilot claimed the first ‘kill’ of any Mach 2 aircraft in 1965

Hawker Typhoon Right

Four F-104Cs from George AFB in formation over the mountains of California. LOCKHEED Below

The 476th TFS at Lajes in the Azores during a major deployment to Europe in August 1962. RAY HOLT

“Just short of 195 knots and nose wheel lift-off, I had a terrific nosewheel shimmy which shook the jet at a horrendous rate. This was known as an ‘F-104 kiss of death’” over New Mexico and Mississippi. Destination for the tankers was Bermuda and the next leg over to Spain. “On take-off, after Wally released his brakes and started to roll, I waited ten seconds and then pushed forward on the throttle. Just short of 195 knots and nose wheel lift-off, I had a terrific nosewheel shimmy which shook the jet at a horrendous rate. This was known as an ‘F-104 kiss of death’. It was one of those rare malfunctions that was fatal for most of those so stricken. “Thank goodness, it occurred at a point that I was able to yank the nose off the runway and abate the shimmy and continue the take-off.

After the wheels went in the wells, flaps up and acceleration I joined on Wally’s right wing. “He was signalling by hand that he had no radio or other communication devices and, as an alternate lead, I should take control of the flight. He was not pleased when I signalled back that the same thing was happening with me. “About that time, Bob Ashcroft slid into his position on the outside of the turn. The lead would naturally go to him. A few minutes ago he was happy as No.3 in a threeship and now he was confronted with the lead to go to Bermuda with multiple refuelling rendezvous. “Now there was time, I assessed

the situation and I had the option to abort back into George, but stubbornness precluded that option. I could press on and do the best I could with what I had to work with… I had to pass scribbled notes to my back-seater, and one of the real concerns over and above the communications breakdown was the lack of oxygen. I knew I had no oxygen and he scribbled me a note back that he didn’t have any either. “We were holding steady at 12,000ft, which was adequate to survive, so we were headed straight for Bermuda. Our landing was about like I imagined, and the blown nose wheel was the worst of it. Two days later, we landed all three aircraft at Moron.”

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter

Dust Clouds Pete West artwork of a Dutch Starfighter that survives today

Artwork

Lockheed F-104G Starfighter D-8245 ‘Dusty II’ of RNLAF 312 Squadron, Volkel. PETE WEST-2014

T

he Royal Netherlands Air Force began to equip with the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter at the end of 1962. Initially, 120 F- and RF-104Gs (the latter a tactical reconnaissance version) were ordered to replace its ageing Republic F-84Fs and RT-33As. Fokker built the first of what would eventually be over 230 examples, with 95 Starfighters being delivered between December 11, 1962, and May 20, 1965. The US also supplied ten TF-104G two-seat trainers, with

deliveries from mid-1963, while eight more were constructed by Fokker. Dutch squadrons comprised 18 fighters and two trainers per unit, with No.306 becoming the first to be declared operational. Our subject, F-104G D-8245 was built by Fokker and attached to 312 Squadron, which was based at Volkel from April 1965 until June 14, 1984. This aircraft, which acquired the nickname Dusty II, had the distinction of carrying out the air force’s 1,000th towed gunnery target flight.

The last frontline Dutch Starfighter unit to disband, 312’s aircraft were passed to a training unit, staging a farewell flypast at Volkel on November 21, 1984. Many others had already been transferred to the Turkish Air Force, with ten going to the Greeks. The Starfighter’s safety record in Dutch hands was not good – over 35% of the fleet was lost to accidents. D-8245 survived and is today preserved as a ‘gate guardian’ at the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg.

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SPOT FACT The TF-104G trainer version could also be made combat ready

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Starfighter in profile

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter

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SPOT FACT The last three F-104s lost in Vietnam all succumbed to engine failure

Starfighter in Combat

Gunslingers Warren E Thompson describes the brief, but effective, use

N

orth Vietnamese MiGs posed a huge problem for USAF and US Navy bombers striking at targets well beyond the demilitarised zone (DMZ) in 1965. Under Operation Two Buck, Lockheed EC-121D ‘College Eye’ radar pickets were deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin to provide a MiG screen and a degree of early warning. But these lumbering, four-engined modified transports were also tempting targets in need of protection.

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All available US fighter assets were tied up with the bombing campaign, either actively or as escorts. There was a type that could fit the bill: the F-104C Starfighter. Designed as high-Mach interceptors, they were armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder heatseeking air-to-air missiles. Buried in the fuselage was the F-104’s trump card, an M61 20mm six-barrel Gatling gun providing devastating firepower. The first unit to respond, coming to the aid of the College Eyes, was

of the F-104 in Vietnam

the 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) in April 1965. It deployed originally to Kung Kuan air base (AB) in Taiwan. After a week’s work up, 14 Starfighters arrived at the forward operating airfield at Da Nang AB in South Vietnam. On April 20 the 476th flew its first EC-121D escort. These usually involved three flights of four F-104s and two KC-135 Stratotankers and lasted from 2 to 5 hours between 250-300 miles to the northwest of Da Nang. Missions hunting

Left

The last Vietnam Starfighter preparing to leave Udorn in 1967. ARTHUR POE

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SPOT FACT Starfighters flew with the US Air National Guard until 1975 Right

An F-104 of the 435th TFS over Udorn in Thailand, 1967. BOBBY BEDSWORTH

Below

F-104s of the 476th TFS at Da Nang in 1965, retaining the polished aluminium finish. BOB DONALDSON

“Buried in the fuselage was the F-104’s trump card, an M61 20mm six-barrel Gatling gun providing devastating firepower” out MiGs over North Vietnam varied from 40 to 90 minutes, some requiring aerial refuelling. Bringing Starfighters to the fray had an immediate and dramatic effect on North Vietnamese (NVN) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) operations. According to several of the F-104 pilots, NVN MiGs avoided contact with USAF strikes covered by the Starfighters, and PRC MiGs gave the EC-121D a wide berth, despite the proximity of their base on Hainan Island.

Tell-tale smoke trail

Colonel M M ‘Duke’ Harris recalled his first South East Asia deployment: “Back in 1965, I was maintenance control officer for the 435th TFS and at that time, late in the year, we were tasked to provide eight F-104s and sufficient personnel to establish an alert force at Da Nang to help prevent MiG incursions into that area of the DMZ. They were disrupting other Seventh Air Force operations there. “This was successful, but in late

October the aircraft were redeployed back to the USA. But a decision was made in May 1966 that the entire 435th TFS would go to Vietnam. Our first mission assignment was to escort F-105Ds [Thunderchiefs] which were based at both Udorn and Takhli, both in Thailand. Before we got there, the MiGs were intercepting the bombers while en route to their target, causing them to jettison their loads to defend themselves. “It was also about the first part of August that another serious impact

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Starfighter in Combat

affected our mission capability – and that was the SAM [surface-to-airmissile] defence system. Everyone knew they were under construction and that missiles were being delivered. “It was politically unacceptable to strike at these installations until intelligence could assure no foreign nationals were present. To me and many of our pilots, this was one of the most serious mistakes of the air war. It was not until the effectiveness of this system began to register substantial kills that we started in earnest to counter this threat. “At first everyone just had to keep a sharp eye peeled for the tell-tale smoke trail of the missile when it was first launched, and hope you could mentally project its path. It was very painful to our unit as we lost two Starfighters and their pilots in an early mission. “Both the F-4s [Phantoms] and F-105s had been provided with ECM [electronic countermeasures] pods that could effectively negate the SAM guidance capability, but the F-104 had not been seriously considered for this capability because no one was sure how we could carry it, as the ’104 didn’t have a bomb rack designed for it. This put our squadron at much greater risk to SAMs than other units conducting air operations over NVN.”

Top

Starfighters of the 435th TFS readying to hook up with a KC-135 on a mission from Udorn. CHARLES CARR Above

Major Herb Drisko of the 435th TFS alongside ‘Snoopy Sniper’ at Udorn. HERB DRISKO

Left

A camouflaged F-104 hooked up to a tanker north of the DMZ, Vietnam. BOB CRAINE

Change of mission This added danger caused the Starfighters to drop the mission and the 435th was assigned to interdiction duties in support

14

Starfighters were lost to all causes in the Vietnam War

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SPOT FACT The 479th TFW was the first unit to receive the F-104C Below right

Lockheed’s Chief Customer Service Representative, Benton McAvoy, sitting in the cockpit of an F-104 in Vietnam. MIKE KORTE

of friendly ground forces in Laos from early September until early November 1966. This brought a lot of problems, all related to the Starfighter not having been designed as a ‘bomb truck’. The poor weapons-carrying capability delayed mission scheduling unless ground crews worked a 16-hour day, seven days a week. The rotation motors for the 20mm cannon would only last about five missions before they needed to be changed. The F-104 could be configured with either 500lb bombs or two pods carrying 20 rockets each in addition to 1,500 rounds of 20mm. If loaded up overnight, the undercarriage main gear struts would not support the load. The final foray for the Starfighter was the trip over to Udorn AB in Thailand in 1966 using KC-135s and making three stops along the way. High-time F-104 pilot Major Marvin Roupe remembered that deployment: “Our maintenance crews went in ahead of us and had everything

ready. Our first missions were in support of fighter-bombers whose primary role was to attack ground targets north of the DMZ. MiGs, along with anti-aircraft guns and rockets, had proved to be a dangerous threat to them. Our job was to engage any MiGs that came up and to keep them ‘off the backs’ of our bombers. However, the MiG threats quickly waned when we arrived and we were soon assigned other roles.”

Shift work

“One of our tasks was to protect our command and control aircraft and our electronic warfare aircraft that were positioned over the Gulf of Tonkin [Marine Corps EF-10B Skyknights and EB-66 Destroyers]. We customarily patrolled as a flight

of two along the coast of NVN on an arc between the mainland and the Gulf. Usually we refuelled a couple of times from a local KC-135 tanker and then, after being relieved by a fresh pair of Starfighters, we returned to base. “On one occasion, however, our relieving flight was just one F-104 rather than the regular two because the leader was forced to abort due to mechanical problems. I sent my wingman home and picked up the reliever to make a new flight of two. After a series of refuellings, I was ready to go back to Udorn, but the same thing happened again. I picked up the new wingman and stayed for another patrol, only to find at the end I must stay for yet another shift. “Finally, when a complete flight of two arrived, I refuelled and headed for home. I lost track of

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Starfighter in Combat the total number of times I had hooked up. When I landed, it was 8 hours and 15 minutes after my take-off, a record time for a single flight in an F-104 up to that time. However, a squadron mate repeated it a few weeks later when he went 8 hours and 25 minutes.”

Downhill run

“Our little fighter could carry two 500lb conventional bombs and many a time we were assigned bombing missions against ground targets in the north. One day, just after my wingman and I had

established ourselves on a vector to our assigned target, the ground controller came on the radio to tell us we were being diverted to another, more lucrative one. “It seemed the enemy had moved artillery and anti-aircraft guns into

21

position overnight, and they had a unit of our ground troops pinned down in the valley. We immediately picked up the new vector and headed in to see if we could help. “When we got there, I could see at once that it would not be easy.

The enemy was dug in on a hillside and our only access meant we would have to lay our bombs in on a downhill run, increasing our chances for error. The little fighter was a really stable bombing platform, however, and I elected to drop our bombs singly rather than all at once since that would give me two chances at the target. “I rolled in on the first run and put a bomb dead on a bunker. Then my wingman came in and did the same thing. The return anti-aircraft fire showed us we still had work to do as we lined up for our second pass. This turned out to be just as effective as the first. “Later we found out we had nearly wiped out the enemy emplacement. It was the single most rewarding and satisfying mission of all the 100 that I flew over in Vietnam.”

Above

F-104As of the 435th TFS at Clark AFB, Philippines, on their way back to the USA from Vietnam. DARRELL HATCHER

Left

F-104s escort a bomber force of F-105Fs toward a target in North Vietnam. ED SKOWRON

Below

An F-104 of the 476th TFS seen from another in the spring of 1965 over Vietnam. LARRY KNOX

USAF pilots died as a result of using early, downward-firing ejection seats

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Spotlight Lockheed Starfighter

Starfighter Gallery

On Camera A collection of images of the F-104 Starfighter in service

Five RCAF CF-104 Starfighters of the Central Experimental and Proving Establishment at Cold Lake, Alberta, flying in formation over the Primrose Lake weapons range. KEY

Spotlight Next Month Short Sunderland In the February issue of FlyPast, the Spotlight falls on the distinctive Short Sunderland. These huge but graceful flying-boats were a welcome sight to merchant seamen during World War Two, as they performed patrol and escort duties in the Atlantic, North Sea and the Mediterranean. Equipped with ever advancing types of armament and radar, the Sunderlands were a great deterrent to U-boats, and later in the war they were also deployed to the Far East. The February issue is in UK shops on December 31, 2014, or see pages 32-33 for our latest subscription deals.

Lockheed F-104S Starfighter MM6827 of the Italian Air Force flies in a special commemorative paint scheme at 1999’s Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, Gloucestershire. KEY

An F-104B in service with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. The country bought 32 Starfighters, formerly operated by Taiwan, in 1966. ROYAL JORDANIAN AIR FORCE

A pair of Luftwaffe F-104G Starfighters perform at Mildenhall’s Air Fete in 1985. The jets were gradually phased out of German service towards the end of the decade. KEY

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WARBIRDS NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD

Roaring Fort Right

The five-ship ‘Roaring Forties’ display team flying in formation for ‘FlyPast’. ALL PHOTOS BY GAVIN CONROY

With the New Zealand airshow season in full swing, Gavin Conroy profiles a team with a very distinctive sound

A

single Harvard flying by cannot fail to attract attention, such is the distinctive sound that is emitted, but put five together in close formation and you have a compelling spectacle. The rasp of a Pratt & Whitney Wasp at full pelt is always impressive, a quintet is unforgettable. Harvards entered service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1942 and the type was destined to serve the ‘Kiwis’ for an

incredible 35 years. In the Harvard’s twilight years the RNZAF’s Central Flying School formed a five-ship aerobatic demonstration unit. By then Harvards wore a scheme of natural metal with red ‘DayGlo’ panels (later light grey with ‘Post Office’ red) and from this contrast the team took the name ‘Red Checkers’. With the Harvard’s retirement from the RNZAF in 1977 the short-lived

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rties

“Harvards entered service with the RNZAF in 1942 and the type was destined to serve the ‘Kiwis’ for an incredible 35 years” January 2015 FLYPAST 93

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WARBIRDS NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD

Below

Three of the team’s aircraft flying north of Tauranga in New Zealand’s North Island.

‘Checkers’ disbanded. The team was re-established in 1980 with five locally-built AESL CT-4B Airtrainers and although these machines were painted yellow, the name ‘Red Checkers’ was revived. Re-equipped in 1999 with the improved CT-4E, the ‘Checkers’ continue to thrill the crowds.

Team origins

In May 1978 the RNZAF offered 32 Harvards for tender; many ended up in Australia, some going to scrap dealers. Mk.III NZ1092 was purchased by a ‘Kiwi’ and became the founder-member of the New Zealand Warbird Association (NZWA). It was appropriately civil registered as ZK-WAR and is still airworthy today.

In the years following several more airworthy Harvards were acquired by New Zealanders and a pair was flown at airshows by Trevor Bland and Ernie Thompson. The notion of a larger team was born and the idea of matching the ‘Checkers’ with five aircraft was the aim. This was achieved in the late 1980s and the squad was called the ‘Roaring Forties’, from New Zealand’s latitudinal position. Although there are some that say it reflects the average age of the pilots!

‘Forties’ line-up

In recent years, the ‘Forties’ line-up has included three airline captains: team leader Frank Parker and Liz Needham (Frank’s wife) fly for

Air New Zealand, while Dave Brown works for Cathay Pacific. Frank is currently on Boeing 767s although he is soon to start his 787 Dreamliner course; Liz flies Airbus A320s. Frank and Dave are former RNZAF pilots with display experience. Frank flew for several seasons with the ‘Red Checkers’ on Airtrainers and Dave was solo BAC Strikemaster demonstration pilot with 14 Squadron. During his time in the RNZAF Frank instructed on Bell 47G Sioux and Bell UH-1D Iroquois helicopters and on the Airtrainer. Currently president of the NZWA, Frank has flown a variety of ‘warbirds’ including the

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WARBIRDS NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD

RNZAF Harvards RNZAF

Variant

Delivered

RAF serial

NZ Civil

Registered operator

NZ1052

Mk.IIa

Aug 1943

EX795

ZK-MJN

Harvard 105 Syndicate / Dave Brown

NZ1053

Mk.IIa

Aug 1943

EX796

ZK-JJA

Harvard 53 Syndicate / John Kelly

NZ1057

Mk.IIa

Sep 1943

EX828

ZK-TVI

Liz Needham

NZ1065

Mk.III

Dec 1943

EX944

ZK-ENF

Frank Parker

NZ1078

Mk.III

May 1944

EZ246

ZK-ENG

Harvard 78 Syndicate / P Houghton

Note: All of these Harvards were retired in 1977 and put up for tender in May 1978.

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Left

Harvard NZ1078 with smoke on during its display. Below left

The full team during a sunset flight in New Zealand. Below

NZ1052 (front) and NZ1078 during a formation crossover.

Curtiss Kittyhawk, L39 Albatros, Supermarine Spitfire and Yak-3. Dave flew Douglas A-4K Skyhawks with 75 Squadron and instructed on BAC Strikemasters and Airtrainers. He is NZWA’s Chief Flying Instructor, and among the types in his logbook are the L39, Spitfire and Strikemaster warbirds. Rob Silich and John Kelly complete the line-up. Rob is an electrical engineer and private pilot with a background in competition and display aerobatics. He flies other warbirds, including the North American T-28 Trojan. Commercial pilot John is also an ‘aerobat’ and is an instructor on warbirds and light aircraft.

Timing and perfection

Many hours go into rehearsing the routines. Each of the five pilots – all volunteers – have to plan well ahead, bearing in mind their jobs and commitments to NZWA. It is also possible that some of the team will find themselves flying other types during a show, requiring great attention to ‘slot’ times. Each display lasts for around 20 minutes and includes five-ship ‘vic’ loops and rolls, a duo routine and Dave Brown solo-ing as the others form up for the next set-piece. Briefings prior to each show are detailed and lengthy, reflecting the complexity of the sequences. Every element is discussed, including emergency procedures. The ‘Forties’ always take off

RNZAF Harvards From 1942, the RNZAF received a total 203 Harvards, a mixture of Mk.IIs and IIIs. Of these, 201 received RNZAF serials, NZ901 to NZ1102. Initial deliveries were acquired from the Empire Air Training Scheme, direct from the USA. Later stocks were made up from British Purchasing Commission batches and then from former RAF and Fleet Air Arm examples. The last deliveries were made in November 1944. A final one, former RAF Mk.IIb KF113, was transferred to the RNZAF in June 1948 – it is thought that it never arrived and was used for communications flying by the occupation forces in Japan.

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WARBIRDS NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD

early to get themselves away from the airshow zone for a shakedown. When their display time arrives the five Harvards return to the overhead to thrill the crowds. Once the show is over and the aircraft are tucked away for the night, debriefing begins. The quintet goes over everything and criticism is welcomed by each member as they strive to put on the perfect display. Hundreds of flying hours go into creating the magic that the ‘Roaring Forties’ deliver every season. Close-coupled aerobatics is demanding in modern types, let alone veteran trainers each of which is into its seventh decade. Mastering the routine and the Harvard takes a lot of time and expense but this talented group of pilots would have it no other way.

“Hundreds of flying hours go into creating the magic that the ‘Roaring Forties’ deliver every season”

Above

Liz Needham at the controls of NZ1057 as it goes vertical.

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Air Britain F_P.indd 1

03/11/2014 10:15

FLYPOST

FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK email: [email protected]

Contributions from readers are always welcome for this column. Views expressed in FlyPost are not necessarily those of the Editor, or publisher. Letters may be edited for style or length.

Note that letters sent by e-mail will not be published unless the contributor includes their full postal address for possible contact. Letters intended for FlyPost should be clearly marked as such.

Another brave Bomber Command airman

Flt Lt Les Baveystock, DSO, DFC and bar, DFM. 201 Squadron records

Graham Pitchfork’s excellent piece on the courage of Leslie Manser highlighted his sacrifice to save his crew. Of the six that

Memories of Oman I was intrigued to see the article about the Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum in the November issue. Why? Simply because I was in and out of Bait Al Falaj very frequently between March 1959 and March 1961, flying either a Pembroke or a Twin Pioneer belonging to 152 Squadron RAF, based in Bahrain. It was probably the most exciting part of my career in the RAF. Except for when we landed or took off from Bahrain, every other strip we landed on was natural surface, including that at Bait, or BAF as it appears in my logbook. We even had detachments to Bait which lasted 12 days or so, and where we had the luxury of palm-frond huts for airmen, NCOs and officers. We flew every day and the fitters did the cooking for us. As a navigator, one item of my duties was to load new cartridges into the starter, or perhaps to refuel the aircraft. If we over-nighted away from a strip where we would have had fitters, the pilot and navigator shared the various pre- and post-flight checks. One nine-day detachment, totalling 26 hours and 45 minutes of flying, to Bait included lifting 30 tons of cement and other construction materials from Firq which was the ‘airport’ for Nizwa up to Saiq, 5,000ft up on the Jebel Akhdar. Neither cartridge starter functioned by the time we got back to Bahrain after the trip; starting was achieved by slipping a mail sack attached to a rope over the propeller tip and exerting a strong pull.

successfully baled out, Plt Off R J Barnes was taken prisoner, but Sgt L H Baveystock, Plt Off R M Horsley, Sgt S E King, Sgt A McF Mills and Sgt B W Naylor all evaded capture and made their way back to the UK. It was their testimony on their return that resulted in the posthumous award of the VC to their dead skipper. Interestingly, Leslie Manser’s brother-in-law was Capt J N Randle of the Royal Norfolk Regiment was also posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, for his gallantry at Kohima [northeast India] on May 6, 1944. Graham’s article mentioned the actions of the co-pilot who

was not named, but Sgt Les Baveystock was awarded the DFM for his deeds that night. He was subsequently to have a highly distinguished record on his own account. After returning home he completed a general reconnaissance course and converted to the Sunderland flying-boat before joining the largely Australian manned 461 Squadron as co-pilot to Flt Lt Dudley Marrows’ crew, with whom he flew until 1943. He then did a captain’s course and joined 201 Squadron commanding his own crew. Flying from Pembroke Dock in June

1944 his crew helped cover the vulnerable invasion fleet crossing to France and on the night of the 7th they located a U-boat, and in a textbook attack sank OLtn Johannes Baden’s U-995 with all hands. Three of the crew were decorated, with Les Baveystock receiving a bar to the DFC he had been awarded a little earlier. Just over two months later he was skipper of a crew that attacked and sank Ltn Fritz’ U-107. For this Baveystock was awarded an immediate DSO and thus ended the war as one of Coastal Command’s most successful, and highly decorated, skippers. ANDREW THOMAS

Competition – Win a ‘Lanc’ taxi ride Thanks to our friends at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby, we have arranged for one lucky reader to win a VIP Taxi Ride Experience. Next year (precise date to be arranged) our competition winner will experience the thrill of riding on board Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 Just Jane as the famous machine taxies around its home base. To be in with a chance of occupying that seat, simply answer the question below. The winner will be the first name drawn from the correct entries after the closing date, 5pm (UK time) on March 9, 2015. Good luck!

Lancaster B.VII NX611 ‘ Just Jane’ entertaining the crowds at her East Kirkby home. DARREN HARBAR

Question: What was name of the twin-engined Avro bomber that was developed into the Lancaster? A - Vulcan

B - Lincoln

C - Manchester

Send your answer, along with your name, address and telephone number to: Just Jane Competition, FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XQ, UK. Alternatively, e-mail your answer and contact details to: [email protected] with ‘FP Just Jane competition’ in the subject field. Terms and conditions: Only one entry per household is permitted. The winner will be the first correct entry selected at random after the closing date. There can be no cash alternative and the editor’s decision is final. Winners will be notified no later than March 16, 2015. No purchase necessary. Prize includes entry to the museum, but not travelling costs. On occasions Key Publishing Ltd, and other selected organisations, may make offers on products or services that we believe to be of interest to our customers. If you do not wish to receive this information please write NO INFORMATION clearly on your entry.

Luigi Vallero notes the “unique challenges” attached to operating from Bait. The strip sloped gently from south to north. Our standard approach was to do a ‘downwind leg’ on the other side of the mountains in the photo, followed by a ‘crosswind’ and then final onto the strip, which is all right if you are in a Pembroke but even better in a STOL Twin Pioneer. A standard approach in

either aircraft was a low pass along any strip which was not overlooked by an army camp or similar, to see if anyone had playfully laid a landmine for us to find. For a change we might have been detached to Sharjah for a round of co-operation with the Trucial Oman Scouts. Our aeronautical maps in those days said: “Subject to inundation” where the RAF base was

in Sharjah. I remember a casevac take-off when the Twin Pin’s wheels ran the last few metres in one of the inundations. In the Pembrokes, we even did the occasional ‘search and rescue’ sortie, but I don’t remember any rescues. My last flight from Bait was on February 7, 1961 in a Pembroke. DES SHERRIFF BEGUR, SPAIN

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While we endeavour to include as many contributions as we can, we apologise to all those readers who have taken the time to write in but didn’t get into print.

Jottings... Letters in Brief Winners! Congratulations to the following lucky readers, who have won signed Mike Rondot prints in a competition that ran in the September issue. The first six correct answers pulled out of the preverbal ‘hat’ after the closing date were sent in by: Mr R Whitehead, of Halifax, Yorkshire; Mr S Gibson, of Sheffield, Yorkshire; Miss R Spencer of Nuneaton, Warwickshire; Emma Jaynes of Canterbury, Kent; Miss H Webb of Scunthorpe, North Lincs and Mr J Newham of Nottingham. A trio of signed Mosquito prints was up for grabs in the August issue, courtesy of SWA Fine Art. These were won by Maureen Marsden of Beeston, Leeds, Mr M Wright of Loughton, Essex and Margaret Farmer of Warrington, Cheshire. Thank you to Mike Rondot and SWA Fine Art for the prizes, and to everyone who took part.

Manchester VC The ‘For Valour’ article in the December issue featured the gallantry of Flying Officer Leslie Thomas Manser of 50 Squadron, who remained at the controls of his stricken Avro Manchester allowing his crew to parachute to safety. As described, the aircraft – serial number L7301 – crashed into a dyke near the Belgian village of Molenbeersel, where the attached photograph of the wreckage was taken, and which may be of interest to readers. PETER GREEN

Mike Rondot’s superb limited edition TSR-2 print and his highly atmospheric ‘Vulcan Scramble’ artwork – just two of the prizes in our September competition. For details of these, and more of Mike’s work, call 01362 860890 or go online at: www.collectair.co.uk Lightning T.5 XS417 on show at the Newark Air Museum. HOWARD HEELEY

IRBY, LINCS

OPS BOARD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------December 5, Martlesham Heath - ‘Ramblings of an Itinerant Aviator, a talk by Steve de Roeck, Martlesham Heath Aviation Society, The Main Hall, Martlesham Heath Community Centre, Old Felixstowe Road (behind Tesco), Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich, IP12 4PB – www.mhas.org.uk December 9, Milton Keynes – ‘The Air France Concorde Crash’ a talk by Les Evens, Milton Keynes Aviation Society, Kents Hill Community Centre, Milton Keynes – www.mkas.co.uk December 9, Old Sarum – ‘Spitfire Construction in Salisbury’, a talk by Norman Parker, Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, Old Sarum Airfield, Old Sarum, Salisbury – 01722 323636 www.boscombedown aviationcollection.co.uk December 10, London – ‘A lifetime in Aircraft Design’, a

talk by Mike Salisbury, London Society of Air-Britain, The Victory Services Club, 63-79 Seymour Street, London. E-mail: [email protected] January 4, Croydon – Croydon Airport Aviation, Airline, Military and Model Collectors’ Fair, Hallmark Hotel (formerly called the Aerodrome Hotel), Purley Way, Croydon Surrey CR9 4LT – 01737 822200 www.redhillairshow.co.uk January 5, Sywell – ‘The Flight of Rudolf Hess’, a talk by John Harris, Sywell Aviation Museum, Sywell Aerodrome, Northants – 07966 636696 or e-mail: andrew.shemans@btopenworld. com January 13, Milton Keynes – ‘The History of Croydon Airport’ a talk by Frank Anderson, Milton Keynes Aviation Society, Kents Hill Community Centre, Milton Keynes – www.mkas.co.uk

Tuskegee Mustang I much enjoyed the moving article on the Tuskegee Airmen in the December issue. One of the pilots featured was 1st Lt Roscoe Brown of the 100th Fighter Squadron, who usually flew P-51D Mustang 44-1559 that had the code number ‘7’ and was named Bunnie. He was probably flying it on the March 24, 1945 mission. It can be seen in the attached photo (the P-51 on the left) that was taken from the waist gunner’s position of an RAF Liberator of 104 Squadron over Italy on April 10, just a few days after his encounter with the German jets. TOM SPENCER VIA E MAIL

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AIRSHOW TEXAS

Lone Star Rising Frank B Mormillo attended another explosive CAF AIRSHO in Midland, Texas

D

espite an announcement from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) that it will move its headquarters from Midland in Texas to Dallas, the annual AIRSHO at the former airfield looks set to continue, managed by the CAF’s High Sky Wing. Although there were no current US military aircraft at this year’s event on October 11 and 12, it still featured a diverse

line-up of warbirds, military re-enactments and civilian aerobatic displays. Following some energetic routines by Vans RV and Extra 330 sports planes, Midland erupted in smoke, fire and explosions as the trademark CAF recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor – named ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’- took centre stage. Using aircraft modified to represent Japanese Mitsubishi

A6M ‘Zero’ fighters, Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ torpedo-bombers and Aichi D3A ‘Val’ dive-bombers, the simulated Japanese aerial assault was opposed by a CAF Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, and also the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Texas Raiders, though the bomber only flew on Saturday due to an engine problem. European, Korean and Pacific war operations were also recreated. Aircraft taking part

included the CAF’s Boeing B-29A Superfortress FiFi, B-17G Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey, North American B-25J Mitchell Yellow Rose and P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen. Randy Ball also flew a memorable and high-powered jet display in his Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F Fresco. Flying activity was brought to a conclusion in a suitably poignant fashion with a missing man flypast.

The CAF’s Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver taxying at Midland, Texas, in front of a pyrotechnic display during an AIRSHO 2014 combat simulation.

Douglas A-26B Invader ‘Lady Liberty’ flying at AIRSHO 2014.

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Boeing B-29A Superfortress ‘FiFi’ being ‘escorted’ by North American P-51C Mustang ‘Tuskegee Airmen’.

The CAF’s North American B-25J Mitchell ‘Yellow Rose’ in action at Midland. The CAF’s Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Texas Raiders’ flying at Midland on October 11.

The CAF’s Curtiss P-40N Warhawk in simulated combat with a Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ replica during the Pearl Harbor recreation. ALL FRANK B MORMILLO

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AIRSHOW HOUSTON

Texan Showdown Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 60-0045 was among the current military aircraft at the show.

Above

The Me 262 replica flying with North American TF-51D Mustang ‘Bum Steer’ at Ellington Field.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Texas Raiders’ is ‘attacked’ by Messerschmitt Me 262 reproduction N262AZ. Left

Warren Pietsch flying the Texas Flying Legends Museum’s Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ AIII29 at Wings Over Houston.

Right

The Marine Aviation Museum’s Douglas TB-26C Invader 44-35371 (N4818E) flying at Wings Over Houston.

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The annual Wings Over Houston airshow saw a Messerschmitt Me 262 reproduction fly with a B-17, among other highlights. Parr Yonemoto was there

T

he Wings Over Houston airshow held at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, on the weekend of November 1 and 2, featured several unusual and memorable aerial displays. During the finale of a World War Two-themed scenario, the Commemorative Air Force Gulf Coast Wing’s Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Texas Raiders came under simulated attack by the Collings Foundation’s Messerschmitt Me 262 replica N262AZ. The jet then flew in formation with Comanche Fighters’ North American TF-51D Mustang Bum Steer.

Several other warbird displays featured at a packed Ellington Field, delighting spectators with aerobatics and history-based set-pieces. A rare appearance by the Foundation’s North American F-100F Super Sabre 56-3844 was another highlight, marking the end of a segment dedicated to the Vietnam War. The show also included plenty of modern ‘heavy metal’, including one of the heaviest of them all, Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 60-0045 Cherokee Strip II from the 93rd Bomb Squadron, which represented the USAF in the static display area.

The Marine Aviation Museum’s Douglas AD-4 Skyraider ‘Marlene-Uncle Ho’s Nightmare’, participating in the Vietnam tribute.

A dramatic pass from the Collings Foundation’s North American F-100F Super Sabre 56-3844. ALL PARR YONEMOTO

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CLASSIC AIRCRAFT LAIRD COMMERCIAL

WORK oƒ

ART

Larry Howard spent nine years restoring his immaculate Laird LC-1B-300 – and David Vopat loves flying it for him. Frank B Mormillo takes up the story

 Right

The Wright Aircraft Engine badge on the propeller hub.

T

oday, Emil Matthew ‘Matty’ Laird is a name generally unfamiliar to all but diehard aviation enthusiasts. Thankfully a handful of flyers like Larry Howard are determined to honour the gifted American pioneer of the 1920s and 1930s. Matty was just 15 (in 1911) when he attached glider wings to a bicycle in his first attempt to build a flying machine. Later he designed an aircraft that he

constructed in his mother’s attic; it flew for the first time on September 15, 1913. Powered by a motorcycle engine, Laird’s No.1 Monoplane crashed on its second attempt at flight. His next design, the Baby Biplane, was more successful, enabling him to complete his first solo and serving as his training and display mount. Matty was soon being paid to demonstrate

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CLASSIC AIRCRAFT LAIRD COMMERCIAL

“In 1920, aged 24, Matty and his brother Charles set up the E M Laird Aviation Company in Wichita, Kansas, to build an aircraft known as the Swallow”

Above

The Laird over the shoreline near Huntington Beach, California.

aircraft for promoter Bill Pickens. In 1920, aged 24, Matty and his brother Charles set up the E M Laird Aviation Company in Wichita, Kansas, to build an aircraft known as the Swallow. After manufacturing 45 of them, Matty left in 1923 to found the E M Laird Airplane Company in Chicago, Illinois. Aircraft designed and manufactured in Chicago included the LCW-300 Speedwing and the LC-1B-300 Commercial biplanes and there was a string of racers: the LC-DW Solution; LC-RW450; LC-DW500 Super Solution; and

the Laird-Turner Meteor LTR-14. Matty’s ‘hot-rods’ won the Bendix Trophy in 1930 and the 1938 and 1939 Thompson Trophy races. During World War Two, Laird manufactured sub-assemblies for military aircraft before he retired to Palm Beach, Florida. He died there on December 18, 1982 aged 86 and was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999.

Spectacular survivor

Today, only four Laird types are known to be airworthy, alongside several full-scale replicas of

the racers. Perhaps the most spectacular survivor is Larry Howard’s Commercial LC-1B-300 NC10402. Only four LC-1B-300s were built and NC10402 was the culmination of the Laird Commercials dating back to 1926 that were custombuilt for sportsmen-pilots and businessmen. Powered by a 330hp (246kW) Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind nine-cylinder radial, NC10402 was manufactured in 1930. First owned by A O Knapp, it was sold to the Berry Brothers Paint and Varnish Company in 1931,

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becoming the organisation’s sixth aircraft, all having been named Wings of Progress. Tom Colby, Berry Brother’s vicepresident, flew Wings of Progress VI as an official support aircraft in the 1931 Ford National Air Tours. It is in these same colours that NC10402 flies today. After Berry Brothers, ’402 flew with several different owners in Pennsylvania before being employed for three years as a banner tug and skywriter in Florida. Early in World War Two

it went to California to serve as a coastal sentinel and target tug with the Civil Air Patrol. Post-war, it was converted into a crop-duster, working in California and Arizona, before being retired and parked behind a hangar at Woodlake, California, and settling into dereliction. During the 1970s it was discovered by Dick Edmiston who spent the next 20 years trying to get it restored. Larry Howard of Spokane, Washington, eventually obtained the project and took another nine years to turn it into a genuine work of art.

Laird convert

When not at Spokane, NC10402 spends time in southern California, flown by American Airlines pilot David Vopat. Given the opportunity to fly the Laird Commercial to the 2012 Antique Aircraft Association’s Invitational Fly-in at Blakesburg, Iowa, he said: “I knew it was quite a special airplane, remarkable because of the history of Matty Laird and his direct involvement with most every other great aviation designer and builder. Importantly, it was significant to me as a pilot

Top, left to right

The fuel tank gauge and vent. Mike Polley (left) and David Vopat by the tail of Larry Howard’s Laird Commercial. Mike flew the Cessna 172 used as the camera platform for many of the air-to-air photos in this feature. The biplane’s slick-looking windscreen.

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CLASSIC AIRCRAFT LAIRD COMMERCIAL

According to David, Wings of Progress VI is powered by a supercharged Wright 975, as it was originally, but this particular variant is more reliable and develops 440hp compared to the original’s 330hp Right

The propeller hub assembly.

because of its performance and characteristics.” According to David, Wings of Progress VI is powered by a supercharged Wright 975, as it was originally, but this particular variant is more reliable and develops 440hp compared to the original’s 330hp. “To put this in perspective for most of us biplane guys, a commonly enjoyed Stearman with a 450hp Pratt & Whitney R985, which most of us are familiar with, is 600lb heavier than this airplane. Furthermore, Laird used an airfoil of his own design that’s very clean and high speed.”

Throttle forward

Although the LC-1B-300 is a tandem two-seater, more often than not NC10402 is flown with a fairing over the front cockpit. With the big Wright radial up front, slow-speed S-turns are required to keep the centreline in sight when taxying.

Wide and wonderful

David describes the Laird Commercial’s undercarriage as “long, wide and wonderful” and, designed and built to work from grass and dirt airstrips, the aircraft can be challenging when operating from asphalt runways. Originally fitted with a tailskid, this Laird was later given a tailwheel. David finds that it works nicely in steering and tracking, is self-locking and breaks out well when manoeuvring in tight run-up areas. The main landing gear uses a bungee system which can be troublesome when trying to accomplish very smooth landings. Although the Laird Commercial originally had mechanical brakes, the restored NC10402 is fitted with more modern Bendix BTs. “These brakes are powerful,” said David. “The real challenge for me is getting this thing stopped quickly and smoothly.” Fitted with a 54-gallon (204litre) fuselage fuel tank, NC10402 also has a 22-gallon upper tank in the centre section. It has an oil cooler, but David says it’s often mechanically blocked off because the Wright engine has great cooling characteristics.

David generally approaches the pre-take-off run-up area with caution, as the bottom wing sits a bit lower than some other comparable types, so it’s important to know the height of the taxi lights. If they’re high, it’s imperative to be on the centreline and straight when passing them. After a careful pre-flight run-up –

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CLASSIC AIRCRAFT LAIRD COMMERCIAL

“He thinks the biplane is rigged perfectly and the flying controls are light and well-balanced. Flying with hands off the ailerons and feet off the rudder in cruise is no problem in smooth air”

Top, left to right The pilot’s cockpit. The aircraft has tandem cockpits, but the forward unit is usually covered with a fairing when flying with only the pilot on board.

Everything on Larry’s LC-1B-300 is immaculate and high-polished, even the engine cowling.

Above

NC10402 flying above the shoreline near Newport Beach, California.

David making sure the four ailerons move easily and keeping his heels on the floor to ensure there is no accidental brake input – the throttle can be eased forward for take-off. “You can fly it off from the threepoint position, but I relax the back pressure and allow the tailwheel to get about 8 inches off the ground; then I input slight forward pressure and allow the tail to begin to rise. I then introduce back pressure, and it flies the main wheels off happily.” According to David, Wings of Progress VI’s slowest ‘happy’ number is 80mph for climb-out at a power setting of 2,000rpm. In level cruise, he generally maintains 2,000rpm, which burns about 16 gallons of fuel per hour at 6,500ft, giving a respectable endurance. At those settings the biplane generally indicates 110mph, with a true airspeed of 124mph. Full power in level cruise produces 160mph. David warns that care is needed if pointing the nose down, because the Laird can easily exceed redline speed. He thinks the biplane is rigged perfectly and the flying controls are light and well-balanced. Flying with

hands off the ailerons and feet off the rudder in cruise is no problem in smooth air. Stability in both pitch and roll is pretty neutral, so in rough air the aircraft tends to stay in the direction of bumps that may disrupt it, when it can be a handful. While the rudder doesn’t seem large, it is very well proportioned and it’s easy to over-control while trying to stay co-ordinated in turns. The Laird also has a large and powerful elevator, which David says is “very effective and nice to use”.

Perfect three-pointer

Like all biplane tail-draggers, seeing ahead on approach and landing can be a challenge. Carburettor heat is generally applied below 1,700rpm and the trim lever is gradually moved aft to the full nose-up position. Power is brought back smoothly to avoid super-cooling the cylinders and the airspeed is set below 120mph. On the base leg, 100mph is needed to keep the proper descent profile. Turning for final approach at 80mph is ideal, as the descent by itself tends to keep the proper airspeed. Of course, in the turn the runway

is visible, but the view is lost the moment the wings are rolled level. Turning a few degrees into wind while modulating the correction can enhance visibility. Flaring to a three-point landing is always recommended but, if the aircraft touches down on the mains, the throttle is cut and the pilot then waits for the tail to settle. Roll-out can be rather tricky. Keeping it straight is easy until the brakes are applied. Since Laird designed the rudder/brake pedals to pivot on their outboard, the pilot must slide his toes to the inboard side of the rudder pedals to apply the brakes – which are very powerful, calling for light inputs – and it takes a bit of practice to get the job done softly. All in all, for a 1930s biplane, this Laird is a remarkably sprightly machine. It well deserves the name Wings of Progress. Thanks to David Vopat and Larry Howard for making this feature possible and to Frank Vranicar and Mike Polley for flying the camera ships.

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GLORY DAYS PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES

Time Served David Reeves recalls the incredible career of Flight Test Observer Peter Lear

Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough Flight Test Observer (FTO) Peter Lear (left) during the celebrations to mark his retirement from flying in Canberras in August 1982. David became an FTO at Farnborough in 1944, starting off on Blenheim IVs. His first Canberra ‘op’ was in 1957, and by 1982 he had completed 2,870 hours during 3,075 sorties in various marks of the English Electric jet, out of a grand total of 4,972 hours in 25 different types. He met his wife, Mavis (right) at the RAE, she also became an FTO, clocking up 1,700 hours until she stepped down in 1980 to become flight liaison officer with the weapons flight. Behind them is B(I).6 WT308, on which Peter achieved 1,574 hours of his total time on Canberras. ALL IMAGES: ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT

Weapons flight personnel, including Peter Lear (fourth from left) and Mavis Lear (eighth from left) in front of the unit’s famous Shackleton T.4 VP293 ‘Zebedee’. Because the Shackleton bounced a lot on landing it was named after the character in the BBC TV series ‘The Magic Roundabout’ who had a spring instead of legs. FAR RIGHT: The fleet of the Meteorological Research Flight lined up at Farnborough in 1975. Left to right: Hercules W.2 XV208, Varsity T.1 WF425 and Canberra PR.3 WE173. The one-off W.2 was delivered to RAE in January 1979, retiring in 2001. It was converted in 2005 to be the test-bed for the Europrop International TP400, the engine for the Airbus A400 Atlas, and is now in storage at Cambridge Airport. The Varsity was withdrawn from use in 1974 and delivered to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford; it was broken up there in 1993. The Canberra was retired in March 1981, soon after the Hercules became operational. Its cockpit survives with the Robertsbridge Aviation Centre in East Sussex.

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Canberra B (I).6 WT308, illustrated in April 1975, served all of its flying life with the RAE, mostly with the weapons flight. It arrived in September 1955 and was retired on June 10, 1983 as the last Farnborough Canberra. It survives, just, at the Fleet Air Arm’s School of Flight Deck Operations Fire School at Predannack, Cornwall.

A line-up of Weapons Flight aircraft at Farnborough, April 1975. Left to right: Shackleton T.4 VP293, Andover C.1 XS606, Canberra B(I).6s WT309 and WT308 and Hunter T.7 XL563. The Shackleton was acquired by the Strathallan Aircraft Collection and flew to Scotland in May 1976. It was scrapped in 1990 and the cockpit is extant at Coventry Airport. Andover XS606 was retired, at Boscombe Down, in 2012 and was sold in the Central African Republic as TL-AEW. Like WT308, sister-ship WT309 joined the RAE in 1955; it was scrapped in 1998, surviving as a cockpit section. Hunter T.7 served at Farnborough from 1957, retiring by 1991. Both WT309 and XL563 are part of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust collection.

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WHAT’S NEW NEW PRODUCT REVIEWS

book briefs Hornchurch’s Air Heroes of the First World War, Richard Smith, Mitor, 94pp, illus, sbk, £12 – this pictorial book illustrates the history of the airfield at Hornchurch, and the aircraft and personnel based there from 1915 to 1919, initially with the Royal Flying Corps. The publication takes a unique and personal look at the reality of life in those often dark times, when the very concept of air combat was still in its infancy. It includes numerous rarely seen images, and shows how quickly life changed at Hornchurch with the advent of World War One, the arrival of the RFC and its transformation in 1918 into the Royal Air Force. A rare and refreshing look back. www.mitorpublications.co.uk

Hawker Siddeley Aviation and Dynamics 1960-1977, Stephen Skinner, Crowood, 208pp, illus, hbk, £29.95 – this detailed and well researched examination of Hawker Siddeley is a must-read for anyone interested in great British manufacturers. Backed up by over 300 images – many of which have never been published before – Stephen Skinner tells the story of the company that made some of the most important aircraft and missiles of the ‘Cold War’ era, including the Harrier, Buccaneer, Nimrod and Hawk. This book also charts the progress of the group and follows its development after it became British Aerospace – some of its products remain in service to this day. www.crowood.com

Unique Anson table Skytrain Story http://narwal.eu If you’re looking for a truly distinctive aviation-related centrepiece for your living room or kitchen, take a look at this remarkable table, constructed by designer and model-maker Richard Johnson from a radial engine taken from an Avro Anson. Over the course of 1,200 hours, Richard transformed the unit, from 1947-built Anson VS562, into a glass-topped table. After its flying days ended, the Anson served as a ‘gate guardian’ at Llanbedr in north Wales from 1968, but in 2004 its condition had deteriorated so it was taken apart. Richard acquired both Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah Mk.17 engines, and has built one of them into this wonderful table. The variable pitch propeller, which came with the engine, has also been restored and is available for sale with the table, if desired. Richard adds: “I may be mad but I am slowly transforming engine two from the same airframe, bought through another contact, and am turning it into another table so a matching pair will be available – the only full radial engines made into dining tables in the world.” For more information, e-mail Richard: [email protected]

Broken Dreams by Suzanne Van Leenbert and Barry McCabe, Narwal, 120pp, illus, hbk Both in its military guise as the C-47 Skytrain and in its more familiar civilian ‘clothes’, the Douglas DC-3 was a reliable and very long-lived creation. This book tells the interesting story of one of this remarkable breed. Broken Dreams details the entire history of the machine, including its time in the military and various civilian companies. Built in 1944, it flew on for many year but was sadly written off in an accident in the Netherlands in 2012. Richly illustrated, this is a worthy and unusual addition to the library. For more information, contact: [email protected]

Artwork Spectacular www.titanbooks.com

Warbirds – The Aviation Art of Adam Tooby, edited by Steve White, Titan, 188pp, illus, hbk, £29.99 Regular readers of FlyPast will need no introduction to Adam Tooby’s dynamic, action-packed aviation artwork. The cover of this issue is another of Adam’s images, depicting RAF Boeing B-17 Fortress III KH999 ‘BU-W’ of 214 Squadron. Also famous for his work for Airfix models and Osprey publishing, Adam has now released a definitive book compiling his finest images to date, and the stories behind both the artwork and the aircraft. From World War One balloon-busting to ‘Cold War’ jets flying through dramatic skyscapes, there are few subjects that Adam has not yet covered. With a foreword by former BBMF boss Sqn Ldr Clive Rowley, this artwork book is the perfect addition to any warbird enthusiast’s coffee table.

Angel of Mercy www.valorstudios.com The Guardian, a new print from legendary aviation artist Nicolas Trudgian, is available now from US-based Valor Studios. It’s an image that commemorates a now famous World War Two incident in which the crew of a badly damaged Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress was spared by a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109G pilot following a raid on Bremen in December 1943. Rather than finishing off the stricken American bomber, which he was dutybound to do, JG 27 ace Franz Stigler held his fire and escorted the US crew out of German skies. Had he been spotted by another German pilot or reported by ground troops, Stigler could have faced a firing squad. Those aboard the B-17, led by 2nd Lt Charlie Brown, were astonished by the mercy shown by Stigler and never forgot the incident. Brown and Stigler were

reunited many years later and remained firm friends until they died, within months of each other, in 2008. Some editions of The Guardian are supplied with

multiple signatures, including those (multi-mounted) of Brown and Stigler. Each print measures 32in by 22.5in – see the website for more details.

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Whitey – The Story of Rear Admiral E L Feightner, Peter B Mersky, Eurospan, 224pp, illus, hbk, £27.95 – the first complete biography of one of the last surviving US Navy World War Two aces, this is a compelling read. Now aged 95, Edward ‘Whitey’ Feightner flew through many of the conflict’s most hectic and dangerous campaigns, such as Guadalcanal and the Marianas, ending the conflict with nine confirmed ‘kills’. After the war he was assigned to some of the navy’s most secret projects. He flew and helped develop fighters, including the Vought F7U Cutlass and Grumman F9F Cougar, and continued to develop operational tactics. www.eurospanbookstore.com

page turners Zero Down

Great War Dogfight www.barryweekleyart.com

Another excellent print being launched this month is Barry Weekley’s Clash At Dawn. As the nation marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, Barry’s painting is a timely reminder of the courage displayed by young pilots thrust into the uncertainty of air war. The image depicts a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a flown by Lt Rogers of 32 Squadron being attacked by a Fokker D.VII of Jasta 26. As other fighters circle behind them, the scarred landscape beneath is highly redolent of World War One. Measuring 15in x 10in, Clash At Dawn is priced at £26 including postage.

Reds’ Half Century www.collectair.co.uk

Before and Beyond the Niihau Zero by Syd Jones, Signum, 200pp, illus, sbk, $17.96 This book, a labour of love for its author, recounts the little known story of a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’ that crashlanded on a remote, privately owned Hawaiian island on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The pilot survived for almost a week on what locals call the Forbidden Island, assisted by a local worker while terrorizing the island’s population. He was eventually killed by a native Hawaiian. The wreckage of the fighter was abandoned where it lay, but its legacy was not forgotten. Both the ‘Zero’ and the story surrounding it became part of a new aviation museum in Hawaii some 65 years later. In researching the ‘Niihau Zero’, the author was allowed unprecedented access to the island, was able to interview its owners and inhabitants, and arrange for artefacts relating to the ‘Zero’ to be put on display. The book contains original reports as well as documents never before published, giving perspective to this curious and thought-provoking sequence of events. It is available to order on www.amazon.com

Great War Ace

Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski, Austria-Hungary’s Ace of Aces by Ivan Berryman, Cross & Cockade, 60pp, illus, sbk, £15 Inspired by one man’s search for the story of his grandfather’s service in World War One, this is a tribute to Austria-Hungary’s 35-victory ace Godwin von Brumowski, written and illustrated by aviation artist Ivan Berryman (assisted by the aviator’s grandson, Hubertus Sulkowski). The fighter pilot’s career took a similar course to that of Manfred von Richthofen, famously known as the Red Baron – he first served on the Eastern Front and then transferred to the air service, attracting attention as a successful observer and gunner. After pilot training, he gained experience on the Russian Front before being posted to Italy, where he was made commander of Flik 47J (fighter squadron). The momentum of his success continued, and his red Albatros biplane became well known. He survived the war but died in an air crash in 1936. This A4-sized book is illustrated by 17 of Ivan Berryman’s colour paintings, plus 50 archive black and white photographs.

He Who Would Valiant Be www.grubstreet.co.uk The latest print from acclaimed aviation artist Michael Rondot is The Red Arrows:50 Years, an evocative view of the RAF’s famous jet display team, the Red Arrows. As the title suggests, the print has been released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ever-popular airshow act. The two lead aircraft are pictured having completed a dramatic cross, with the remaining jets flying in formation in the background. Each picture measures 27in x 19in, and a variety of multi-signed editions are available. A version signed by Red Arrows pilots is on sale for £100, while an artist’s proof featuring 24 signatures (including those of former Black Arrows and Yellowjacks pilots, among others) can be bought for £150. A Remarque that includes a detailed pencil drawing on the print border is priced at £235. For more information see the website or phone: 01362 860890.

Valiant Boys by Tony Blackman and Anthony Wright, Grub Street, 192pp, illus, hbk, £20 Following on from the success of Victor Boys and Vulcan Boys, Tony Blackman in collaboration with Anthony Wright has completed his V-Bomber book series with this fascinating collection of personal accounts from those who operated the Vickers Valiant. The book tells the story of this ill-fated design from its initial test flights to its premature demise from structural fatigue. It includes tales of testing atom bombs in the Australian desert, dropping hydrogen bombs in the Pacific, and attacking airfields with conventional ordnance in Egypt during the Suez campaign. It also describes one of the Valiant’s less well known roles – when it provided accurate photographic images from high altitude, which were used not only to gather intelligence but to survey the UK and other countries. It’s an interesting reflection on the UK’s first four-jet bomber. January 2015 FLYPAST 119

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RAF FAR EAST VALETTA AIRCREW

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Operational

Necessity Doug Stephen started his RAF career as an Air Signaller on Valettas. He presents a fascinating account of air drops over Malaya

S

taring out from the open parachute door of a Valetta that was struggling to stay airborne, I was considering whether I had made the right career choice. An Air Dispatcher from 55 Company, Royal Army Service Corps was busy strapping a machete to my hand and fastening a double-length ‘Monkey Belt’ around me. The object of my gaze was a supply pack that had just been pushed out the door. Instead of gracefully descending to the drop zone (DZ), it was hanging off our port tailplane. Its parachute had opened prematurely, draping itself over the top of the tailplane while the pack went underneath. While the ’chute was not fully deployed, the asymmetric drag, not to mention the rather ‘interesting’ centre of

gravity (C of G) it was creating, meant that staying airborne for any significant time was unlikely. As the Air Signaller, I was in the cockpit doing my usual dance when the pack snagged. I would cavort between the signaller’s position, the navigator’s chair and the astrodome, generally keeping an eye on things while the pilot was in the left seat and the navigator in the co-pilot’s seat. It was quickly established that I was the one to try to do something about the snagged pack on the basis that I was unmarried, the youngest by some margin and most importantly by far the tallest. The plan was for me to be fed out the door head first with a couple of dispatchers hanging onto my ankles which we calculated would be just inside the aircraft

when I would be close enough to have a hack at the parachute lines with the machete. As I knelt in the doorway, I turned once more to double check that the monkey belts were secure. Then I looked outside again. Hallelujah – the pack had gone.

Mother knows best

Having been unsuccessful in my application for pilot training with the Royal Navy and the RAF, I was all for forgetting about flying and becoming an architect. But when the RAF offered me training as an Air Signaller my mother prevailed upon me to take it saying “It’s flying isn’t it?” They say that mother knows best and my very happy 41 years in the air

Left

A supply pack being dropped from a Valetta over Malaya. This photograph gives some indication of the height stores were dropped from, and the terrain flown over. ALL IMAGES VIA AUTHOR UNLESS NOTED

Far left

Flt Lt Arthur Beevor (left) in typical pose, cigarette in hand and ashtray propped in a convenient spot on the Valetta’s controls in August 1965. The navigator on the right is Derek Hughes. Bottom left

Valetta C.1 VX560 over Sarawak, Malaysia, after a supply dropping sortie. It was being flown by Flt Lt John Baxter and was returning to its base at Kuching.

“Staring out from the open parachute door of a Valetta that was struggling to stay airborne, I was considering whether I had made the right career choice” January 2015 FLYPAST 123

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RAF FAR EAST VALETTA AIRCREW performance of the aircraft in that climate. All of this contributed to a significant casualty rate during the 1950s, a fact which some of the Topcliffe instructors took great delight in pointing out to me when my posting came through!

The real world

Above

On approach to Fort Chabai, Malaya. This was a really tricky drop zone because of the altitude and terrain. The DZ is to the left of the runway. Note the SAL Single Pioneer of 209 Squadron parked on the right. Below

Doug Stephen at his signaller’s station, circa 1964.

means that I owe her a lot. On graduation from Air Signaller (‘signaller’ from now on) training at Topcliffe in Yorkshire in 1963, I was surprised to be posted to 52 Squadron at RAAF Butterworth in Malaya. Perhaps the postings people were aware of my less than comprehensive grasp of radar theory and wanted to keep me well away from the more advanced avionics of Coastal Command. At Thorney Island, Hampshire, I was supposed

to be familiarised with the Valetta’s avionics prior to conversion to type at Hullavington, Wiltshire. Part of the Far East Air Force virtually since the end of World War Two, 52 Squadron had been heavily involved with other Valetta units during the Malayan emergency, providing medium range transport and air supply. The latter task was a demanding one given the unforgiving terrain, sometimes vicious weather and the modest

When I joined 52 Squadron in September 1963, operations in support of the ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia were in full swing. [The British Commonwealth forces supported Malaysia in its fight against Indonesian units. The bulk of the confrontations took place in Borneo – ED.] We had two aircraft permanently detached, one at Labuan and one at Kuching. At this stage I was deemed nonoperational until checked out, particularly in the air supply role. After a couple of short local trips doing pilot continuation training and an air test, I went as extra crew on the regular ButterworthLabuan-Kuching-Butterworth trip. The object was to familiarise me with the area. On arrival at Labuan the signaller who should have got off there did so in spectacular fashion, hurting his leg in the process. It was decided on the spot

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“On arrival at Labuan the signaller who should have got off there did so in spectacular fashion, hurting his leg in the process. It was decided on the spot that I should take his place despite my protestations...” Venerable ‘Pig’

Hot and bothered

Unloading Valetta C.1 VW193 at Kota Bharu in August 1954.

Derived from the Viking airliner, which itself owed much to the Wellington, the Valetta – known as the ‘Pig’ in service – became a stalwart of the RAF’s post-war transport fleet. Note that while the Maltese spell their capital Valletta, the RAF chose to spell it Valetta. The first Valetta C.1 was issued to 204 Squadron at Kabrit, Egypt, in mid-1949. In total 211 ‘Pigs’ were used by 13 squadrons in the transport role. As recounted in the narrative, 52 Squadron at Butterworth was the last RAF transport unit, retiring the type on disbandment in April 1966.

that I should take his place despite my protestations (my real objection was that I had no clothes other than what I was wearing). This was my introduction to the real world and I was informed that the rules would be bent due to ‘operational necessity’. This was a phrase with which I was to become quite familiar. I was fortunate that the captain was one of our most experienced pilots  Flt Lt George Mitchell 

and we did seven transport trips around Borneo in the next five days until a replacement arrived. By that time I was getting weary of washing all my clothes every night in order to avoid being shunned by all and sundry. Back at Butterworth, my checkout proceeded apace and just over a month after joining, I was declared operational. I had done 34 trips and more importantly, the requisite number of supply drops.

Looking back at my tour on 52, I am sure that the vast skill of most of the aircrew and several key members of the ground crew was why we did not lose a single aircraft. Many had wartime experience as well as years spent operating Valettas. Although there were four crew stations in the cockpit, we normally flew with just one pilot, a navigator and a signaller. This meant that someone had to sit in the co-pilot’s position. On supply drops the ‘nav’ occupied the seat as progress was mostly visual by map-reading. Most other flights saw the signaller in the right seat. For pilot continuation training and air tests we did not carry navigators. Apparently the navigator’s union had decided that they did not ‘do’ circuits and bumps or dodgy things like shutting down engines deliberately and stalling. I was elated to discover that part of the signaller’s check-out was an examination of their flying skills, without of course the benefit of having been trained as a pilot. One of the exercises was handling an engine failure at single-engine safety speed – great sport!

Above eft

A 55 Company Royal Army Service Corps dispatcher taking his leisure on the main spar and parachutes on the way to the DZ. As can be seen, the bulk of the load was ahead of the main spar for C of G reasons, and meant that the dispatchers had to manhandle the loads over the spar towards the door – quite a job in turbulence. This load appears to be 55 gallon drums of fuel.

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RAF FAR EAST VALETTA AIRCREW We had only one loadmaster on 52; former blacksmith, Lou. Apart from flying on the regular Butterworth-Changi schedule, Lou seemed to select his other trips on what could be profitably traded between the various stops en route. I remember sacks of conch shells featuring on one occasion. On one memorable trip out of Changi, we were delayed by a technical problem after the passengers (mostly families) had boarded. Because of C of G issues if we were carrying freight as well as people, the load went ahead of the main spar, with the passengers at the rear. This time the freight, mostly comprising of frozen meat on its way to the ‘Aussies’ in Butterworth, was loaded ahead of the main spar. The tropical heat worked its magic and a trickle of blood began to run down the aisle between the already hot and bothered passengers. Lou’s lack of sympathy towards the more delicate souls on board reduced the rest of the crew to tears of laughter.

Back on one

The Bristol Hercules was supposed to produce 1,975hp but the consensus on the squadron was that despite being overhauled they

had been thrashed in the low-level role so much that the quoted figure was fairly fanciful. We had some great engine fitters who could often detect a fault just by cocking an ear during ground running. Engine changes were frequent and each one required an air test. This was done by shutting down an engine, flying along the approach to about 500ft or so then overshooting using the engine being tested in a straight line for 5 minutes. One then noted the height and after consulting a temperature/pressure table decided whether the engine under test had delivered the requisite, and very modest, gain in height. On one memorable flight, after 4 minutes of full power, we were 200ft lower than when we had started. This limited performance dictated that when supply dropping at 200ft and at about 90kt, a ‘downhill’ escape route was available from the DZ to cater for the possibility of an engine failure. A number of the DZs were tricky in this respect, particularly at some of the forts that had been built in the central highlands of Malaya. As luck would have it, the only engine failure I was to experience while dropping was at one of the worst of these, Fort Chabai. The

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approach required a high circuit of the DZ and a descent into the valley to get down to drop height. As power was applied to stabilise for the drop, the starboard Hercules failed. The pilot opened up the good engine and sorted out the trim while the navigator rang the drop bell four times. This signalled the dispatchers to throw everything out as fast as they could – as if their lives depended on it, which they probably did. Meanwhile, I was sending an SOS and telling the fort in a rather high-pitched voice what had happened. Quite how the aircraft managed to flop over the ridge at the end of the DZ I don’t know, for we were way above the theoretical singleengine ceiling. There followed an anxious 45 minutes weaving down river valleys with the good engine bellowing away until we landed at Kota Baharu. The pilot had done a great job in getting over the ridge and the nav was superb in map reading our way out, where a wrong turn would have been disastrous.

Throttles and trees

The senior nav was Flt Lt Harry Bray, who I believe, received two AFCs for his work on supply drops – not bad for ‘peacetime’ ops.

He was a great bloke to fly with, modest and unassuming although he could be forceful when the occasion demanded. On one occasion we were taking off on the last element of a multisector day, with me in the right seat and Harry in the nav’s station. After the pilot had set the power for take-off, my job was to hold the throttles and pitch levers forward until safely airborne – the pilot would then take them after he’d selected undercarriage ‘up’. The strip we were flying from was not the longest and there were some very large trees not far beyond the end of the runway. We lifted off and the pilot put his hand on the throttles and said “my power”, to which I responded with a polite “undercarriage” as the pilot had not selected ‘up’. He then called, a bit louder: “MY power”. With the trees rapidly approaching and the undercarriage still down I was not keen to relinquish the throttles, so I yelled “undercarriage”. Just at that moment there was a swishing sound by my left ear as Harry’s large navigator’s plotting ruler whizzed past my head and whacked the pilot’s hand on the throttles. This had the desired effect

of removing the pilot’s hand from the throttles at which point Harry leant forward and selected undercarriage ‘up’. Not a great deal was said after that, after all it was the end of a long, tiring day and the pilot was one of our more elderly gentlemen.

‘Make like a Mitchell’

We were sometimes tasked with flying operations that were far from normal transport work. On one memorable occasion at Labuan, our crew was approached by some ‘spooks’ [intelligence officers] who required us to fly over part of Borneo at night simulating an Indonesian B-25 Mitchell which they suspected was dropping supplies to insurgents. We did this with a couple of extra people on board to act as additional ‘eyes’ on the lookout for signals from the ground, while we cruised around ‘lights out’. Our nav was to record any sightings of signal lights and after half an hour or so was complaining about the volume of reports he was having to log. Apparently the ‘spooks’ had not realised that as one flew over kampongs (settlements) at night, the lights from fires, etc, looked remarkably like signals as we passed over the trees shading them.

Left

A supply pack just leaving the aircraft during a re-supply sortie in September 1964. Below

Valetta C.1 VW193 shortly after landing at Gong Kedah, Malaya, in August 1964.

“...the navigator rang the drop bell four times. This signalled the dispatchers to throw everything out as fast as they could – as if their lives depended on it, which they probably did”

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RAF FAR EAST VALETTA AIRCREW

Above

VIP Valetta C.1 VX524 of the Labuan station flight taxiing out at Labuan, with a 205 Squadron Shackleton Mk.2 in background and the nose of Doug’s aircraft in the foreground. VX524 first arrived in the Far East Air Force in 1951.

We also did some flying with the Javelins of 60 Squadron again trying to ‘make like a Mitchell’ so that they could see if the Firestreak missile’s infra-red seeker would pick up a piston-engine target. As I recollect, our pilots decided that all they had to do to defeat the seeker head was throttle back to reduce the heat and turn to blank the exhausts.

A long slog

In late October 1965 I was one of the crew who ferried VW198 from the UK to Malaya. This was probably the last ferry of a Valetta to Butterworth and because of the multiple sectors involved, six crew were carried. We had two pilots, two navigators, myself and an engine fitter, as it was considered that any problems we would have en route would probably involve the engines. How wrong could you be? The engines behaved very well throughout the trip and the engine fitter spent most of his time helping me sort out avionics problems which plagued us the whole trip. There were, however, some amusing interludes along the way see the panel for the route. Arriving in Luqa, Malta, after dark on a Saturday night we appeared to be stuck with an unserviceable (u/s) intercom amplifier. We then discovered that in a hangar, there was a VIP Valetta belonging to, I think, the Middle East Air Force. Since it was the weekend and there was no one around, we ‘borrowed’ its intercom amplifier. We kindly

left our one in its place and sneaked off on Sunday to El Adem. They say thieves never prosper, and sure enough, we went u/s on the next leg to Cairo and returned to El Adem. Relations with Egypt were, at that time not great, so we had to wear civilian clothes as we transited Cairo – in an aircraft covered in RAF markings. Our stately progress came to an abrupt halt for a couple of days at Masirah, a bleak, very sandy, rocky and hot island off the Arabian peninsula, due to a bit of a dust-up between Pakistan and India, the latter refusing to grant us overflying rights. This was most unfortunate as we had perishable cargo on board. Due to the lack of a lot of fresh Westerntype vegetables in Malaya we had on board several sacks of potatoes and onions. The theory was that as we would be airborne each day, more or less dawn to dusk, the veg would stay cool enough in the air and during the night on the ground. Our cunning plan foiled, we had to sell our produce at a knock-down price to the catering officer at Masirah before it all rotted away. The last leg from Car Nicobar to Butterworth saw a pretty tired crew droning through the darkness when, with under an hour to go, there was a tremendous flash of light and a very loud bang. One of 60 Squadron’s Javelins had used us as a target then thought it would be a good wheeze to creep alongside and light his afterburners – we were all awake for the landing.

Nine days eastwards Ferrying Valetta VW198 Our route was rather reminiscent of the days of Imperial Airways: Lyneham, Wiltshire Istres, France Luqa, Malta El Adem, Libya Cairo, Egypt Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Asmara, Eritrea Riyan, Persian Gulf Masirah, Oman Bombay, India Madras, India Car Nicobar, Malaya Butterworth, Malaya All this took 9 days and 50 hours, 40 minutes flying – some of which was unproductive in terms of progress along the route.

Multiple expletives

Our dispatchers were from 55 Company Royal Army Service Corps with which the squadron had a long association. I was full of admiration for these men who laboured to pack and load the supplies, and then had the privilege of being bounced around the inside of the aircraft while manhandling the load towards the door before heaving it out. One day we were doing several drops from Kuching, most of which were pretty close to the border with Indonesia and the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) was with

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us assessing our dispatchers’ performance. Between drops we seldom went very high unless they were a long way apart and on this occasion we were bumbling along quite low when the RSM came up on the intercom. The conversion went like this: “dispatcher to captain.” “Yes dispatcher – what is it?” “Sir, I believe we are being fired upon” “WHAT....?” “Yes sir, gunfire from the jungle below us.” Multiple expletives were followed by full throttle, a rapid descent to the tree tops and, “nav, where the hell are we and which way should we turn?” Apparently we had flown over a large body of Indonesian troops who promptly let fly with small arms. To be fair to the nav, the border at this point was very vague and the maps were basic. When we first started operating, maps were almost non-existent. The squadron had a black and white example that showed the coast, some rivers and supposedly the border. The navs used to fill in topographical details in coloured pencil as we flew along. When handing over to the next crew, the cherished chart was passed on,

gradually becoming prettier and more informative. I often wonder what happened to that masterpiece.

Flat-out for a four-ship One afternoon when our crew was relaxing around the swimming pool at the ‘Planters Club’ at Kuching after a strenuous day’s dropping I, as a bit of an aircraft anorak, remarked to the rest of the (disinterested) crew that it was strange that a Tupolev Badger was flying overhead. Next morning we discovered the whole place in uproar because it

had indeed been an Indonesian Air Force Badger that had cheekily over-flown the airfield. The reaction was immediate, Bofors anti-aircraft guns appeared and detachments of Hunters and Javelins arrived at Kuching and Labuan. We had escorts when dropping close to the border in dodgy areas as the odd Indonesian P-51s had been spotted close to and in some cases just over the border. This led to one memorable trip

when we, with our Javelin escort, met the Hastings with its Hunter escort on the way home. Someone suggested a four-ship run-andbreak at Kuching. Given that we were the slowest by far, some careful planning ensued. We gained some height so that a reasonable speed for the fighters could be achieved over the threshold. We arrived low and flatout over the threshold in echelon starboard Valetta, Hastings, Javelin and Hunter. I never did find a picture of what could well have been a unique sight.

Where there’s smoke

The end of my tour more or less coincided with the disbandment of the squadron. Our few remaining aircraft were either sold to the local scrap merchant or flown to Singapore for breaking up. Fittingly my final trip with 52 Squadron, on March 8, 1966 was yet another air test. I was then off to 2 Air Navigation School at Gaydon, Warwickshire, as a staff

signaller for a brief spell before training as a pilot. While we were flogging around in our ancient Valettas, the new Malaysian Air Force had brand new HP Heralds and even the opposition (the Indonesians) had C-130s. An Indonesian Hercules crashed into high ground on the west coast of Malaysia one night when attempting to drop parachutists. Strange that a friend of mine later recounted that one of the Javelins landed back at Tengah that night minus a Firestreak missile. Never did get to the bottom of that story. When I started out in the Far East, the RAF had the Valetta, the Hastings and the Beverley to do supply dropping. Then the Argosy arrived. A cruel rumour had it that one of the Argosy’s quartermasters got into trouble for leaving the payload behind in his coat pocket in the crew room! Unkind humour, I know, but where there is smoke... As our aircraft numbers reduced we were gradually replaced by RNZAF Bristol Freighters – oh the shame of it!

Above and left

Bristol Belvedere HC.1 XG456 of 66 Squadron brings a disabled Westland Whirlwind (probably HAR.10 XP357) back to Kuching. Note the natty dress and the covered 20mm AA gun.

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FINALS AVRO LANCASTER The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre’s Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 Just Jane was the centre of attention on November 1 at the last event of the year at East Kirkby. The bomber, which is gradually being restored to fly again, performed a night engine run and photo shoot for a packed crowd of spectators. In preparation for another busy season of events and taxi runs, the aircraft will now be returned to the hangar to undergo a programme of maintenance over the winter. www.lincsaviation. co.uk PHOTO-JAMIE EWAN

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