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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0923.PDF
JUNE 5m, 1947 FLIGHT S3* HISTORY ON VIEW Bomber Command Ops. Room Preserved in Operational State The great boarV facing the C.-in-C.'sdesk, showing the-strength and se ability of all units ot Bomber Com-mand. On the right is the airfield serviceability map which, by a systemof coloured lights, shows unserviceable, " doubtful '' and serviceable bases SPEAKING last week in his subterranean Operations Roomat High Wycombe, Air Marshal Sir Hugh Saunders,K.B.E., C.B.. M.C., D.F.C., M.M., Air Officer Com-manding-in-Chief, Bomber Command, outlined the tasks now confronting his Command. These, he said, were firstreorganization, secondly training and thirdly, the development of tactics suitable for the employment of new weapons andnew aircraft types. Our aim was a small, but very effective, bomber force, and with this in view equipment must undergocontinuous "change. The historic Operations Room has been set up more or lessas it was on March 21st, 1945—a day on which the Command was operating at its maximum effort in both day and nightattacks. Against this background the planning of a night's operations was explained to us by officers of the C.-in-C.'sstaff. The day's planning started with the Commander-in-Chief'smorning conference at 0900 hrS'. This was attended by the Deputy C.-in-C., who was responsible for detail planning; theS.A.S.O., who set the operational machinery in motion; a Naval staff officer; Chief Intelligence Officer; Senior Met.Officer; the Ops. Room staff and liaison officers, including those« jm the U.S. forces.•?he Met. officer having made his forecast, the area of the attack was decided. Selection of the particular target ortargets was made with the aid of special boards showing priorities. At the time in question these were in the followingorder: army support, oil, area targets, transport, industrial installations, jet fighter factories and naval targets. It was,in fact, decided to make two attacks—on Hamburg and on Bruchstrasse—the former to be marked by No. 5 Group, usingtheir own technique, and the latter with the aid of "Oboe." The Chief Intelligence Officer was called upon to give theC.-in-C. details of the target, and with the assistance of the Research Section, the number of aircraft required and thetype of bombs to be dropped were determined. It now fell to the C.-in-C. to decide upon " H " hour (timeover target), this being dependent upon the weather over base and target, tactics, the effort foreseen for the followingday, distance, the amount of darkness, and the necessity for linking up all the night's operations to produce the maximum- of confusion among the defences. "Other operations" (e.g., mining) having been settled, the C.-in-C. left the conferenceand preliminary warning orders were passed to Groups. Detailed planning was now commenced by the Ops. staff.Routes were worked out, aiming points selected, protection of the bombing force arranged (with the aid of aircraft carryingradar counter-measures) and the Forms " A" (operational orders) were sent out. In the afternoon, at 1500 hrs, a final conference was calledfor the study of weather conditions and for final decisions to be taken. This meeting also served for the planning of thefollowing day's operations in daylight. A huge coloured map at the far end of the Operations Roomshowed—and still shows—the routes taken by the main bomber streams, diversionary activities, restricted areas, etc., and aneven larger board presents clearly the state of the aircraft of all Groups. The airfield serviceability map can be lightedto show the. state of the bomber bases at the time of the bombers' return at 0300 hr on March 22nd. Adjacent to the Ops. Room are smaller rooms in which havebeen set up models to demonstrate the working of H2S and to simulate an attack on the oil works of the DeutschePetroleum A.G. at Hamburg. To F/L. Jarvis, D.F.M., most of the credit is due for the construction of this second model,which gives a remarkably accurate impression of flare illu- mination, target marking, flak, bomb bursts, and even ar.attack by a night fighter. As a finale, two of the oil tanks explode in a most satisfactory manner FAIR OAKS CELEBRATIONF AIR OAKS AERO CLUB, at Chobham, Surrey, who are ir the happy position of having very pleasant premises ir a country house near the airfield, had a special reason for hold ing their monthly dance which took place on May 31st. Tommy Rose, with other members and guests, celebrated the capture of the imposing Manx Air Derby Challenge Trophy (photograph on p. 521) which, with a small replica, now decorates the club bar. It was particularly pleasant on this fine evening to be able to extend the party on to the terrace, and the strains of R.A.F. songs floated out over the lawns as the cup was filled with champagne, Guinness, and no doubt other ingredients as well.
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