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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1020.PDF
i June 1951 635 the R.A.F. Vampire squadrons at Soesterburg and Volkel. From Le Bourget, where a contrast in military transports was presented by a glistening Canadair North Star of the R.C.A.F. and resident Ju 52s of l'Armee de l'Air, Soesterburg is about 1 hr 20 min hying. While in the circuit there we could see the paraphernalia of war disposed around the airfield—Bofors and Bren guns of the R.A.F. Regiment, clutches of drop-tanks for the silver Vampire F.B.5S arrayed on the tarmac, M/T. vehicles and the rest, for the exercise did not call for complete camouflage or dispersal of material. The yellow (Oxfords and Harvard trainers of the Dutch Air Force were taking a back seat. We were met outskie our paratroop door by G/C. Stapleton, who told us that 20 seconds after Phase 1 of the exercise had opened at 1000 hr that morning the occupying squadrons had been nibbled at (perhaps wirh seriously embarrassing effect) by two "rats" in the shape of opposing B.A.F.O. Vampires. There had been no warning, for the Dutch Observer Corps was not operating, and although defensive Vampires were off within two minutes, the tiresome rodents had, of course, bolted, having the same speed as their opponents. Such internicine conflicts, we reflected, are among the more regrettable and confusing factors in air exercises and are another reason for hastening the Swifts, Canberras and Vickers 660s for an air force so largely composed of Vampires and Meteors. The group captain did not disguise his satisfaction with the manner of his Wing's move from Wunsdorf—250 miles by road in 15-20 hr, with stops only for refreshment, completed without mishap, and with only small mechanical troubles. Some 150 vehicles and 850 men were involved, for the complete Wing of three Vampire squadrons (two from Wunsdorf, one from Celle) was entirely self-supporting. For example, it generated its own power, by diesel generator, for the V.H.F. equipment, runway lights, control caravans, and so on. The Wing was under the control of the Group Operations Centre, which we were to visit next day, and was in communica- tion with the Centre by landlines, standby V.H.F. and an emerg- ency W/T. link. The controller at Group passed his instructions to the Operations and Air Traffic Control centre of the Wing and the squadrons at dispersal were brought to the required state— "available" (30 min or 15 min), "readiness" or "standby"—by field telephone. A "scramble" was ordered—though we were not fortunate enough to witness one at close quarters—by the firing of a signal light. Preliminary operational instructions, including the first vector, were given over the R/T. and confirmed by field telephone. Not only the Wing itself, but, to a very large extent, each of the three component squadrons, was self-contained, having its own bowsers and servicing teams and charging its own batteries. Superimposed on the normal maintenance set-up was a mobile servicing team acting under V.H.F. instructions and equipped to rectify most troubles beyond the capacity of a squadro^gW"WBig^ "Flight" photograph Lt.-Gen. Lauris Norstad (right), American Commander-in-Chief, Allied Air Forces, Centra/ Europe, takes leave ofLt.-Col. P. T. EJcrnSsenrof the Dutch Air Force, at Volkel. As we saw them, the Vampires were parked at close intervals and though the placing of so many eggs in a basket eases the task of the wily "rat", it must be remembered that the disposition of fighters on an airfield has to be reconciled with quick get-away and in these continental exercises (as at Soesterburg) may be largely dictated by available standing area. The main runway at Soesterburg, it seems, is of Dutch tarmac, bonded with straw and laid on bricks. Like so many others used in the exercise it had fared badly under war-time bombing and the craters had been filled with brick. Consequently, the surface is hardly of billiard-table smoothness and is certainly not improved by the jet-blast of Vampires. In this connection it may be remarked that the Vampire, though having only a single jet, is less kind to a runway than the twin-jet Meteor, for it sits on its undercarriage at such an angle that the hot gases impinge on the surfacing for most of the take-off run, whereas with the Meteor the blast effect is considerable only after the nosewheel is off, and even then burning is not "severe. One gathered that the present Soesterburg runway extensions are in preparation for the arrival of Dutch Meteors. We noted that, though operating on this occasion solely in the intercepter role, the Vampires nevertheless carried the standard air-to-ground R.P. rails. As we had seen, their auxiliary fuel tanks were lying ready to hand, and the aircraft were operating with internal fuel only, the reason being that within their particu- lar radar cover the extra tanks were unnecessary. Had the course of the exercise rendered it necessary, however, they could be affixed to the Vampires' wings in a very few minutes. It is very necessary, of course, that the fighter/bomber class of aircraft should be readily amenable to interchange and replenishment of loads, and training has enabled a Vampire 5 squadron to be, fully fuelled, rearmed with cannon ammunition and rockets and turned round in 17 minutes. An Early Interception On the morning of our visit the Soesterburg Vampires had had some important customers. Vectored on to an incoming raid, four of them found their quarry to be three B-50S, escorted by a dozen Thunderjets. The time was 1051 hr; the point of interception, 10 miles S.E. of Arnhem, at 25,000 ft. Passes were made at the bombers but the F-84S were reported as being "diffi- cult to attack," though, whether this was due to their being positioned above the bombers or to a superiority in speed, we had no opportunity of discovering. As we walked back to the Valetta we saw that the Dutch flag was at half-mast and learned that this was in respect to the pilots of two Meteors which had collided on the previous day over Germany. As happened with exasperating regularity, both during Cupola and Ombrelle, we were hardly installed for departure when we heard Goblins winding up to a scream and glimpsed Ittttf of them, on business bent, scurrying down the runway, leavkig a dusty wake behind them. We were bound for the Dutch airfield at Volkel, where we hoped to meet General Norstad and Mr. Arthur Henderson, the Air Minister having flown over from Northolt on the previous day in a V.I.P. Valetta for a two-day tour. Volkel is a mere 10 or 15 minutes flying from Soesterburg and there, again, we saw from the air the uninvitingly upturned muzzles of Bofors guns, the brown tents and the armed sentries. As our Valetta was in the circuit a Vampire was seen scrambling and our pilot gave it plenty of sky-room. On taxying in we glimpsed Thunderjets in the hangars and later learned that these—four of them—are the first to be delivered to the Dutch Air Force. They were not active in Ombrelle. We were too late to meet General Norstad, but we did see him go aboard his*magnificent Skymaster to visit Eindhoven. This C-54 mustbe*among the best-equipped transport aircraft now flying; especially were we struck by the cloud-warning radar in the nose and the power-winch-operated collapsible passenger- steps. But though we were denied our hoped-for talk with the General, we did find Mr. Arthur Henderson as he made his solicitous way through the lines of the R.A.F. Regiment. The Minister told us that on the previous night he had been the guest of General Norstad at Wiesbaden and that before flying home he would be visiting all the Air Forces engaged, except the French, with whom he spent much of his time during Cupola. With General Norstad he had already called in at Florennes and Beauve- chain and had watched scrambles by Belgian Meteors and Ameri- can Thunderjets. That night he was to be the guest of the British Ambassador at the Hague and would meet members of the Netherlands Government. One gathered that at Volkel the Dutch Air Force was supplying the British guest-squadrons with tents, fuel, M/T., etc., and that, in general, co-operation was excellent; but so that the visitors should not make themselves too much at home one squadron was to be switched to Luxeuil, in the Vosges country. Back in Paris we were able to get a more general impression of (Continued at foot of page 637)
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