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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1410.PDF
Some of No. 9 Squadron's ground and air crews. In the foreground wearing flying kit are, left to right, F/0. J. N. Smith, FjO. F. W. A. Hollins, F/O. E. M. Taylor, S/L J. C. M. Mountford, F/O. K. Hancock, Sgt. K. Neate, F/L. K. Oman and FjS. B. D. Piatt: SjL.J. C. M. Mountford, A.F.C., the Commanding Officer of No. 9 Squadron. He usually flies with his adjutant, FjO. A. P. Fletcher, as navigator. PHOTOGRAPHY AT FORTY-THOUSAND ... with Vickers Wellington 1 aircraft and commanded by W/C. H. P. Lloyd (now Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh P. Lloyd who recendy retired from the R.A.F. at the end of his appointment as A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command). It took part in the first raid of the war, against the German battleships at Brunsbuttel. Of the six Wellingtons taking part two were lost, but a battleship was hit and a merchantman set on fire. No. 9 also had the distinction of obtaining the first decoration of the war. During an attack on Heligoland Bight in December 1939, A/C.l Driver, a rear gunner, had his guns rendered useless and the turret floor shot away. Nevertheless he went up forward and assisted the captain by hand-pumping petrol until a forced landing was made in the sea. For his courage and devotion he received an immediate D.F.M. In common with other squadrons of Bomber Command, No. 9 was engaged for a while on "Nickel" (leaflet-dropping) raids, but by 1941 there was steady bombing of nava' and industrial targets. "Salmon and Gluckstein" (Scharnhorst and Gneisenau) in Brest harbour were, of course, included. It was in June 1941, that the squadron was unfortunate enough to lose their commanding officer, W/C. Arnold. While attacking shipping off Flushing, the Wellington he was flying was set on fire by enemy fighters. Arnold held the machine level while the remainder of the crew baled out, but he left it too late to save himself. A month later came another outstanding case of devotion to duty. A Wellington, piloted by Sgt. Saich, was hit by flak over Bremen. With the rear of the fuselage in flames, the pilot main tained evasive action while the rest of the crew rescued the wounded feaf gunner from his turret and put out the fire. Six bombs had hung up and could not be released, the bomb doors would not close, die hydraulic system was shot away and die petrol gauges showed no fuel. Yet Sgt. Saich pressed on and suc ceeded in landing in a barley-field in England. For this effort the pilot and Sgt. Smitten, another member of the crew, both received D.F.M.s. During the first eight months of 1942 the Wellingtons were still in use as "heavy" bombers and operations were mosdy against the Ruhr districts and naval targets in the Kiel canal. In August the Wellingtons were replaced by Avro Lancasters and the squadron moved to Waddington. With the increased operational range of the new aircraft it became possible to attack such distant targets as Turin, Spezia and Pilsen, but it was "Berlin" that was heard most frequendy at aircrew briefings for the remainder of 1942 and the following year. It was during 1943, also, that the squadron participated in Commanding Officers of No. 9 Siuadron Maj. H. Musgrave ... Mai. H. C. T. Dowding Maj. F. A. Wanklyn ... Mai. A. B. Burdett Mai. I. A. E. Edwards Maj. H.J. F. Hunter... Maj. J. T. Rodwell • W/C. H. P. Lloyd, D.F.C W/C. R. A. A. Cole ... W/C. A. McKee, A.F.C. W/C. Healy W/C. Arnold W/C. K. M. M. Wasse W/C. Inness ... 8-12-14 ... 1- 4-15 ... 16- 9-15 ... 25- 3-16 ... 10-12-16 ... 29 -5-17 ... 16-11-17 to July 1919 M.C., ... 2- 1-39 ... 27- 9-39 ... 17- 1-40 ... 24- 7-40 ... 16- 1-41 ... 20- 6-41 ... 4- 4-42 W/C. J. M. Southwell, D.F.C. W/C. K. B. F. Smith. D.S.O. W/C. Burnett, D.S.O., D.F.C. W/C. E. L. Porter W/C. J. M. Bazin W/C. R. F. Dupont W/C. Osborne S/L. Watkins S/L. Overton S/L. Flynn S/L. Wilson S/L. Ostle ... S/L. Southall, D.S.O.. D.F.C., A.F.C S/L. J. C. M. Mountford, A.F.C 14- 9-42 15- 3-43 28- 3-43 14-11-43 2- 5-44 3- 3-45 26-11-45 15- 5-46 12-12-46 2- 5-47 11-11-47 20- 8-48 17- 8-50 24-11-52 the attacks on the air research and development station at Peenemunde on the Baltic coast—attacks which held up production of the flying bomb for a vital period. September 1944, saw the be ginning of a series of attacks on the German batdeship Tirpitz in Kaa Fjord, Norway. "Tallboy" (12,000 lb) and "Johnny Walker" bombs were used, die latter be ing specially designed for at tacking ships below the water line. The Tirpitz was still afloat after the first two operations, but her end came on November 12th when she capsized after a further attack by the combined aircraft of Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons. On January 1st, 1945, the squadron won its first Victoria Cross. While on a daylight raid against die Dortmund Elms Canal, a heavy flak. Fierce fires broke out in both mid-upper and rear turrets. The Perspex nose compartment was shot away and large holes £2M_ The motto of No. 9 Squadron is Per Noctem Volamus ("We fly by night.") Lancaster was hit by in the fuselage and of the in the pilot's canopy allowed a freezing stream of cold air to blow through the aircraft. There was alsc a big hole in the fuselage floor just aft of the cabin; there was no intercom; and one engine was on fire. The wireless operator, F/S. G. Thompson, who was uninjured, saw the unconscious gunner in the mid-upper turret and immediately went back into the flames and exploding ammunition. He pulled the gunner from his turret and, edging his way round the holes in the floor, carried him to comparative safety, extinguishing his burning clothing with bare hands. Thompson himself was severely burned on face and hands; one trouser-leg was scorched off, and his pain was aggravated by frost bite due to the icy blast from the shattered nose. But again he went back, diis time to the tail gunner, who was unable to get himself out of his turret. Thompson carried the gunner the length of the fuselage and beat out the flames from his smoulder ing clothing with his hands. By this time his condition can only be described as pitiful—so bad, in fact, that later his pilot did not recognize him. The gallant wireless operator died of his injuries three weeks later and was posthumously awarded the TP.C The final raids of die war in Europe were against Hider's "Eagle's Nest" at Berchtesgaden, and when Germany capitulated the unit immediately started training to become part of the pro jected "Tiger Force" for the Far East. But before No. 9 could get to that theatre of war the Japanese gave in and the scheme was abandoned. Since the end of hostilities the unit has suffered the usual demobilization troubles and shortage cf manpower. The Lancasters gave place to Lincolns and these, in turn, were dis carded for the present Canberras. The first flight in a squadron Canberra took place on May 2nd, 1952. One of the most interest ing flights was that of Canberra WD999, which F/L. F. Moysey and F/L. G. Barber took to Woomera, Australia, for special trials. The first leg of this journey, to Malta, was covered in three hours exacdy and die longest, from Singapore to Darwin, was completed with "only a smell of fuel left in the tanks." It was from this aircraft, now painted white, mat the formation contrail photographs on die previous page were taken.
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