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The Battle Of Britain Weather Diary


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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

With the 70th anniversary of The Battle of Britain this year, I thought I might add a diary, including general weather conditions, covering days from the summer of 1940 which brought superb weather that lasted well into October. Much of the battle was fought in the skies of Southern Britain and particularly around my home area.

beachy_head_cliffs_sussex_england_spitfire_messerschmidt_battle_of_britain_aerial_combat.jpg

By the start of what became known as the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe had 2,800 aircraft stationed in France, Belgium, Holland and Norway. This force outnumbered the RAF four to one. However, the British had the advantage of being closer to their airfields. German fighters could only stay over England for about half an hour before flying back to their home bases. The RAF also had the benefits of an effective early warning radar system and the intelligence information provided by Ultra.

The German pilots had more combat experience than the British and probably had the best fighter plane in the Messerschmitt Bf109. They also had the impressive Messerschmitt 110 and Junkers Stuka. The commander of Fighter Command, Hugh Dowding, relied on the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire.

The battle proper started on the 10th July and the period between then and the completion of the first phase, on the 11th August, was know as Kanalkampf ("the Channel battles") by the Germans. Goering's air force took advantage of the glorious Summer weather to make a number of probing attacks at a number of southern England positions, testing out the defences and looking for any weaknesses. At the same time, other Luftwaffe 'Gruppes' would attack the coastal shipping that was plying backwards and forwards through the English Channel.

"How long would they last in battle, they ran from Dunkirk, they deserted France completely for the safety of home, England is there for the taking."

General Hugo Sperrle, June 1940

The Kanalkampf comprised a series of running fights over convoys in the English Channel and occasional attacks on the convoys by Stuka dive bombers. It was launched partly because Kesselring and Sperrle were not sure about what else to do, and partly because it gave German aircrews some training and a chance to probe the British defences.[78] These battles off the coast tended to favour the Germans, whose bomber escorts massively outnumbered the convoy patrols. The need for constant patrols over the convoys put a severe strain on RAF pilots and machines, wasting fuel, engine hours and exhausting the pilots, but eventually the number of ship sinkings became so great the British Admiralty cancelled all further convoys through the Channel. However, these early combat encounters provided both sides with experience. They also gave the first indications some of the aircraft, such as the Defiant and Bf 110, were not up to the intense dog-fighting that would characterise the battle.

en.wikipedia.org/Battle_of_Britain

On June 25th 1940 General Hans Jeschonnek the Luftwaffe Chief of Staff said that the Führer has no intention of mounting an invasion on England, "...there will be no invasion and I have no time to waste on planning one." he said. Yet on June 30th 1940, Walter Hewel who was Hitler's Diplomatic Liaison Officer stated that "It matters a lot what the British expect the Führer's purpose to be in fighting their country.....Can the British swallow their envy and pride enough to see him (Hitler) not the conqueror but the creator of a new Europe."

478px-Battle_of_Britain_map.svg.png

11grpmap2.jpg

The British Fighter Command was divided into four specific groups, within each of these groups were the main airfields generally positioned well inland called Sector Stations, each of these Sector Stations had what is known as forward airfields or satellite stations positioned further towards the coastline. Each of these airfields were allocated a number of squadrons, the number varied depending as to the intensity of the combat action in any one designated area. Squadrons could be shifted around from one airfield to another to rest them from main combat areas to airfields where there was less action.

BRITISH SQUADRONS THAT TOOK PART IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

1 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded JX, Operated from Northolt & Tangmere

1RCAF SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded YO, Operated from Croydon & Northolt

3 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded QO, Operated from Kenley & Wick(Scotland)

17 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded YB, Operated from Debden & Martlesham Heath

19 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded QV, Operated from Fowlemere & Duxford

23 SQUADRON: Blenheims, Coded YP, Operated from Colyweston & Wittering

25 SQUADRON: Blenheims & Beaufighters, Coded ZK, Operated from North Weald

29 SQUADRON: Blenheims & Beaufighters, Coded RO, Operated from Debden

32 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded GZ, Operated from Biggin Hill & Acklington(Rest)

41 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded EB, Hornchurch & Catterick

43 SQUADRON "China-British": Hurricanes, Coded FT, Operated from Tangmere & Northolt

46 SQUADRON "Uganda": Hurricanes, Coded PO, Operated from Stapleford

54 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded KL, Operated from Hornchurch & Catterick(Rest)

56 SQUADRON "Punjab": Hurricanes, Coded US, Operated from North Weald & Boscombe Down

64 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded SH, Operated from Kenley, Hornchurch & Biggin Hill

65 SQUADRON "East India": Spitfires, Coded YT, Operated from Hornchurch & Turnhouse(Rest)

66 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded LZ, Operated from Coltishall & Kenley

72 SQUADRON "Basutoland": Spitfires, Coded RN, Operated from Drem & Biggin Hill

73 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded TP, Operated from Church Fenton

74 SQUADRON "Trinidad": Spitfires, Coded ZP, Operated from Hornchurch & Biggin Hill

79 SQUADRON "Madras Presidency": Hurricanes, Coded NV, Operated from Acklington & Biggin Hill

85 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded VY, Operated from Debden & Croydon

87 SQUADRON "United Provinces": Hurricanes, Coded LK, Operated from Exeter

92 SQUADRON "East India": Spitfires, Coded QJ, Operated from Hornchurch & Biggin Hill

111 SQUADRON "Treble One": Hurricanes, Northolt & Drem(Rest)

141 SQUADRON: Defiants, Coded TW, Operated from West Malling & Biggin Hill

145 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded SO, Operated from Tangmere & Westhampnet

151 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded DZ, Operated from North Weald

152 SQUADRON "Hyderabad": Spitfires, Coded UM, Operated from Warmwell

213 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded AK, Operated from Exeter & Leconfield

219 SQUADRON: Blenheims, Coded FK, Operated from Catterick & Redhill

222 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded ZD, Operated from Kirkon-in-Lindsay(Rest) & Hornchurch

229 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded HB, Operated from Wittering & Northolt

232 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded EF, Operated from Sumburgh

234 SQUADRON: Spitfires, Coded AZ, Operated from Church Fenton & Middle Wallop

235 SQUADRON: Blenheims, Coded LA, Operated from Thorney Island & Bircham Newton

236 SQUADRON: Blenheims, Coded FA, Operated from Thorney Island

238 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded VK, Operated from Middle Wallop & St Eval

242 SQUADRON "Canadian": Hurricanes, Coded LE, Operated from Coltishall & Duxford

245 SQUADRON "Northern Rhodesia": Hurricanes, Coded DR, Operated from Aldergrove

247 SQUADRON "China-British": Gladiators, Coded HP, Operated from St Eval

248 SQUADRON: Blenheims, Coded WR, Operated from Dyce

249 SQUADRON "Gold Coast": Coded GN, Operated from Church Fenton/Boscombe Down/Nth Weald

253 SQUADRON "Hyderabad": Hurricanes, Coded SW, Operated from Turnhouse & Kenley

257 SQUADRON "Burma": Hurricanes, Coded DT, Operated from Northolt & Debden

263 SQUADRON: Whirlwinds, Coded HE, Operated from Drem

264 SQUADRON "Madras Presidency": Defiants, Coded PS, Operated from Fowlmere & Hornchurch

266 SQUADRON "Rhodesia": Spitfires, Coded UO, Operated from Wittering & Hornchurch

302 SQUADRON "Poznan": Hurricanes, Coded WX, Operated from Northolt & Westhampnet

303 SQUADRON "Warsaw": Hurricanes, Coded RF, Operated from Northolt & Leconfield(Rest)

310 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded NN, Operated from Duxford

312 SQUADRON: Hurricanes, Coded DU, Operated from Speke

501 SQUADRON "County of Gloucester" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded SD, Operated from Middle Wallop/Gravesend/Kenley

504 SQUADRON "County of Nottingham" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded TM, Operated from Wick/Hendon/Filton

600 SQUADRON "City of London" Auxiliary Air Force. Blenheims, Coded BQ, Operated from Northolt

601 SQUADRON "County of London" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded UF, Operated from Middle Wallop & Tangmere

602 SQUADRON "City of Glasgow" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded LO, Operated from Drem & Westhampnet

603 SQUADRON "City of Edinburgh" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded XT, Operated from Drem/Turnhouse/Hornchurch

604 SQUADRON "County of Middlesex" Auxiliary Air Force. Blenheims/Beaufighters, Coded NG, Operated from Middle Wallop

605 SQUADRON "County of Warwick" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded UP, Operated from Wick & Croydon

607 SQUADRON "County of Durham" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded AF, Operated from Usworth & Tangmere

609 SQUADRON "West Riding" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded PR, Operated from Middle Wallop & Warmwell

610 SQUADRON "County of Chester" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded DW, Operated from Biggin Hill & Acklington(Rest)

611 SQUADRON "West Lancashire" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded FY, Operated from Digby

615 SQUADRON "County of Surrey" Auxiliary Air Force. Hurricanes, Coded KW, Operated from Kenley & Northolt

616 SQUADRON "South Yorkshire" Auxiliary Air Force. Spitfires, Coded YQ, Operated from Leconfield/Kenley/Coltishall/Kirton-in-Lindsay

beachy_head_cliffs_sussex_england_world_war_two_aerial_dogfight_battle_of_britain_spitfire_messerschmidt.jpg

"Since England, in spite of her hopeless military situation, shows no signs of being ready to come to a compromise, I have decided to prepare a landing operation against England, and, if necessary, to carry it out"

Adolph Hitler, July 1940

By July 3rd 1940, Britain was experiencing exceptionally warm summer days and balmy nights and this allowed the Army, Navy, Air Force, defence personnel and members of the many auxiliary authorities to secure the defence arrangements that were required to thwart any threat of invasion. The Royal Navy was busy laying minefields in the Channel and at the entrances to the many ports around the coast, nets were being laid across the entrances to all the major seaports. More and more radar stations were being installed at specific points all around the south-eastern and southern coastline of England. Coastal Command were busy on reconnaissance photographic flights photographing all the major seaports that were possible targets of invasion. And hundreds of miles of curled and twisted coils of barbed wire were being laid by the Army along beaches and cliff tops and along the promenades of the many seaside resorts helped by some 150,000 civilians who offered their services. They also helped construct the hundreds of pill-boxes, tank traps and sandbag barriers as well as assisted in the removal and obliteration of road signs and any other sign that depicted a landmark such as signs and guides on railway stations.

www.battleofbritain1940.net

battle_of_britain_propaganda_poster_mid.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: SE London
  • Location: SE London

great read Coast. i started my MoD career for the Special Signals Unit. famously formed for its developement in Crypto Equipment.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

The run up to the BoB also gave Northern Ireland (Mount Stewart, County Down) a record for the highest monthly sunshine in June of 1940, at 298.0 hours

London weather for June 1940:

June - Sunny, warm and rather dry.

Mean Temperature 17.4°C

Monthly Highest 29.8°C

Monthly Lowest 10.5°C

Total Sun 277 hrs

Total Rain 31 mm

Temperatures rose during the first week of June and it became very warm or hot. On the 8th, the afternoon high almost reached 30°C. The very warm weather continued into the middle of the second week, but it became thundery, and on the 9th, nearly 16mm of rainfall was recorded. During the remainder of June, high pressure brought many dry days, and it was mostly rather warm. However, the 23rd was a dull day, and the temperature only reached 16.6°C.

Rslp19400630.gif

The task of the Controller in setting the stage for the battle is governed by one factor - accurate and timely information about the raids. In clear weather with little or no cloud, the raiders came over at such high altitude that they were almost invisible even with the use of binoculars. The numbers of aircraft employed made a confusion of noise in the high atmosphere and thus increased the difficulty of detecting raids by sound. In cloudy weather this difficulty was increased, for the Observer Corps had then to rely entirely on sound. In view of these difficulties, that Corps and other sources of information deserve very great credit for the remarkably clear and timely picture of the situation they presented to the Controllers. These, then, set the pieces on the wide chessboard of the English skies and made the opening moves in the contest on the outcome of which the safety of all free peoples depended. Flexibility was their motto. Each day the Controllers held a conference at which every idea or device for thinking and acting one step ahead of their cunning and resourceful foe was set forth, earnestly discussed and, if found useful, adopted. Without this system of central control, no battle, in the proper sense of the word, would have taken place. Squadrons would, have gone up haphazard, as and when enemy raids were reported. They would either have found themselves heavily outnumbered or with no enemy at all confronting them.

www.bigginhill.co.uk/battle

800px-Battle_of_britain_air_observer.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

In the run up to the diary of the Battle itself, here is a little more information about some of the people involved on both sides:

Contrary to popular belief, ‘The Few’ were not just a couple of dozen Spitfire pilots; in fact nearly 3,000 men were awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp. As of 2009, there were fewer than 90 alive.

The flyers were mostly Britons in the RAF (2,353 out of a total of 2,927, that is 80%, by one tally; of them, 407 were killed, out of a total death roll of 510). However, there were many from other former colonies of the British Empire (particularly New Zealand, Canada, Australia and South Africa), as well as exiles from many conquered European nations. In particular, there were several squadrons composed of men from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Belgium.

Other countries supplying smaller numbers included France, Ireland and the USA

RAF pilots claimed to have shot down about 2,600 German aircraft, but figures compiled later suggest that Luftwaffe losses were more likely nearer 1,700.

Of 2,332 Allied pilots who flew fighters in the Battle, 38.85 percent could claim some success in terms of enemy aircraft shot down.

The number of pilots claiming more than one victim amounted to no more than 15 per cent of the total RAF pilots involved.

To be proclaimed an "ace" a pilot had to have five confirmed victories. During the Battle of Britain just 188 RAF pilots achieved that distinction - eight per cent of the total involved. A further 233 of those RAF pilots claiming successes during the Battle became "aces" later in the war.

There were two pilots who were "ace in a day" in the Battle of Britain: Antoni Glowacki, a Polish pilot, and Brian Carbury, a New Zealand pilot.

Of the 3,080 airmen awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp, only 141 (six per cent) were educated at the top 13 public schools, the largest contingent having attended Eton: 22 pilots (0.9 per cent).

wikipedia.org/The_Few

Key British figures (or fighting for the British)

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Fighter Command.

Air Vice-Marshal Sir Keith Park, Air Officer commanding No. 11 Group RAF

Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Officer commanding No. 12 Group RAF

Vice Marshal William Sholto Douglas, Assistant Chief of Air Staff.

Some of the leading RAF Pilots:

battle-of-britain-pilots.jpg

Group Captain Douglas Bader

Sergeant Josef František (Czechoslovakian)

Wing Commander Brendon “Paddy†Finucane (Irish)

Flight Lieutenant John 'Bob' Branham

Wing Commander Robert Stanford Tuck

Group Captain Frank Carey

Squadron Leader James "Ginger" Lacey

Squadron Leader Neville Duke

Flight Lieutenant Eric Lock

Group Captain Billy Drake

Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Allard

Squadron Leader Adolph ‘Sailor’ Malan

A full list of RAF aircrew (British and others) can be found here: wikipedia.org

Key German figures

Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe

Field Marshal Albert Kesselring

General Hugo Sperrle

Generaloberst Hans Jeschonnek, Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe

Some of the leading German Pilots:

Major Adolf "Dolfo" Galland

Lieutenant-General Günther Rall

Oberst Gustav Rödel

Geburtstag Theodor "Theo" or "Onkel" Osterkamp

Allied Battle of Britain Pilots came from the following countries:

Great Britain - 2,340

Australia - 32

Barbados - 1

Belgium - 28

Canada - 112

Czechoslovakia - 89

France - 13

Ireland - 10

Jamaica - 1

Newfoundland - 1

New Zealand - 127

Poland - 145

Rhodesia - 3

South Africa - 25

United States - 9

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July - London: Cool with above average rainfall and sunshine.

Mean Temperature 16.1°C

Monthly Highest 25.6°C

Monthly Lowest 8.2°C

Total Rain 68 mm

Total Sun 207 hrs

The beginning of July was warm and sunny, and the afternoon temperature on the 2nd rose above 25°C. It then became cooler and changeable as Atlantic fronts crossed the country. A few dry and fairly sunny days occurred, and occasionally temperatures approached normal. Generally, however, it was cool and showery, with some longer spells of rain. On the 21st, over 10mm of rain was recorded, and on the 24th, the maximum temperature was only 16.4°C.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

The Germans had dedicated weather squadrons that served the Battle of Britain (and WWII more widely), The British do not seem to have had specific weather reconnaissance squadrons but used general reconnaissance aircraft from Fighter and Bomber Command together with those from RAF Coastal Command.

avro%20652a%20anson.jpg

Avro Anson, typical RAF reconaisence aricraft.

The German units Wetterkundungstaffel 26 (Weather reconnaissance unit under direct control of Luftflotte 2) had headquarters in Brussels-Grimbergen and were commanded by Regierungsrat Krug. Wetterkundungstaffel 51 (Weather reconnaissance unit under direct control of Luftflotte 3 ) had their headquarters in Versailles–Buc and were commanded by Regierungsrat Dr. Felber.

Dornier_Do_17Z-3_at_Mensuvaara_in_August_1943.jpg

Dornier D17 Fliegender Bleistift ("flying pencil") typical of the German weather reconnaissance planes

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

fascinating thread C and many thanks for doing it-sorry I'm not able to add any weather data in.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

fascinating thread C and many thanks for doing it-sorry I'm not able to add any weather data in.

Thanks John, if you see any blatant inaccuracies based on your own career, please feel free to correct them!!

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

eh!

come on C, I know I'm old but not b----y old enough to have known much if anything about the second world war mate, I was just 1 during the period you are posting about!

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

come on C, I know I'm old

:) I meant your aviation and weather background in general!!!

Just reading reading about the WAAF's and their significant contribution to the Battle and WWII n general.

Apparently, predicting the weather correctly was vitally important when a raid was planned, and many WAAF learnt how to draw weather charts from columns of figures supplied to them, although they didn’t actually get to predict the weather.

wraf14.jpg

Each Group room had a "tote board" which showed each squadron available to that group. The tote board had a system of lights which enabled the controllers to see the squadron status: Released (not available); Available (airborne in 20 minutes); Readiness (airborne in 5 minutes); Standby (pilots in cockpit, airborne in 2 minutes); Airborne and moving into position; Enemy sighted; Ordered to land; Landed and refuelling/rearming. Next to the tote board, where it could be clearly seen, was a weather board which showed the state of the weather around each airfield. It was the responsibility of the WAAF plotters to continually update the tote and weather boards

wikipedia.org

The_Battle_of_Britain_Operations_Room_Tote_Board,_RAF_Uxbridge.jpg

Feb%2008%20%20photos%20077.jpg

Joan Tiplady writes:

I would ask the first aircrew or crash crew to come into the Met Office 'Who is it? Anybody hurt'? I could never bring myself to utter the word 'killed'. We always had to do a special weather observation immediately when the crash occurred for the investigation afterwards.
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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

I'll have a search C but I suspect that weather forecasting during the B-o-B was pretty rudimentary. The WAAFS plotting data is fine its just how much detail other than over the UK was available and then the forecasters ability to forecast for 12-24 hours ahead.

anyway I'll have a look around.

I know that later in the war met recce flights became routine into various sectors of the Atlantic and, I think, Mosquito aircraft were sometimes fitted with weather recording data when they flew over after a bombing raid to collect photo evidence of damage.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

sorry if off topic Coast

No probs. I found an interesting little diversion that was not available at the time of the Battle of Britain and seems to have been used for returning bombers further up country:

Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) (which was sometimes referred to as "Fog Intense Dispersal Operation" or "Fog Intense Dispersal Of") was a system used for dispersing fog from an airfield so that aircraft could land safely. The device was developed by Arthur Hartley for British RAF bomber stations, allowing the landing of aircraft returning from raids over Germany in poor visibility by burning fuel in rows on either side of the runway.

The FIDO system was developed at the department of chemical engineering of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, during the Second World War. The invention of FIDO is formally attributed to Dr John David Main-Smith, an ex-Birmingham resident & Principal Scientific Officer of the Chemistry Dept of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, Hants, and as a courtesy the joint-patent held by the Ministry of Supply was shared by the department head Dr Ramsbottom as was normal practice at that date. This formal government recognition is enshrined in an Air Ministry postwar letter to the late inventor's late widow and held by the son Bruce Main-Smith (February 2008). It also deals with the lesser role of those developing support equipment, notably the FIDO burner.

"It is my memory", writes B Main-Smith, "that much of the airfield installation was pioneered at Hartford Bridge Flats airfield (aka Blackbushe near Yateley, Surrey [sic]) a convenient few miles from the RAE's Farnborough aerodrome." Though JD Main-Smith co-owned the FIDO patent, no royalties accrued from any UK civilian usage after World War II as there was none, it being too petrol-hungry. At an attempt to quantify the saving of aircrew life, B Main-Smith suggests possibly 11,000 airmen but not all would be fit to fly again....

"It is difficult for the modern (2008) UK resident to comprehend what World War II fogs were like. It was not uncommon for a person to be unable to see the hand at the end of an outstretched arm. The post-war Clean Air Act hugely ameliorated UK fogs", comments B Main-Smith.

wikipedia.org/FIDO

post-6667-018297100 1277994812_thumb.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

FIDO was in use even after the war as far as I know

this google link for bismuth weather flights gives a whole list of interesting data.

I do remember the dread of one of these buggers being diverted to your airfield when I was a weather observer

met codes could be complex but decoding and sending this bloody thing beat all.

happened just once to me at RAF Worksop-the boss thought it highly amusing-I was less inclined to see the funny side of it.

anyway I digress

the link

http://uk.search.yah...icevm&type=IEBD

A good read that-had forgotten some of it-and love the idea of every 400th Bismuth flight being greeted on the apron with a barrel of beer!

also sent an e mail to UK Met and got this reply, so we may yet get something

Dear John,

Thank you for your enquiry.

We have forwarded this on to our Library and they will get back to you as soon as possible.

If you have any further questions or need additional information please contact the Weather Desk on 0870 9000 100 where one of our advisors will be happy to help you. The number is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards Tara

Edited by johnholmes
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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

2nd July 1940

Rslp19400702.gif

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - marshalling yards at Hamm. Evere (Brussels) airfield.

10 Sqn. Three aircraft to Hamm. All bombed successfully. One aircraft damaged by Flak. Opposition heavy.

51 Sqn. Three aircraft to Hamm. All bombed successfully. One man baled out over target. Opposition heavy.

77 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Evere. Only six bombed due to bad weather.

GERMANY: Hitler orders a study into a possible invasion of Britain. Ober Kommando der Wehrmacht (the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces) issues an order entitled: The War Against England. It begins "The Führer and Supreme Commander has decided that a landing in England is possible."

Throughout the war, the basis of the German intelligence appretication of Britian's air and armament industry was Studie Blau (the Bue Report) a detailed, but flawed doccument dated 16th July 1939 which confidently stated:

The Luftwaffe is in a position to go over to decisive daylight operations owing to the inadequate air defence of the island.

The reoprt drew the following conclusions:

The Luftwaffe is clearly superior to the RAF regards strength, equipment, training, command and location of bases. In the event of an intensification of air warfare the Luftwaffe, unlike the RAF, will be in a position in every respect to achieve a decisive effect this year if the start of large scale operations is set early enough to allow advantage to be taken of the months with favourable weather conditions (July to the beginning of October)

The reality was that facing them in England was the only unified and structured air defence system in the world at the time, the principles of which form the basis of our current air defence networks even today, albeit modified to deal with the demands of today's technology.

Perhaps the greatest failure was the German conclusions about the effectiveness of the British radar stations. General Martini's 3d Abteilung had detected the British radar before the outbreak of hostilities.

To gain additional information, signals intelligence even flew collection missions using the airship Graf Zeppelin. Either General Martini initially failed to pass this information to Colonel Schmid, or Schmid and his team failed to grasp the significance of radar's potential.

In any event, little emphasis was placed on sustained attacks against the British early warning system. As the battle progressed, however, Schmid did become aware that Martini's monitoring service had detected that radar information was being passed to RAF fighters by radio.

For Schmid, this served to confirm his earlier conclusions and he remained convinced that the mass attacks being conducted by the Luftwaffe would overload what he considered to be an "inflexible" command and control system. In truth, massed formations of German aircraft proved far easier to detect and track.

Further supporting Colonel Schmid's flawed conclusions about radar was the effectiveness of an undetected deception plan derived from a British policy to continue transmitting from damaged radar sites. Thus, radar sites that were incapable of receiving information continued to transmit signals. The German signals intelligence was "deceived into thinking that the bombing of radar stations which was undertaken early in the campaign was ineffective. . . ." In concert with pilot reports that "led the Germans to believe that the vitals of the radar stations were located in bombproof bunkers," the decision was finally made to discontinue attacks against the radar sites altogether

www.ibiblio.org

Initially unaware of the capabilities of the British early warning system, German bomber pilots frequently complained that whenever they attacked in any force, there were always groups of Spitfires and Hurricanes there to counter attack, almost irrespective of visibility. As the German claims for British fighter losses mounted and their analysis deducted claims for British aircraft destroyed from their already flawed information on RAF fighter strength, the cynicism of German bomber crews flying towards their targets produced the standing joke - 'Here they come again the last 50 British fighters'

A32E2C63_D0A6_AF6E_4014BAF797450827.jpg

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What's left of the radar installation at RAF Pevensey

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

3rd and 4th July 1940:

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On 16th May 1940, No 249 reformed as a fighter squadron at Church Fenton, initially with Spitfires, but after a few weeks re-equipped with Hurricanes.

Becoming operational on 3rd July, it flew defensive patrols and moved south in August to take part in the Battle of Britain.

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Pugnis et calcibus - 'With fists and heels'

Twenty-one-year-old Pilot officer John Beard, Service number 740502 (NCO), 89588 (Officer), started the war in 609 Squadron, before joining 249 Squadron in early 1940. On 18th September 1940 he shot down a Bf110, his first victory. He next scored on 27th September when he chased a Do17 which he damaged. He was attacked by two Bf-109's, and turning on them, shot both down. During the rest of the month he destroyed another Bf-109 and a He-111, bringing his score to 5.

Beard baled out of his Hurricane I (N2440) safely on the 7th of September 1940 during combat with Do 17's over North East London at 18:00hrs. On the 25th of October 1940 he was wounded when he baled out of his stricken Hurricane I (P3615) after combat with a Bf 109 at 12:00hrs. at Rankins Farm, Linton, Kent, being wounded he was admitted to Pembury Hospital near Tunbridge Wells (the aircraft was recovered in November 1986)

He returned to the squadron in January 1941 and was commissioned, but left soon after. He did not see further combat. He ended the war with seven confirmed victories.

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North Weald RAF Station, 1940. A Hurricane of 249 Squadron being rearmed.

On one balmy day during the Battle of Britain while waiting on the airfield to have his plane rearmed and refueled, Beard receives word of a large German attack force making its way up the Thames River towards London. The afternoon sun illuminates a cloudless blue sky as Beard and his fellow pilots lift their planes off the grass airstrip and climb to meet the enemy. The defenders level off at 15,000 feet and wait for the attackers to appear:

"Minutes went by. Green fields and roads were now beneath us. I scanned the sky and the horizon for the first glimpse of the Germans. A new vector came through on the R.T. [radio telephone] and we swung round with the sun behind us. Swift on the heels of this I heard Yellow flight leader call through the earphones. I looked quickly toward Yellow's position, and there they were!

It was really a terrific sight and quite beautiful. First they seemed just a cloud of light as the sun caught the many glistening chromium parts of their engines, their windshields, and the spin of their airscrew discs. Then, as our squadron hurtled nearer, the details stood out. I could see the bright-yellow noses of Messerschmitt fighters sandwiching the bombers, and could even pick out some of the types. The sky seemed full of them, packed in layers thousands of feet deep. They came on steadily, wavering up and down along the horizon. 'Oh, golly,' I thought, 'golly, golly . . .'

And then any tension I had felt on the way suddenly left me. I was elated but very calm. I leaned over and switched on my reflector sight, flicked the catch on the gun button from 'Safe' to 'Fire,' and lowered my seat till the circle and dot on the reflector sight shone darkly red in front of my eyes.

The squadron leader's voice came through the earphones, giving tactical orders. We swung round in a great circle to attack on their beam-into the thick of them. Then, on the order, down we went. I took my hand from the throttle lever so as to get both hands on the stick, and my thumb played neatly across the gun button. You have to steady a fighter just as you have to steady a rifle before you fire it.

My Merlin screamed as I went down in a steeply banked dive on to the tail of a forward line of Heinkels. I knew the air was full of aircraft flinging themselves about in all directions, but, hunched and snuggled down behind my sight, I was conscious only of the Heinkel I had picked out. As the angle of my dive increased, the enemy machine loomed larger in the sight field, heaved toward the red dot, and then he was there!

I had an instant's flash of amazement at the Heinkel proceeding so regularly on its way with a fighter on its tail. 'Why doesn't the fool move?' I thought, and actually caught myself flexing my muscles into the action I would have taken had I been he.

When he was square across the sight I pressed the button. There was a smooth trembling of my Hurricane as the eight-gun squirt shot out. I gave him a two-second burst and then another. Cordite fumes blew back into the cockpit, making an acrid mixture with the smell of hot oil and the air-compressors.

I saw my first burst go in and, just as I was on top of him and turning away, I noticed a red glow inside the bomber. I turned tightly into position again and now saw several short tongues of flame lick out along the fuselage. Then he went down in a spin, blanketed with smoke and with pieces flying off.

I left him plummeting down and, horsing back on my stick, climbed up again for more. The sky was clearing, but ahead toward London I saw a small, tight formation of bombers completely encircled by a ring of Messerschmitts. They were still heading north. As I raced forward, three flights of Spitfires came zooming up from beneath them in a sort of Prince-of-Wales's-feathers maneuver. They burst through upward and outward, their guns going all the time. They must have each got one, for an instant later I saw the most extraordinary sight of eight German bombers and fighters diving earthward together in flames.

I turned away again and streaked after some distant specks ahead. Diving down, I noticed that the running progress of the battle had brought me over London again. I could see the network of streets with the green space of Kensington Gardens, and I had an instant's glimpse of the Round Pond, where I sailed boats when I was a child. In that moment, and as I was rapidly overhauling the Germans ahead, a Dornier 17 sped right across my line of flight, closely pursued by a Hurricane. And behind the Hurricane came two Messerschmitts. He was too intent to have seen them and they had not seen me! They were coming slightly toward me. It was perfect. A kick at the rudder and I swung in toward them, thumbed the gun button, and let them have it. The first burst was placed just the right distance ahead of the leading Messerschmitt. He ran slap into it and he simply came to pieces in the air. His companion, with one of the speediest and most brilliant 'get-outs' I have ever seen, went right away in a half Immelmann turn. I missed him completely. He must almost have been hit by the pieces of the leader but he got away. I hand it to him.

At that moment some instinct made me glance up at my rear-view mirror and spot two Messerschmitts closing in on my tail. Instantly I hauled back on the stick and streaked upward. And just in time. For as I flicked into the climb, I saw, the tracer streaks pass beneath me. As I turned I had a quick look round the "office" [cockpit]. My fuel reserve was running out and I had only about a second's supply of ammunition left. I was certainly in no condition to take on two Messerschrnitts. But they seemed no more eager than I was. Perhaps they were in the same position, for they turned away for home. I put my nose down and did likewise."

www.eyewitnesstohistory.com

"Sergeant Beard has displayed great courage and coolness in his engagements against the enemy. This was particularly shown on one occasion in September, 1940, when, by cool tactics, he destroyed two Messerschmitt 109's which attacked him from the rear, whilst he was pursuing an enemy bomber. He has destroyed a total of five enemy aircraft."

John Beard received the Distinguished Flying Medal for his efforts.

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Hawker Hurricanes of 249 Squadron

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

thanks again C-fascinating reading and great to see the weather patterns-keep them coming please-I'm still waiting for 2 sources but they will be for after the B-o-B.

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Posted
  • Location: Swindon ,Wilts;
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms.
  • Location: Swindon ,Wilts;

Fantastic reading BoB, here in swindon only 4 miles from me some Spitfires were built at South Marston. Some 121 type 21 Spitfires (inc around 50 extra for the Navy) were built. I actually work in the Honda plant which now sits on this old site.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

5th July 1940

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RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - occupied airfields at Merville. Naval targets at Wilhelmshaven.

10 Sqn. Three aircraft to Merville. None bombed, weather atrocious.

51 Sqn. Three aircraft to Merville. None bombed, weather atrocious.

58 Sqn. Six aircraft to Wilhelmshaven. Five bombed, one returned early. Opposition severe.

2 Group ( Blenheim). 18 Sqn. Bombing - Northern France.

82 Sqn. Bombing - barges at Zwolle.

110 Sqn. Bombing - barges near Katwyke.

The Spitfire

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Type: Single Seat Fighter

Description : Low Wing Monoplane

Wingspan : 36 feet 10 inches ( 11.23m )

Length : 29 feet 11 inches ( 9.12m )

Height (max): 11 feet 5 inches ( 3.48m )

Wing Area : 242 sq feet ( 22.48m2 )

Weight empty : 4332 lb ( 1965 kg )

Weight loaded : 5750 ( 2609 kg )

Power Plant : Rolls Royce Merlin II V12 liquid cooled piston engine

B.H.P. :1030 hp

Armament : 8 fixed wing mounted 0.303 Browning Machine guns

Maximum speed : 362 mph

Initial Climb rate : 2,300 ft per min ( 700 m per min )

Ceiling : 31,900 ft

Range : 395 miles

The Spitfire’s maiden flight was on March 5th 1936. It finally entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1938. It remained in service with the RAF until 1955.

During this time, 20,351 Spitfires were built and about 50 are still flying.

Though it is assumed that ‘Spitfire’ came from the aeroplane’s awesome firing capabilities, it was also an Elizabethan word that meant someone who had a fiery character. Other names considered for the aeroplane were ‘Snipe’ and ‘Shrew’.

Despite the fame of the Spitfire and its association with the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane actually shot down more enemy planes during this battle.

By 1939, about 10% of all Spitfires had been lost as a result of training accidents.

The Spitfire was the only Allied fighter to be production for the duration of World War Two.

In the later years of the war the Spitfire was used for low-level reconnaissance flights. Occasionally painted pink for this role, the plane that was famous for its firing capabilities was nearly stripped of all its weaponry so that it was as light as possible and therefore as fast as was possible.

The Spitfire first saw action over foreign soil at the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940.

The distinctive roof bulge in the cockpit was to allow for taller pilots.

The Spitfire had the famous elliptical wing, giving greater speed and manoeuvrability. This was at a price: 13000 man-hours per airframe. Messerschmitt had optimised for speed and manufacturability (some call it producibility)at only 4000 man-hours; but the Bf 109 was no faster than the Spitfire, and was consistently out-turned by it. Heinkel had considered the elliptical wing, but rejected it as too difficult to manufacture.

In the event, Germany only managed to produce about 200 fighters a month in the summer of 1940: not enough to keep up with their losses. Heinkel and Messerschmitt were right about the need to minimise manufacturing effort - if they had made more labour-intensive machines, such as four-engined heavy bombers (as many armchair warriors have suggested), they would have run out of planes and aircrew even sooner.

“Nothing is perfect in this world I suppose. But the Spitfire came close to perfection.†Anon

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At the time of 'The Spitfire Fund' the following price list of the major component parts of a Spitfire was issued by the Air Ministry in the summer of 1940.

Engine £2,000

Fuselage £2,500

Wings £1,800

Undercarriage £800

Guns £800

Tail £500

Propeller £350

Petrol Tank (Top) £40

Petrol Tank (Bottom) £25

Oil Tank £25

Compass £5

Clock £2 10s 0d

Thermometer £1 1s 0d

Sparking Plug 8s 0d

To these items can be added a further £1,000 for a variety of small parts such as screws, cables, switches, sockets, gauges and paint.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

more fascinating info C-£10k for a Spitfure, wonder what that is in todays value?

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

By July 3rd 1940, Britain was experiencing exceptionally warm summer days and balmy nights and this allowed the Army, Navy, Air Force, defence personnel and members of the many auxiliary authorities to secure the defence arrangements that were required to thwart any threat of invasion.

The Royal Navy was busy laying minefields in the Channel and at the entrances to the many ports around the coast, nets were being laid across the entrances to all the major seaports. More and more radar stations were being installed at specific points all around the south-eastern and southern coastline of England. Coastal Command were busy on reconnaissance photographic flights photographing all the major seaports that were possible targets of invasion. And hundreds of miles of curled and twisted coils of barbed wire were being laid by the Army along beaches and cliff tops and along the promenades of the many seaside resorts helped by some 150,000 civilians who offered their services. They also helped construct the hundreds of pill-boxes, tank traps and sandbag barriers as well as assisted in the removal and obliteration of road signs and any other sign that depicted a landmark such as signs and guides on railway stations.

A huge recruiting campaign of immense proportions went out nationwide for people to join the services or to the various departments within the country that would contribute to the war effort. It was compulsory for all males over eighteen to register for military service either in the army, navy or air force, the only exception being those that had jobs in governmental departments and in industries classified as contributing to the war effort. Females (and there was no equal oppertunities then) were given the opportunity to volunteer for duties in various departments of the forces, in jobs that had been vacated by men that had been called up such as in public transport, railways, nursing and civil defence.

So great was the response from women who wished to "do their bit" that the military forces either expanded their womens sections or created new ones. The womens section in the army was the Womens Land Army. In the navy it was the WRENS (Womens Royal Naval Service) and in the air force it was the WAAF (Womens Auxiliary Air Service)and the ATS (Auxiliary Transport Service) virtually served all three. Although their tasks were not classed as full manual labour, many took on jobs that one only thought that was in a male dominated area. They worked in rural areas, as telephonists, in clerical, in munitions and in some areas such as the balloon service and radar and filtering there were more women than there were men. They worked as wardens, as drivers in the AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service), as drivers in the ambulance service (in fact by September 1940, 2,000 women were driving ambulances), worked on the production line in aircraft factories, in munition manufacture and in the hospital service. Britain no doubt was indebted to the role that women played during the whole of WWII.

www.battleofbritain1940.net

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The ATA was founded in 1938 and during World War Two civilian members in it delivered 130 different types of planes to various frontline RAF bases. By 1945, the ATA had 650 pilots from 22 countries. Male members of the ATA were invariably men who had failed to get into the RAF as pilots on medical grounds. The logic behind the ATA was simple: non-combatant pilots would deliver the planes to the airfields thus freeing up the pilots to rest and recover from their numerous sorties – nowhere was this more true than during the Battle of Britain. Those in the ATA had to fly their planes to wherever they were needed in all types of weather. 173 ATA pilots and engineers were killed doing this work – primarily the victims of poor weather and engine failure.

“The weather was our biggest enemy. We didn’t have radio contact with the ground and there were a couple of times when I thought I’d lost one of my nine lives.†Joy Lofthouse, ATA.

“I was often frightened, especially in bad weather. Many times I wondered if I would ever see the aerodrome again.†Freydis Sharland, ATA

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Probably the most famous member of the ATA was Amy Johnson who joined in 1940. In 1941 she was killed in the Thames Estuary after flying from a base in north England in very poor weather. What happened to her and her plane remains a mystery but it is assumed that Johnson got disorientated in very poor weather and then her engine failed. She bailed out into the River Thames and may well have been hit by the propellers of a passing ship.

The importance of the ATA was recognised by Churchill’s government. Lord Beaverbrook gave an appropriate tribute at the closing ceremony disbanding the ATA.

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“Without the ATA the days and nights of the Battle of Britain would have been conducted under conditions quite different from the actual events. They carried out the delivery of aircraft from the factories to the RAF, thus relieving countless numbers of RAF pilots for duty in the battle. Just as the Battle of Britain is the accomplishment and achievement of the RAF, likewise it can be declared that the ATA sustained and supported them in the battle. They were soldiers fighting in the struggle just as completely as if they had been engaged on the battlefront.â€
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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

6th July 1940

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RAF Fighter Command:

Heavy rain throughout the day. No Operational flying.

RAF Bomber Command:

4 Group (Whitley). Aircraft are sent to bomb a German battleship at Kiel.

51 Sqn. Four aircraft sent, only one bombed, adverse weather. Two enemy aircraft seen, no attacks.

102 Sqn. Six aircraft sent, only two bombed, bad weather.

Douglas Bader ("Dogsbody")

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Douglas Robert Steuart Bader was the son of a soldier who died as a result of the wounds suffered in the First World War. He was born in London in 1910. A good student, Bader won a scholarship to St Edward's School in Oxford. An excellent sportsman, Bader won a place to the RAF College in Cranwell where he captained the Rugby team and was a champion boxer. Bader was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Air Force in 1930.

On December 14th, 1931, allegedly as a result of a dare by two civilian pilots, he took to the air at Woodley airfield in a Bristol Bulldog to give a demonstration of low level flying. According to the rule book, the Bulldog should not have been used for any aerobatics below 1000 feet. Bader took the plane so low that the left wing clipped the grass and the plane crashed. Bader suffered severe lower body injuries and he had his legs amputated – one above the knee and the other below the knee. Discharged from the RAF he found work with the Asiatic Petroleum Company. On the outbreak of the Second World War was allowed to rejoin the RAF.

A member of 222 Squadron, Bader took part in the operation over Dunkirk and showed his ability by bringing down a Messerschmitt Bf109 and a Heinkel He111.

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Bader was then promoted by Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and was given command of he predominantly Canadian flying personnel of 242 Squadron at Duxford, which had suffered 50 per cent casualties in just a couple of weeks. When Bader first arrived at the squadron's headquarters at Coltishall airfield, most of the squadron's pilots were skeptical of their new legless squadron leader, who, they thought, would lead them from his desk. Bader quickly dispelled the idea by taking one of 242's Hurricane fighters and performing acrobatics over Coltishall for a half hour, deeply impressing 242's pilots. Bader quickly transformed 242 into a tight, tough squadron through his courage, leadership and uncompromising attitude toward his pilots, ground crews and the RAF high command, with whom he soon had a major brush. After taking charge of 242 Squadron, Bader soon discovered that the unit did not have the spare parts or tools to keep its 18 Hurricane fighters operational.

After trying to sort out the problem through official channels, Bader signaled 12th Group Headquarters: "242 Squadron operational as regards pilots but non-operational as regards equipment." And he refused to announce his squadron as operational until its lack of tools and spares was rectified. Within 24 hours, 242 Squadron had all the tools and spares it needed, and Bader signaled 12th Group: "242 Squadron now fully operational."

The squadron, however, took little part in the early stages of the Battle of Britain, flying only convoy patrols and going after occasional high-flying Dornier bombers. Bader shot down one of these on July 11 during a rainstorm that prevented him from getting a section of fighters off the ground. Bader took off alone in a Hurricane, found the Dornier despite the bad weather, and attacked it. He killed its tail gunner and saw it disappear into a cloud. Certain it had gotten away, Bader returned to base. Five minutes after he landed, Bader was informed that a ground observer had seen the Dornier crash into the sea.

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On August 30, 242 Squadron intercepted a group of 30 German bombers and fighters attacking North Weald airfield. Bader shot down an Me-110, and the rest of his squadron claimed 11 kills. It was a respectable total, but Bader believed that if they had had three or more squadrons attacking the huge German formation, all of the attacking planes would have been shot down. Thus, the "Big Wing" concept was born. Supported by Leigh Mallory, Bader was convinced that launching a large number of fighter squadrons against the Luftwaffe armadas was essential for the RAF's success in the battle. Leigh Mallory decided to try Bader's wing in action. He grouped 242 with two other fighter squadrons - 19 Squadron and the Czech 310 Squadron - at Duxford.

Bader led the wing into action for the first time on September 7, 1940, against a large German formation heading for London. "We had been greatly looking forward to our first formation of 36 fighters going into action together," Bader wrote years later, "but we were unlucky." Having been scrambled late, the wing was underneath the bombers and their fighter escorts when they intercepted them north of the Thames. All 242 and 310 could do was attack as best they could while 19 Squadron's Spitfires tried to hold off the attacking Me-109s. The wing managed to destroy 11 aircraft, with only two Hurricanes shot down. Bader himself got a cockpit full of bullets and the right aileron shot off his Hurricane. After several sorties with three squadrons, two more - the Polish 302 Hurricane Squadron and Auxiliary 601 Spitfire Squadron - were added to the so-called Duxford Wing, giving it five squadrons and 60 fighters. "We thus had three Hurricane Squadrons which flew together at the lower level (20,000 feet if we were called in time) with the Spitfires protecting us 5,000 feet higher," Bader said. "It worked like a charm once or twice, and the arrival of this large formation in support of hard-pressed 11 Group squadrons was highly satisfactory." The tactic really paid off on September 15, 1940, when Bader's Duxford Wing helped 11 Group to break up a massed Luftwaffe attack on London.

Bader had strong ideas on tactics and did not always follow orders. He took the view that RAF fighters should be sent out to meet the German planes before they reached Britain. Hugh Dowding rejected this strategy as he believed it would take too long to organise.

Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, the commander of No. 11 Fighter Group, also complained complained that Bader's squadron should have done more to protect the air bases in his area instead of going off hunting for German aircraft to shoot down.

This strategy suited Bader and during the summer of 1941 he obtained 12 kills. His 23 victories made him the fifth highest ace in the RAF. However, on 9th August 1941, he suffered a mid-air collision down near Le Touquet, France. He parachuted to the ground but both his artificial legs were badly damaged.

Bader was taken to a hospital and with the help of a French nurse managed to escape. He reached the home of a local farmer but was soon arrested and sent to a prison camp. After several attempts to escape he was sent to Colditz.

Bader was freed at the end of the Second World War and when he returned to Britain he was promoted to group captain. He left the Royal Air Force in 1946 and became managing director of Shell Aircraft until 1969 when he left to become a member of the Civil Aviation Authority Board.

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How Douglas Bader lost his plane in August 1941 remained a mystery. In ‘Reach for the Sky’ (I have a well thumbed copy of Paul Brickhill's book by my side!) his Spitfire collided with a Messerschmitt 109 which took off his tail plane that necessitated Bader to bale out. While a POW, Bader repeated the tale of a collision. Yet when he met Adolf Galland before his incarceration in a Stalag, he asked the German fighter ace if he knew the name of the pilot who had shot him down. No mention was made of a collision and Galland was not aware of any German pilot shooting down Bader and none had reported it. German records indicate that only one fighter plane was lost to the Luftwaffe in that region of France on August 9th and that was a credited ‘shot down’ – not lost as a result of a collision.

Recent research indicates that Bader was shot down – but by a Spitfire. By 1941, the shape of the Me 109 had changed to resemble the more curved shape of the Spitfire. It is possible that Bader, in the chaos of battle, joined a flight of Me 109’s (mistaking them for Spitfires) before pulling away from them once he realised his mistake. Another Spitfire pilot, Buck Casson, saw the ‘lone’ Me 109 and attacked it to such an extent that the tail of the Spitfire with the DB recognition was shot off. In his post-flight report, Casson clearly stated that he saw a lone Me 109 peeling away from others. He attacked it and shot it down. Yet the sole Luftwaffe plane shot down that day has been accounted for. Given the speed both planes flew at and the merest of seconds any fighter pilot had to make a decision, it would appear that Bader was shot down by another Spitfire.

"Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible"
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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

thanks C-you learn something new every day, the idea that Bader was shot down by a Spitfire is not something I had read of before.

I did 'meet' him on several occasions when he was MD or whatever with BP. He used to fly his own aircraft out of Manchester airport so he came into the office for briefing. You could here him coming from the lift to our briefing area with a very characteristic clump clump of his shoes on the tiled surface.

Was always polite but expected what he had requested to be ready on the dot!

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Posted
  • Location: south London
  • Location: south London

nice one Coast...

Coast check out World War II in colour HD...the series...mega brilliant.....DVD box set

also showing on National Geographic....

Edited by Coast
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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

thanks C-you learn something new every day, the idea that Bader was shot down by a Spitfire is not something I had read of before.

There was a Channel 4 documentary on it about 4 years ago and more info here: www.ww2talk.com/forum

This theory is based on information un earthed by Andrew Saunders, that Casson after the war claims to have shot down an Me109 on the same day that Bader was shot down. His description of the incident exactly mirrors what is supposed to have happened to Bader. However a search of combat records, reveals that only one Me109 was shot down that day and that has been attributed to a pilot called Nip Heppel. Also Adolf Galland's says, his squadron were in the area that day and none of his men have ever claimed to have shot down Bader or collided with him.
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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

got this back from the Met Office library after my e mail to their main desk=quite large pdf file, 5 close typed pages and a map but well worth downloading and reading-an article in the Met Mag in 1990

sorry too big for the Net Wx max of 2.5mb, its x2 that size so I'll have to try and split it into two.

I think I have a cunning plan to beat the NW limit and the Met O trying to make it difficult!

watch this space

Edited by johnholmes
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