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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1253.PDF
FLIGHT, DECEMBER 8, 1932 SQUADRON " V " : No. 25 (Fighter) Squadron can fly their " Furies " in any formation. (FLIGHT Photo. reconnaissance and photographic machines, in which they worked with No. 27 Squadron. The pilots found with delight that the F.E. could hold its own with the Fokker monoplane, and, in fact, during April, 1916, the enemy air craft mostly avoided combats with them. The squadron possessed two Bristol " Scouts," and these could do what they liked with the Fokker when they brought it to com bat. On April 27, however, four F.E.'s had a long fight with six Aviatiks. No. 25 Squadron broke up the enemy's formation, forced four of them to land behind their own lines, and drove the other two off to the South. Only one of our machines was hit. Two days later 2nd Lt. Lord Doune, with 2nd Lt. R. V. Walker as observer, had a fight with a single Fokker. The weight of fire of the two-seater shot off one wing of the Fokker, and it crashed. The pilot was Baron von Saal Saalfeld, son of the Prince of Saxony, and, of course, he was killed. In June, 1916, the establishment of the squadron was increased to 18 machines. With this increased strength it took part in the combined air offensive all along the line which preceded the Somme attack. The fight in which McCubbin was wounded was a stubborn affair between five F.E.'s who were returning from a bombing expedition over Henin-Lietard, and five Fokkers. Two Fokkers were crashed behind the enemy lines, while No. 25 Squadron lost two observers killed and two pilots wounded. McCubbin was hit in the arm but landed safely. In July, 1916, the squadron was required to undertake night bomb ing, and it also began offensive patrols. It was stationed far from the Somme area, but the pressure had to be kept up all along the line to hold enemy squadrons and so prevent them reinforcing those on the Somme. During one of the many fights which ensued Sgt. T. Mottershead, with 2nd Lt. C. Street as observer, shot down a Fokker. Afterwards Sgt. Mottershead was posted to No. 20 Squadron, and after his death was awarded a Victoria Cross. On November 10, 1916, during an offensive patrol, an enemy formation was seen lbaving Douai aerodrome. 2nd Lt. W. S. Shirtcliffe flew over it at 11,000 ft., and when the hostile machines were at 2,000 ft. he dropped a 40-lb. phosphorus bomb timed to explode after dropping 9,000 ft. He got a direct hit on one of the enemy air craft, which immediately crashed, whereupon the rest of the formation landed again on the aerodrome. In February, 1917, we find No. 25 Squadron engaged in taking photographs under strong escorts of their own squadron. They were usually attacked, mostly by Hal- berstadts, and had to fight hard to get their photographs. In March of that year the squadron began to re-equip with the F.E.2.D., with Rolls-Royce 250-h.p. Falcons, and in June it received the D.H.4 with 275-h.p. Falcon. In the same month Maj. Cherry was promoted to command a wing at home, and was succeeded in command of the squadron by Maj. the Hon. O. M. Guest, a brother of the future Air Minister, Capt. F. E. Guest. Maj. Guest commanded the squadron until September, 1917, when he was succeeded by Maj. C. S. Duffus. In October, 1917, the squadron moved to Boisdinghem and joined the 9th Wing. Its new duties took it on long reconnaisances over the whole British front, for which the good performance of the D.H.4 made it specially com petent. The D.H.4 would fly at 20,000 ft., and at that height enemy aircraft were rarely met until the year 1918, when the Germans obtained new types with better per formance. The work in the autumn of 1917 was hampered by very bad weather, but so stoutly did the pilots stick to their work that in December, 1917, the following letter was sent by General Trenchard to the 9th Wing:—" Please convey to all pilots and observers of the 9th Wing the great opinion 1 have formed of their work during these recent operations in weather we should have thought two months ago impossible. It shows the utmost gallantry and determination to have carried out the work." When the Germans started their last big offensive in March, 1918, No. 25 Squadron moved to Villers Brit- toneaux, on the Amiens-St. Quentin road. Other moves followed. In June the squadron ieceived D.H.4's with Rolls-Royce Eagle 8 engines and a few D.H.9.A's with the 400-h.p. Liberty. It is recorded that the oxygen appara tus was not good, and the men suffered from the height at which thev flew. When the Allies counter-attacked, the squadron moved forwards, and finally entered Ger man territory with the Army of Occupation. In Septem ber, 1919, it flew back to South Carlton, where it dis banded, but immediately began to reform at Hawkinge. Since the war, its most interesting adventure of No. 25 (Fighter) Squadron (as it had become) was its part in the expedition to Constantinople in September, 1922. For the rest it has always been a most important unit of the Fighting Area of the command Air Defence of Great Britain. (See page 1178.) 1167
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