'D-Day' + 4 - RAF 1679 ADLS Flight - ' the Mail Goes Through'.

From their same starting point at 9 ITW Stratford-on-Avon, Jim Ives and Ian Cunnison, pictured sitting next to each other (extreme right, second from front row), both went on to undertake their pilot training in the Southern States of the USA as members of Arnold Scheme class 42G. They both did their initial pilot training at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida and their basic at Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama, Jim then progressed to twin-engine advanced, Ian Cunnison remained with single-engine aircraft with the possible destination of RAF Fighter Command.

Despite starting from the same point, the ‘jobs’ pilots came to do were surprisingly varied, and, to use modern parlance - ‘random’. The RAF was made up of a myriad of Commands, Units, Squadrons, Special flights etc., etc., Jim went on to become a main force bomber pilot.  After various training postings back in the UK Ian eventually found himself posted, in April 1944, to 1697 ADLS at RAF Hendon whence he operated until 9^th May when the unit moved to RAF Northolt.

1697 Air Despatch Letter Service Flight was established in the run-up to ‘D-Day’ to deliver secret mail and equipment. After the landings their work included flights to the beach-head during the invasion period. 1697 ADLS operated Hurricanes fitted with under-wing storage housings or a detachable nose compartment to accommodate their cargo. The aircraft did not initially have the characteristic black and white ‘invasion’ wing stripes but after a couple of the Hurricanes were reputedly fired on by American fighters the livery was adopted.

One of 1697 Flight's more famous pilots was Squadron Leader James Eric Storrar DFC* AFC who on 10^th June 1944 flew the first Allied aircraft to land in France after ‘D’-Day, carrying classified mail and recording material for war correspondents (apparently Storrar's take-off cry was ‘Fuel and noise - let's go!’ ). Later that day F/Lt Stewart and F/Sgt Cunnison made the third successful trip to the beach-head, landing at advanced landing ground B3 at Sainte Croix-sur-Mer.

On 16^th June 1679 Flight adopted the motto ' the Mail Goes Through'.

F/Sgt Cunnison's association with 1679 Flight ended a month later on 16^th July 1944, possibly as a result of a mishap on 3^rd July when he suffered an engine failure on take-off - the incident apparently deposited his aircraft in the C/O's garden.

After a short period at RAF Doncaster's holding centre Ian Cunnison was moved via

5 Personnel Despatch Centre RAF Blackpool for a Transport Command posting to India, embarking on the troopship 'Otranto' for the four week voyage, disembarking at Bombay on 22^nd September and on to 1944 Base Reception Depot Worli where supplies and personnel were received.

Newly arrived F/Sgt Cunnison's first duty on the sub-continent was a fortnight's course at the School of Jungle Survival at RAF Mahabaleshwar, a former hill station in the Western Ghats, Maharashtra, where the instructors were Kachins – Burmese hill-men who sought to pass on the multifarious aspects of jungle survival, basic local phrases, camouflage, field-craft, use of survival kits, recognition of snakes, spiders, scorpions etc., etc. 'SJSPT M'swar' was followed by a flying refresher course at No3 Refresher Flying Unit - Poona.

Then to 1331CU at Risalpur from the end of October until three days before Christmas 1944 – for conversion to various types – Hurricanes, Spitfire MkVIII, and Dakotas amongst others, in readiness for ferrying duties. From this point however, F/Sgt Cunnison's health took a downward turn and he spent Christmas week in the B M Hospital Delhi but was fit enough to be posted to No 10 Ferry Unit, Nagpur on New Year's Eve. He was again hospitalised locally at Kamptee in early February 1945 and then returned to B M Hospital, Delhi, briefly resuming duty at 10 FU at the end of May before being moved to the Convalescent Depot Chakrath and 59 Staging Post, Nagpur at the end of July where he spent VJ Day - and then on to the Invalids Depot, BRD (Base Reception Depot) Worli on 10^th October 1945.

'The luck of the draw' had dealt Ian Cunnison a hand which he could not have expected, a wartime flying career far removed from that of the stereotypical bomber or fighter pilot.

 

LAC Ian Cunnison at Carlstrom Field

Ian Cunnison stayed on in the RAF after the war but later transferred to the Civil Service with whom he had a distinguished career.

Bomber Command 'D-Day' diversions.

From midnight on 5^th/6^th June a convoy started to make its way towards Boulogne from the English coast. The convoy was covered by aircraft from Bomber Command's 101 Squadron, operating ABC and 100 Group's 214 Squadron was flying a RCM 'Mandrel screen' operation with the intention of confusing the German's coastal radar system

German night-fighters were sent up to intercept the RCM aircraft and heavy artillery along the French coast was alerted to the convoy's presence and they opened fire on it. Searchlights were directed towards the approaching ships and E-Boats were despatched to intercept the convoy which was maintaining course at around 7 knots. Thus the ships of Operation 'Glimmer' progressed towards Boulogne for about three hours under constant scrutiny from a British G-H station.

The conclusion drawn by the G-H Station was that the pilots of RAF Bomber Command's 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron had flown a completely effective simulation of a seaborne convoy. Operation 'Glimmer' had successfully caught the attention of, and confused the German defences into thinking that a component part of the Allied invasion fleet was heading towards Boulogne.

The operation was flown by eight Short Stirling IIIs from 218 Squadron, taking off from RAF Woolfox Lodge just before midnight in two waves of five (t/o 23.39 on) and three (second wave t/o fifty minutes after the first). Aircraft were equipped with G-H and Gee boxes and were fitted with two flare chutes and manned by crews of thirteen, made up of two pilots, three navigators, a wireless operator, flight engineer, two air-gunners, two window-droppers and two replacement window-droppers.

Following practice exercises in the run-up to 'D-Day' the Stirlings were required to fly precise reciprocating 'orbits' along their required track to advance at a rate of 7 knots, dropping bundles of window at carefully timed twelve minute intervals to generate advancing radar 'targets', simulating a flotilla of ships. Navigation and speed were required to be spot-on, as was the timing of window dropping so that German radar plotted regular progress of the windowed blips.

214 Squadron's 'Mandrel' equipped Boeing B17s presented their 'Mandrel screen' over the English channel (off the Hampshire/ Dorset coast) and 101 Squadron were patrolling to the north-west of Dieppe towards Abbeville.

Slightly further to the south-west 617 Squadron were undertaking a similar timed windowing operation 'Taxable', simulating another sizeable convoy heading towards Le Havre. Despite also being very accurately flown, 617's convoy apparently drew little enemy attention.

Another example of RAF Bomber Command's contribution to the 'Second Front'.

Operation 'Glimmer' in more detail at:- http://www.hellzapoppin.demon.co.uk/glimmer.htm

BBMF Lancaster vs RCAF WW2 veteran.

I was extremely privileged to attend a small gathering at the week-end, a series of gatherings really. Many RAF Squadron Associations have disbanded in recent years as the numbers of attendant veterans of the Second World War have declined. 625 Squadron Association held their annual reunion dinner on Saturday evening followed by a memorial service, and a buffet lunch courtesy of 1228 (Louth) Squadron, ATC, the following morning. The upper and lower ages of those gathered around the Kelstern memorial had a range of about eighty years.

Passing traffic generally respected the assembly at the memorial which has been painstakingly restored by dedicated volunteers. Congratulations to 1228 Squadron for their guard of honour and to the priest for his selected reading and prayer which were totally appropriate to the reason for our being there, to the gathering and to the setting – the airfield with its remnants of wartime buildings runways, and peri-tracks with the expanses between having long since reverted to peaceful agriculture.

The minor collective disappointment was that a requested fly-past in honour of those who lost their lives in the war-time service of 625 Squadron - a main force RAF Bomber Command squadron - did not materialise. It was sad that the request had warranted neither an acknowledgement nor a reply. The BBMF Lancaster is, of course, an icon and to get the aircraft in the air involves a great deal of organisation and expense, so it is understandable that a small individual commemoration could not be accommodated this time. However, it was far better to have been honoured by the presence of three distinguished gentlemen who operated Lancasters from RAF Kelstern seventy years ago, than the aeroplane.

I had the pleasure to meet Iain Sutton, the son of Frank Sutton, rear gunner in the 625 Squadron crew of Canadian pilot Reg Price. Reg and Frank's crew had arrived at RAF Kelstern within a day of cousin Jim Ives' own posting there. It was a great honour to enjoy Reg's company and his memories of a busy military and commercial pilot's life, recounted with crystal clarity, modesty and great charm in a calm, no nonsense manner which, I have no doubt, reflected the attributes which carried his crew safely through their tour of operations.

Reg is now 93 years of age, he had flown in from Canada to take in the reunion events before travelling on to show his son, daughter and son-in law other places significant to him and his late wife Elsie whom he had met at a RAF Kelstern station dance within a week of arriving there.

                                                       Reg Price DFC and Iain Sutton

Reg assured Iain and me that he had enjoyed sharing his reminiscences with us (he had, by the way flown the BBMF Lancaster PA474 on a couple of occasions in 1948, evidenced by his log-book entries). It was certainly a very great experience for two middle-aged 'boys' to spend time with Reg, an unsung hero of the RCAF.

Next time you attend a BBMF event – look beyond the aeroplanes for the Air Force veterans, talk to them and thank them – the Lancaster is impressive but is far outshone by the likes of Reg Price DFC!

ww2 RAF Bomber Command quandry - H2S or ventral gun?

First of all - congratulations and many thanks to the Boy Genius for a job very well done in completely redesigning the website. There'll be plenty of new pages to view in the coming months.

As most of my research has been concentrated on RAF Bomber Command's 1 Group I have largely neglected the Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber. I know that aircrew who operated the Halifax were as loyal to their type as those who flew the Avro Lancaster were to theirs. News came to me this week from Canada where my good friend Ron had been in conversation with a veteran of the RCAF who had remarked that Halifaxes had the advantage of being able to shoot down night-fighters below them. I was aware that the Lancaster had the potential to have a ventral turret, but examples were apparently rare. A quick search revealed that a trial was carried out in late February 1944 to arm the Halifax bomber with a belly gun. 

 

By that time boffins had already come up with a powered gun-mounting, operated remotely by a gunner sighting through a wide-angle downward-viewing periscope which gave him only a split-second to aim and fire. A more simple modification was sought – the 'Preston Green under defence mounting Mk.II'.

At first glance Halifax III, LW650, taking off from Boscombe Down on 29th February 1944, looked like any other Halifax with an H2S radar blister beneath its fuselage. However, the scanner housing had a 0.5in. Browning machine-gun set on a USAAF style mounting ring, an aft-facing seat with a tilting back-rest was mounted in the scanner blister for the gunner. The blister had a viewing aperture allowing the gunner to search and the machine-gun mounting could be readily swung clear to give him a clear field of view, but was easily locked back into its firing position.

At that time H2S sets were deemed to be an essential bombing aid - ND360 had been fitted with a set in mid-January 1944 - but the supply of radar sets could not keep up with the demand for retro-fitting in existing aircraft as well as for the steady stream of new bombers coming out of the factories. New Halifax B Mk IIIs would, for a while at least, be fitted with the Preston Green mountings.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hphalifax/guns.htm

outlines details of the Preston Green Mk.II as follows:-

        Aircraft        Halifax B Mk.III
        Position        Mid-under       
        Motive power    Hand controlled
        Gun mounting    Bell adapter (US)               
        Armament        0.5in. Browning Mk.II           
        Ammunition      200 rounds in box and 50 rounds in duct
        Field of fire   Rotation 30° to each beam.
                        Elevation between 45°-90°               
        Gunsight        Free gun reflector sight Mk.III
        Dia. of bowl    49in.

Fire control Manual or electrical.

The trialling of ventral guns at this time suggests a continued awareness of the vulnerability of heavy bombers to attack from below, but whether this was also an acknowledgement that night-fighters were armed with upward firing cannon is unclear.

Once the production of H2S sets caught-up, the ventral gun modification was superseded in favour of fitting radar scanners - a decision made in favour of technology and the need to place bombs as accurately as possible. Unfortunately German night-fighters' FuG 350 'Naxos' sets homed in on H2S emissions. Would the idea of having an extra pair of eyes and a 0.5in Browning have been more appealing to bomber crews than an air to ground radar set?

Carefree times in RAF Bomber Command - USA 1942 - Arnold Scheme 42G

I was very touched by Danny's comments received this week (re:- previous blog 'many thanks anonymous emailer')

As I said in reply to Danny just now -  We ought to know what happened to all these young men. They deserve it that we know what they looked like and that they were real people.

This is the photograph which, for me, best describes them. They are acting their ages. I can name three of them, each of whom died flying operations with the RAF in 1944. Cousin Jim Ives is far right, next-but-one to him is Robbie Jones and behind him, (also in uniform) is, I believe, John Thould.

Had Jim and John just come off duty and joined other members of their training flight? Whereabouts in the south-east of the USA were they? Is it a lido or the beach?  Florida (possibly), Georgia (more probably) or Alabama (probably not)?

Does anybody recognise any of them, please? 

I wonder which of them survived the war?

"Bombing - Fiction and Facts".

First of all, apologies to anyone who was offended last time. It was interesting though how tensions surfaced which both reflect wartime niggles and contemporary perceptions.

Following on from last time, and spinning the clock forward six months from December 1943, another paper and print publication touched on the theme of US and British rivalries.

'The Aeroplane – incorporating Aeronautical Engineering', issue 1726 (23^rd June 1944) leads with an editorial article entitled 'Bombing - Fiction and Facts'.

'Our United States contemporary, “Aero Digest,” in a recent number, belittles the the Allied bombing of German industry and communications, and incidentally speculates on the difficulties of an invasion of Europe by land forces. We can excuse any false conception of the initial dangers of invasion, but lack of appreciation of the pre-invasion bombing shows a misinterpretation of facts not excused by ignorance.

After admitting that Allied air supremacy will be the deciding factor in the success of the invasion our contemporary adds, “nor is this any less true in view of the mediocre results of the RAF's early scheme of bombing Germany completely out of the War from the air.” We agree that senior RAF officers are believed to hold strong views on the ability of their Service to smash Germany without any except final resort to land invasion, but in the general strategy of War the RAF is a tactical weapon subservient to the broader strategical plans of higher Allied Command. Few German industrialists, or even the procrastinating henchmen of Dr Göbbels, would class the dropping of 275,000 tons of bombs by Bomber command of the Royal Air Force alone on Germany's War industry as “mediocre”.

The article goes on to outline the US view that the Allied city bombing campaign was ineffective because repairs were soon made to industrial buildings and communications and that weapons were still being produced - making the bombing a 'dismal' failure. A criticism which seemed (and still does) somewhat churlish as the USAAF had been invited to the Berlin 'party' by Sir Arthur Harris but were unable to 'be in on it' until time had virtually been called on the winter's campaign.

The effectiveness of the bombing campaign would surely be impossible to quantify until the end of the war. Had “Aero Digest's” reported opinion been coloured by the Eighth Air Force's own heavy losses and difficulties in bombing accurately in cloudy European skies? Or was it perhaps a comment on the RAF's night area bombing strategy?

The Editorial's concluding paragraph reports (note – that the date of the article is 23^rd June 1944):- 'Finally, “Aero Digest” turns to the bombing of the German capital. “Obliteration of Berlin seems inevitable as the AAF closes in for the kill,” it writes. “The RAF, of course, has already softened up the area with more than 130 night raids. Fifteen of these delivered 24,500 tons of bombs.”

We feel this remarkable statement needs no comment from us. We are content to leave the judgement of its accuracy in the capable hands of our good friends in the United States AAF.'


 

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Propaganda for the war effort? Night RAF Out Again.

A way to gauge what was happening at any stage in the war is to refer to contemporary records. Being the resourceful young chap that he is web-man 'the boy genius' came up with an issue of the Daily Mail dated 28^th December 1943 (a real paper and print edition), four pages in its entirety, which makes interesting reading. F/Sgt Jim Ives would have had the chance to read these same pages in the Sgt's Mess at RAF Waltham.

The main headline covered the sinking of the German Battleship 'Scharnhorst' two days previously:

'SCHARNHORST FELL INTO TRAP – Victim of Need for Hitler's Victory.

Convoy Safe: Only 2 Ships Damaged'.

Other reports included:

'Russians Drive 20 Miles in a Day – Southward Thrust in the”Bulge” -

Two more great successes were reported from the Eastern Front by Moscow to-night. They are:-

A 20-mile advance on the south of the Kiev “Bulge” which has now widened the “break-through front” by more than 60 miles, and

the cutting of the Vitebsk-Polotsk railway, the fortress's last direct escape route to the west.'

'Tedder Chosen as Our Invasion Chief Number 2 -

General Eisenhower's deputy in the Supreme Command for the Second Front is to be Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Chief of the Mediterranean Air Command, it is announced today.'

Tedder was attributed with having invented the tactic of 'carpet bombing' – nothing to do with Harris's city bombing campaign but explained in the piece as a feature of RAF co-operation with the Army in the Mediterranean and North Africa - 'a closely patterned carpet of bombs at points in the front line which needed softening'.

'Victory in 1944 – Eisenhower -

Allied HQ, North Africa, Monday.

General Eisenhower, newly appointed Supreme Commander for the “Second Front” told correspondents here today “The only thing needed for us to win the European War in 1944 is for every man and woman from the front line to the remotest hamlet of our two countries to do his and her full duty.”

'Night RAF Out Again, Holiday Lull Ends.'

 

'Churchill to speak on New Chiefs -

The Prime Minister will give his views on the pattern of the newly-created Western Invasion Command under General Eisenhower in the near future, most probably in a broadcast to the nation or by a speech in Parliament.'

Just a few of the items covered. Interesting and slightly surprising that six months before the event the national press was broadcasting the seeds of the invasion. But this is the nature of propaganda - good for morale at home and bound to reach German eyes and ears too, taunting the enemy that the pride of the German Navy had been sunk, the Russians were now making progress in the East, the Second Front was coming and the Allies would win the War, and that the bombing campaign against the German capital was continuing and effective, given significant credence by publishing a photograph.

The bombing of Berlin warrants a mention on three of the four pages of the edition – in addition to the 'Night RAF' piece the most recent raid on 23^rd/24^th December was being cited as the most effective attack to date.

But - Night RAF Out Again?   An honest mistake I'm sure, but I can find no record of a major RAF bombing operation after Christmas until the Berlin raid on the night of 29^th December 1943. Nothing at all until the night of 28^th/29^th (tonight) when according to 'The Bomber Command War Diaries' 10 Mosquitoes went to Duisburg, 9 to Dusseldorf, 1 to Cologne and with 11 other sorties from OTUs. 

Inaccuracy? Fabrication?  Or just a subtle bit of propaganda?

Meanwhile away from the war – entertainments were being advertised - 'all this week in N and E London' “Crazy isn't the word for it – Hi Diddle Diddle” (United Artists) with Adolphe Menjou, Martha Scott and Pola Negri.

And, at the Regal Marble Arch and London Pavilion – now - Sam Goldwyn's 'North Star', starring Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Walter Huston, Walter Brennan and Erich Von Stroheim in its 3^rd record breaking week of the greatest picture of these years! - “A sincere gesture to scorched Russia as 'Mrs Miniver' was to blitzed Britain “. 

 

At the Apollo Theatre (telephone Ger 2663) Terrence Rattigan's play 'Flare Path' was in its second year and elsewhere the pantomime season was in full swing 'with Miss Glynis Johns as a graceful, impish Peter Pan (though slightly undertoned)' at the Cambridge Theatre. At His Majesty's Theatre Miss Evelyn Laye was a 'most charming Prince Charming', Miss Carol Lynne 'the prettiest of Cinderellas, the cast included four real Shetland ponies, 'that first rate ballet dancer Miss Natasha Sokolova' as the good fairy and 'Miss Tessie O'Shea, working with robust energy and a North Country accent'.

All good for morale.

Mention of Terrence Rattigan and 'Flare Path' of course, brings me neatly back to the RAF Film theme as his play apparently formed the basis for the excellent, and still my favourite, film of that era 'The Way to the Stars' (1945).