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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0863.PDF
MARCH 21, 1940 A flight of Whitleys passes a machine of the same squadron being prepared for a flight overGermany. " Flight " photoyrap/t in the same condition, and that one nap was hanging down. However, the Whitiey flew on, and actually covered the 300 miles to the coast of England. The landing was a bit rough; but nobody was hurt. As a sequel the pilot wears the purple and white ribbon of the Distinguished Fly- ing Cross, and few men have better deserved it. The Whitleys of the station which I visited were among the first machines to drop leaflets on North West Germany, and on the day when I was there I saw wads of other leaflets being loaded into other machines for that night's work. Since the beginning of the war the station has made a great number of night flights over different parts of Germany, long flights of nine and ten hours, often in conditions of extreme cold, and always calling for great skill in navi- gation. The practice has been invaluable. This station was also one of the first, if not the actual first, to insti- tute the Security Patrols over the Frisian Islands of Borkum, Nordeney and Sylt, where are the lairs of the seaplanes which have been laying magnetic mines near our coasts. Seaplanes cannot take off at night without a flare path, and when the men in the Whitleys see the lines of lights on the water they drop something more solid than leaflets, and the lights always go out. They never drop bombs on German soil. Since these patrols were started there has been a notable diminution in the activities of the mine-laying seaplanes. Waiting for Targets The station is also in a constant state of readiness to deal with what may be called fleeting targets, such as German warships reported to be at large in the sea which was once called the German Ocean. The men of the Whitleys live in hopes that some day they will plant a nice big bomb on a fairly big German warship, but so far they have not had any luck. After all, there are The normal crew of a Whitiey totals five. Here is a typical team. " flight " photopraphs not many very big German warships, and what there are have a not unnatural affection for the eastern end of the Kiel Canal; so while we must sympathise with the disappointment of the Whitiey crews, we need not blame them. In between times the station does quite a lot of train- ing, and its air gunners go to an armament training station to fire at drogues, while bomb-aimers do practice on the A.M.L. trainer on the station. A word as to the Whitiey itself. Our photographs show the reader what it looks like, though none of them •"** J~3r!ig
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