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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1115.PDF
28 August 1953 convoys but a report that a Gannet was among the raiders was later modified to read "Avenger." R.Aux.A.F. squadrons had a successful day at high and low level. For the period 0930 to 1230 hr Fighter Command scored 171 interceptions out of 330 sorties. H.Q. A.A. Command reported several aircraft shot down by light anti aircraft regiments deployed to defend fighter airfields in East Anglia and southern England. During Saturday night large and medium-sized bomber raids were mounted against industrial targets. Some 50 Lin- colns were directed against London and some 25 Canberras against Derby; simul taneously a smaller force of Washingtons attacked Edinburgh and Glasgow. Flying Training Command had London, Birming ham, Middlesbrough and Edinburgh as targets, and B-26s from the Continent intruded against airfields. A "large number" of interceptions were reported. Next morning attacks followed the usual pattern—Canberras at high level, B-45s and jet fighters simulating bombers, and dive-bombing and low-level attacks by F-84s. Fleet Air Arm strikes against the Channel convoys were intercepted. Worsening weather after mid-day to some extent restricted activities of all concerned. In his summing up of the exercise at a conference in London last Sunday evening, Air Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, A.O.C- in-C. Fighter Command, said that of 10,000 sorties flown 7,600 had been made by die defending forces. "I feel," he said, that as we have not got Swifts, Hunters and Javelins my primary responsibility is to make sure that if we had them to morrow we could use them in the most efficient way possible. From what I have seen of the exercise I think we will go as near using them efficiently as it is humanly possible to go." He went on to explain: "We would have done infinitely better had we had higher-performance aircraft. Many of our interceptions just missed because of lack of performance." He emphasized that the percentage of successful intercep tions at night had been higher than in the day. Air Marshal G. H. Mills, A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command, remarked that almost one-third of the aircraft in the attacking sorties had refuelled in Germany, Den mark and Norway. "We had only one night when we had no operations at all," he said, "and at the end of the exercise we had at least the same number of air craft and crew serviceable as when we started." Moment in "Momentum": The port scanner of a Washington at 20,000ft keeping a lookout for fighters. 267 FLYING WITH THE WASHINGTONS T^HE third — and final — stage of ••• "Momentum" was concluded on Satur day night, so far as R.A.F. Marham was concerned, by a raid on Waverley Station, Edinburgh. Marham has the only units still equipped with Washingtons and as these are gradually being ferried back to the United States, this was possibly the last use of B-29s in an R.A.F. exercise. The four squadrons based at Marham put up a total of twelve aircraft, each one simulating three, so that a Washington had to undergo three separate attacks by inter cepting fighters before it could be claimed as a "kill." Interceptions were signalled by a system of flashing fights, from a gunner's position in the case of the bombers and by the fighters' navigation lights. The first one to flash on sighting an "enemy," claimed the kill. When a bomber had been intercepted three times, it returned direct to base. Briefing was at "1415 Zebra" (since Zebra time is Greenwich Mean Time, 1415 Zebra equals 1515 B.S.T.). All was on a wartime footing and the well-worn phrase "press on" was to apply for the whole sortie, irrespective of instrument or engine failure, except in extreme cases. Met. informed us that weather was varied, with some cu-nim over the Continent, and a chance of thunderstorms; but visibility promised to be good over base by the time we returned, so there was no likeli hood of re-routeing, as had happened earlier in the exercise. Intelligence reported considerable fighter activity to be likely all along the route. Take-off was timed for 1627 Zebra for the first aircraft, with one minute intervals for each succes sive one, and E.T.A. over the target area was 2130 Zebra, altitude 23,000ft. After briefing we kitted-up and crew transport took us to WW 352, which was being checked by the ground crew. Soon, all was ready and we taxied out on the run way. Precisely at 1629 Zebra we started rolling, then took off, and began a climb to 15,000ft on a S.E. course. The coast was crossed at Beachy Head and, once over the Channel, fighters were sighted. We were attacked by a pair, one of which was claimed by a gunner. Inter ceptions ceased over France and a turn to port brought us on to the second leg, with cu-nim proving the Met. officer's forecast to be correct. This leg finished at Rheims, where we started climbing on a N.E. course for the rendezvous-point over the North Sea. Hot tomato soup was welcome as we reached this point and the fourdi leg was started, at 23,000ft, with a line-up for the target as the last light of day disappeared. Edinburgh saw us only two seconds off the E.T.A. and the simulated radar attack was "bang on" the target, much to the delight of the whole crew, who duly cele brated the fact with coffee. Incidentally, the Washington is generally much liked by all the aircrews, the typical American emphasis on comfort no doubt contributing in no small measure. As the fuselage is fully pressurized, oxygen masks are not required and this feature is as popular as die electric urn in which tinned soup, etc., can be heated. The West coast of Scotland was now behind us and, once again over water, we made a port turn to bring the Isle of Man on our starboard side. Let-down started as the English coast was recrossed and, heading across the country, we arrived at the dispersal point, off the Wash, at the arranged 7,000ft. Touch-down was made at 2340 Zebra (0040 hr local time), with 7 J- flying hours behind us and 1,700 miles covered. De-briefing showed that the station's sorties had been a complete success, though a considerable number of inter ceptions had been encountered. R.O.C. PARTICIPATION SEVERAL units of the elaborate ground organization now contributing towards Britain's defences were engaged in the exercise. One of these was the Royal Observer Corps, a large part of which was alerted. Thirty-four groups, including some 1,200 posts, covering the greater part of the country, were mobilized, and about 10,000 members took part. As "Momen tum" came in the middle of the holiday season, the shortage of trained personnel meant that many observers able to do so attended all duties—a total of 49 hours. A Flight contributor who is an R.O.C. observer in an operations centre writes: "As in earlier exercises, much attention was given to the rapid reporting and plot ting of fast, low-flying raiders—one of the more elusive types of 'hostile' with which the Corps has to cope. Techniques developed last year and practised through out the winter were given a thorough try-out. With a large percentage of the personnel comprising recruits lacking in operational experience, it was gratifying to see how quickly they got into the swing of things and how confidence and morale mounted when it was realized that they were actually coping with the varied demands thrust at them. Many elements of surprise were introduced so that con stant vigilance was imperative. But, whether it was long stretches of boredom, moments of exciting activity and near panic, 'Momentum' was, for many obser vers, over all too soon." THE NAVAL ASPECT THE Royal Navy's share in "Momentum" was the provision of convoys and the aircraft to strike at them. These elements were supplied at the request of the Royal Air Force, who even decided the directions and heights from which the attacks were to be made. The Navy's interest was, there fore, very detached. Two convoys were provided, each about 10 ships strong; one proceeded at eight knots along the East Coast and the other at six knots along the South Coast. With the eastern convoy was die radar trials ship Fleetwood, while the Dutch direction ship Soemba was with the southern convoy. For each of the four days comprising the first and third phases of the exercise, five attacks were planned against each convoy. There was no Naval participation in the second phase. Operations were centred at R.N. Air Station Ford, Sussex, where Nos. 800 and 803 Squadron (Attackers) and No. 813 Squadron (Wyverns) are based. The station, known also as H.M.S. Peregrine, is commanded by Capt. J. C. Cockburn, D.S.C., who is himself one of No. 800 Squadron's wartime fighter pilots. In the operations room—in splendid isolation— Lt.Cdr. G. P. L. Bolt (Lt.Cdr. Ops) kept
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