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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0496.PDF
3*8 FLIGHT Royal Review, I93S : (left to right) The CO. SjL. G. Mortyn, King George V shaking hands with F/0. Donaldson, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, GjC. Strugnell and VV/O. Efey. (Centre) A squadron formation of Bristol Bulldogs over Port Sudan later in 1935. oj No. 3 were high cover to three Blenheims, and when Sgt. Shaw destroyed an attacking Me 109F, the German pilot made his escape by being ejected. When he landed Sgt. Shaw sa id: — 'I was flying Red 2, with F/L. Berry as Red 1. As we went in to engage two Me 109s we were seen when we were about 2,000 yards away and slightly to port. They climbed very fast, and I climbed to attack. Two more Me logs were farther down and Red 1 went to attack one of them. The other dived on to Red I'S starboard quarter, and I called out "Caddy Red 1; 109 at six o'clock above.' I could see his tracer flying past Red 1. I made a quarter attack from below, allowing a ring-and-a-half deflection, for a seven seconds burst. When my de Wilde struck bis engine work and B Flight at Manston for work over the Channel and Continent. Even Hurricanes at last became out-dated, and in February,' 1943, the Squadron re-united at Hunsden to be equipped with Typhoon iBs. After years of Hurricane flying, the Tiffy seemed very for- midable and there was the usual whispering campaign against it. Its popularity was not enhanced when a pilot of the Squadron, making the first flight on the new type, had his flaps snap up just as he was about to touch down and finished up in a cloud of dust off the end of the runway. All.trace of inferiority complex disappeared when the next -Tiffy was de- livered—by an A.T.A. girl ferry pilot. With its new aircraft No. 3 moved to West Mailing in com- BSISTOL BULLDOG IS28 - 37 BLUSTER1937-3 HAWKER HURRICANE J.SJZb HeIS38 1339-43 ' HAWKER TYPHOON1943-4* cowling the pilot shot out of his cockpit like a jack-in-the box, and bis parachute opened before he was clear. I saw his plajie hit the water." Every type of patrol and raid was now being flown and much practice put in at "Turbinlite." In this operation a Havoc, with a searchlight in the nose, stalked the enemy in company with a Hurricane. On contact the Havoc illuminated the target while the Hurricane did the shooting. Though that was the theory it has been said that Turbinlite caused more work for less effect than did any other wartime brain- wave. _ The winter of 1942-43 was spent with the Squadron split in halves. A Flight was at Hunsden on defensive night-fighter interdiction : The result of a low-level attack on an ammunition train North of Perleberg, by S/L Cole, D.F.C., on April 24th, 1945. pany with No. 8 Squadron (Mosquito night-fighters—then commanded by W/C. John Cunningham, renowned as a night- fighter specialist and now chief test pilot of de Havillands). The first operation with the new '' Bomphoons'' took place two days after the move. Eight aircraft made a raid on the marshalling yards at Eu. All returned from this raid, but a deeper penetration—to the airfield at Poix, two days later —ended in tragedy. Over the target there was intense flak and one Typhoon was shot down. While the remainder were reforming they were jumped by some F.W. 190s and a further four lost. There seems to have been some trouble over the cover. That such hard knocks were taken without harm to morale is evidenced by F/O. Dudley Knight's account of a party and a move on June nth, 1943: "The Squadron moved from West Mailing to Manston. Many were startled at having to move again so soon, particularly as everyone had made himself so comfortable at Mailing. ... It was therefore rather for- tunate that the date should coincide with the ' Biggin Hill Party' at Grosvenor House, in celebration of the Sector's 1,600th Hun;* The Squadron Officers and Sergeants were among those invited, and it was a great opportunity for revival of spirits for the depressed. One and all had the granddaddy of all parties. '' It has never yet been definitely confirmed whether the Adjutant was suffering from the effects of the party or just normal generosity, but for the move he placed an exceptionally fine order with the local railway, agents, who turned out one of their best lines in trains, complete with two engines, and enough rolling stock to move a regiment. Unfortunately the Squadron could muster only sufficient personnel to fill one or two coaches, so the whole thing had to be whittled down, much to the annoyance of the R.T.O. This gentleman was later placated by a diplomatic letter from the Adjutant, assur- ing him that the officers responsible had been sharply admon- ished and all honour was satisfied. Never one to be abashed by a triflng error, F/O. Custance henceforward referred to
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