╨╧рб▒с>■  ЖИ■   ДЕ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ье┴s ┐Шgjbjb└ └ %╓кkкkШc      ]ЦЦЦЦЦЦЦRRRRR ^RяъЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖмоооооо,┘Ї═▓┌ЦЖЖЖЖЖ┌ЦЦЖЖЖЖ:ЦЖЦЖмкT■TЦЦЦЦЖмЪмЦЦмz [o╗RR└Rм Chapter XV - 1945, Year of Victory Thenceforth no flying fires inflamed the gray, No hurtlings shook the dewdrop from the thorn. Thomas Hardy The New Year opened with heavy storms and blizzards. At one stage Oulton was completely snowbound, the roads impassable. It was only possible to operate on twelve nights in January. We spent a great deal of time playing cards, either shoot-pontoon or poker, in the comfort of the billets. Our main problem was obtaining fuel for the pot-bellied stove situated in the centre of the Nissen hut, but we did manage to find some firewood in a copse close by. In the evening two members of the hut would trudge their way over to the mess, which was some distance away, and bring back cocoa, sandwiches, and buns, after which welcome repast, we would continue with our card playing. In January, I returned to operations with a scratch crew made up of second tour men and others fresh from training school. My bomb aimer was Don Beaton, with whom I had flown on the first tour. I was amazed, when rejoining the Squadron, at the number of second and third tour men and could never understand why we were not given a medical examination before making a return to operational flying. All of us were keen as mustard to fly again, but some showed visible signs of mental stress, which we called 'flak happy' or, more commonly, 'the twitch'. One air gunner, back on a third tour, used to jerk his head so violently that his cap travelled through 360 degrees, rotating round his head with each jerk. The impediment did not impair his flying ability though, and he came through his third tour successfully. In one of the few sorties carried out during January, F/O Scott was attacked by an Me110 on his way back from Brux, and although his machine was badly damaged he managed to get back to the UK but crashed short of the runway, injuring six of the crew and with the loss of F/O T.V. McKee. With improving weather conditions in February, the Squadron returned to normal working once more, but sustained early losses. On the night of February 7/8, W/O Bennett had his aircraft badly shot up by a Ju 88 on his return from Ladbergen. The special operator and waist gunner were wounded and the navigator, F/O Paddick, died of his wounds. On the next night, returning from a successful patrol, P/O Robertson, RNZAF, and crew were all killed when their plane crashed into the North Sea. Dresden appeared on the battle map for the first time at our briefing on February 13th. The name still conjures up visions of the massacre of a defenceless civilian population, and a condemnation of our war leaders. Whatever the facts of this matter, I can only relate my feelings at that time, and those of some of my compatriots. The Germans, who started the war, had for five years been bombing open cities all over Europe without thought of civilian casualties, and waging all-out warfare against several neutral countries besides the lands of their enemies. In 1945 our forces were winning on all fronts and could see an end to the fighting before the year's end. Our main task was to get the war over as quickly as possible. We were not heartless, but could not have carried out this task if we had allowed our minds to dwell upon the consequences of our bombing. If we killed civilians, so be it. It was as well we fought an impersonal war, from miles up in the sky, for if we had seen our victims at close hand ours would have been a harder cross to bear. On every raid carried out, we were always apprised of our target, its military importance, and the reason for bombing it. Dresden did not differ in this respect. I am still asked if I feel any remorse over bombing this town and the answer is, "No". To our knowledge, we were attacking a vital military target. If we had been told that this was an undefended town full of refugees and of no military importance, I can well imagine a mutiny starting up between us and the powers that be. My own guess is that no one knew the real situation in Dresden and that this was one of the terrible mistakes made in the war. At the briefing we were told the bombing attack was against an important rail junction which was supplying the German army with reinforcements for holding back the Russians, who were then only fifty miles away; and that this attack was to help our Allies. The IO did mention that Dresden factories also produced porcelain and chocolate. This black humour was not unknown at briefings and was always good for a nervous laugh but, like the rest of us, the officer concerned was convinced that the target markers would fall over the railway station. The attack was carried out in two waves, 800 aircraft in all, and we went in with the first wave. No opposition was encountered and fires were soon well alight in the town. There was an unusual lack of flak and searchlights and only when we crossed the Ruhr on the way back did we meet any resistance. Seven aircraft were lost on this raid, which was followed up by the Americans the following day with another heavy attack by the Eighth Air Force. Our particular trip lasted nine hours, 20 minutes, and was the longest I had flown. For the rest of the month the Squadron was involved in sorties almost every night, with the loss of one aircraft piloted by F/O Shortle, on February 25th. Operational flying in 1945 was vastly different from that of earlier years. Previously, on reaching enemy-held territory, we were hotly engaged with flak and searchlights by coastal defences, but with our armies almost up to the German frontier and the breakdown of the enemy's early warning system, our chances of survival became much greater. The airfields in France and Belgium were now in our hands and the fighters and light bombers of TAF ranged well into Germany during the daylight hours. At night the Mandrel screen, operating up to the front lines, shielded Bomber Command's approaching forces from early detection. The only cloud on the horizon during this time was the appearance of the German jet fighter, the Me262. Against this speedy newcomer, our heavy bombers would have little chance of survival, but for the enemy it was a case of too little too late. In the next two months the German Night Fighter Force was annihilated. On the night of March 3/4, the Germans made a large-scale intrusion over Eastern England. 140 night fighters were airborne, but less than 100 penetrated our defences. Ju88s and Me410s flew in two waves over Norfolk, attacking returning bombers and shooting up any airfield showing signs of activity. Then, turning northward, they caught Halifaxes of 6 Group landing at their bases and wrought more destruction. In all, 43 RAF aircraft were attacked. 19 bombers were destroyed in the air, three on the ground and eight damaged. This raid was exceptional due to the large number of aircraft involved. It proved to be highly successful for the Luftwaffe and costly for Bomber Command. F/O Bennett, returning from patrol, was making his landing approach when he was caught by an intruder's cannon fire and crashed on the runway in flames, killing eight of the crew, amongst whom was one of my best friends, flight engineer Les Billington. After shooting down the B-17, the fighter came in again for another attack, this time shooting up the Operations block, SHQ, and Squadron offices. One officer and two other ranks were slightly wounded, but no other casualties were incurred. A sequel to this event happened in 1965, some twenty years later. The pilot of the night fighter who shot down F/O Bennett was Lt Doring of 10/NJG3, flying a Ju88G-6. That particular night he had also shot down a Lancaster and had been recommended for the Knight Cross but never received it. Twenty years later the documents were found, and Arnold Doring, now a civilian, was awarded his decoration. Doring was credited with 13 victories during his service career. March was to prove a costly month for the Squadron, with the loss of seven aircraft. It is possible, with all our electronic and radar devices, that the enemy was able to home in on our signals, but this was never proven. Fortress KJ106 with F/O Stewart and crew, failed to return from a raid on Harburg on March 7th. Seven days later two further casualties were suffered. On a raid to Lutzkendorf oil refinery, Leipzig, F/Lt Rix and crew in HB802 all bailed out successfully and became prisoners of war, but for F/Lt Wynne and company this operation turned out to be a nightmare. The flight thus far had proved uneventful and now they were only ten to fifteen minutes flying time from Allied territory, with no sign of trouble or danger. All were probably in a relatively relaxed mood, flying at 3000 feet. At some point near Baden and north-east of Strasburg, the aircraft was caught by light flak and No 2 engine was hit, starting a blaze.The captain, F/Lt Johnny Wynne, ordered the crew to stand by to bale out. Five miles west of Strasburg he altered course to 280 degrees for Rheims. This course was held for a few minutes, by which time the engine was burning furiously and vibration was very bad. As there was a danger of the whole wing catching fire the captain ordered the crew to abandon aircraft, which they did in good order. Now came the pilot's turn to bale out, but he got caught up with his oxygen tube. In his efforts to leave the burning machine his parachute was accidentally released. He controlled the aircraft by standing between the two cockpit seats and in this position flew on towards Rheims. The engine fire meanwhile had got no worse, and after half an hour appeared to die out. As George, the automatic pilot, was unserviceable, Johnny trimmed the aircraft and then went forward to the navigator's cabin to collect maps, a task he had to perform three times before managing to find the correct charts and navigator's log. A course of 300 degrees was then set for England, with the intention of landing at the first airfield he saw. In spite of the dire straits in which he found himself, the pilot kept his head and reckoned that as long as there were no more fires he stood a chance of survival. Half an hour later the engine started to burn again, but after only a short time it subsided once more and except for a glow from inside the engine, and showers of sparks trailing behind, no other trouble was experienced. The aircraft crossed the French coast at 0240 hours and made landfall at Beachy Head. Johnny spotted a beacon shortly after crossing the coast. He circled and fired off the colours of the day but no lights were put on. He therefore continued on his course of 300 degrees. Fifteen minutes later he saw a searchlight, fired off a red cartridge, and orbited some flashing landing lights. A searchlight beam pointed out a direction to follow, and the pilot soon found it took him straight over London, which he recognised by the many lights that were showing. At this point Johnny decided to alter course and turned on to 360 degrees, and on this heading flew over an airfield which was lit up. He fired off another cartridge, then circled the field until at last he received a green light. The pilot's luck still held, for on touching down the port tyre burst, yet it ran on for 1000 yards before going down on the rim. While this was happening, the propellor of No 2 engine flew off and made a hole in the nose, but no fire started, and Johnny was picked up by the crash waggon and taken to Flying Control where he discovered that he had made a landing at Bassingbourn. While F/Lt Wynne was making his perilous journey back to England, his crew meanwhile had parachuted into southern Germany and were soon taken prisoner. F/Lt Pow, bomb aimer, broke his ankle on landing and was taken to hospital. F/O Heal, navigator, landed some distance from the rest of the crew and was taken to a different place of detention. The seven airmen who landed close to one another were F/O Hall, SO, F/Lt Tate WOpAg, F/O Vinall, FE, and air gunners F/O Frost, F/Sgt Matthews, F/Sgt Percival and F/Sgt Bradley. These were taken to the prison at Buhl. They had landed near Pforzheim, a town recently bombed by the US 8th Air Force. This town had suffered many civilian casualties and evacuated many homeless to the nearby town of Huckenfeld. The local Burgomaster was a Nazi of the worst kind and, on learning of the airmen's capture, instead of handing them over to the Luftwaffe, he decided to plan their murder. He got in touch with the two local leaders of the Allgemeine SS and Hitler Jugend, both of whom agreed to support him in every way possible in the implementation of his murderous scheme. On the morning following capture, the crew were marched through the streets of Pforzheim and were badly handled by the populace, receiving no help from the guards who just watched the proceedings. They were held for two days more at Pforzheim before being taken to Huckenfeld on March 17th. At Huckenfeld they were taken to a new school and led into a basement, which was the boiler house. Here they prepared to make themselves as comfortable as possible and settle in for the night, but the door burst open and a mob of Germans filled the cellar. Amongst the crowd of assassins was the Burgomaster who had been interrupted while attending a wedding reception. The crowd's intention was to kill the airmen immediately, but the Burgomaster intervened. He told the people not to kill them there in the school basement. His anxiety was not for the airmen, for, as he later stated, "I objected to their being shot in the cellar, as it would be a continual horror to our children who have to go inside." The airmen were again manhandled whilst their guards stood by and watched the scene, then they were dragged outside into the street to be taken to the cemetery. It must have occurred to them that the only chance of survival would be to make a break for it. F/O Vinall, F/Sgt Bradley and F/Lt Tate succeeded in struggling free, running clear of the mob under cover of darkness. The remaining four crewmen were unable to escape and were taken to the cemetery where they were shot by members of the Hitler Youth, who had been given guns for the occasion and told by their Bannfuhrer to carry out the execution. After he had witnessed the killings, the Burgomaster returned to the festivities of the wedding party. The three escapees were all recaptured. F/Lt Tate and F/Sgt Bradley managed to get well clear of the area and were picked up and taken to a different location where their POW status was recognised. Eventually they were handed over to the Luftwaffe. F/O Vinall was taken to Dillstein and confined in the local police station. The next day he was brought out of his cell and led into the street where a mob was waiting for him. He was set upon and beaten. Then a sixteen year old member of the Hitler Youth came up and shot him in the head with a pistol. The police were passive bystanders in this murder, taking no steps to restrain the crowd. It was not until F/Lt Tate returned to the Squadron on May 5th that news of the massacre became known. Then a round-up of the guilty commenced. After the war was over the case became part of the Nuremburg Trials of war criminals. The three main perpetrators of this particular crime were sent to the scaffold on January 27, 1947, and thirteen other people received prison sentences ranging from seven years to life, but some of these were later reduced. Both F/Lt Tate and W/O Bradley appeared as witnesses for the prosecution at the trials. The Squadron suffered its fourth casualty of the month on March 15th. F/O Anderson, returning from Misburg, was badly shot up by a Ju88 which got below his aircraft and, with its upward firing cannon, raked the Fortress's fuselage and set the port wing on fire. The rear gunner managed to return fire, claiming hits on the Ju88's port wing and driving it off. As the crew baled out, and the aircraft started to fall in flames, an Allied AA battery fired on the Fortress under the impression that it was an Me262, and it crashed three miles south of Kruft. Four of the crew were injured and two members were killed. Bohlen oil refinery was our target on March 20. For us this proved a very long trip. Over Leipzig we were hit by flak and had to feather one of the engines. This, combined with heavy head winds, retarded our progress and we found ourselves flying alone over Germany in daylight. Strangely, we encountered no opposition of any kind from the enemy and arrived back at Oulton some ninety minutes late after nine hours of flying, by which time we were posted as missing. One aircraft, HB803 piloted by F/O Kingdon RCAF, failed to return from this operation. An interesting feature of the air war during this period was flying over battle lines. At night you could see ground fire, and searchlights could be observed for miles along the Rhine, shining at ground level so as to light up any attempt that might be made to cross the river during darkness. At Remargen the Americans had captured a bridge intact, and succeeded in establishing a bridgehead on the German side. This bridge was attacked time and time again by the Luftwaffe, which finally destroyed the main span, but the Americans put pontoons alongside and managed to supply their troops on the opposite shore. At night it was like watching a gigantic firework display, and it also helped our navigation as we could always get a good ground fix when flying in this vicinity. F/Lt Allies, a pilot who had completed a tour of operations in 1942 with No 214, returned to the Squadron in 1945. On the night of March 21 he set out with a new crew to accompany a Bomber Command raid on Hamburg which always seemed to be an unlucky target for the Squadron. On this night Bill Allies and crew became the last 214 Squadron crew to be lost in action during the 1939-45 war. By the end of March our crew had completed thirteen trips of the tour and it would be untrue to say that things were going smoothly for us. Although we functioned well as a crew, some anxiety was caused by the physical state of the skipper. Our pilot, a Flight Lieutenant DFC, second tour man, was a brave and excellent flyer, but suffered a serious case of nerves. All he wished to do was get into the air. If there was no air testing to do on our aircraft, he would approach other pilots in the Flight to see if he could take up their machines. If there was no flying, he became agitated. When on the battle order, he was full of nervous tension until we took off. Once, when after a long stand-by one of our operations was scrubbed, he was reduced to tears of frustration. We had yet another problem, of which the other crew members may have been unaware, but which I, as mid-upper gunner, could observe. Our rear gunner was consistently failing to report aircraft closing in from the rear and below. On one occasion, whilst flying at night, I saw a Lancaster coming in fast from the rear and only by shouting, "Dive to starboard, go!" over the intercom did we avoid collision. We could only have missed by a few feet, and our gunner and the Lanc pilot must have had an eyeball to eyeball confrontation. I believe our rear gunner, a Warrant Officer on his third tour, knew the danger of not keeping a look-out in the vital position he occupied, and did not go to sleep on the job, but was suffering a case of failing eyesight. Whatever the reason, from then on I spent most of my time watching the area of the sky which would normally have been searched by the rear gunner position. Lutzkendorf Oil Refinery, Leipzig, was our next target on April 8th, a trip of over seven hours. We joined the Lancasters of 5 Group for a precision raid on a small target. It was also the night we first saw a jet fighter in action. Nearing our target, I looked below and saw what I thought was a rocket or some sort of anti-aircraft missile coming towards us. To my amazement, as it got closer it levelled out at our height and I recognised it as an Me262. But we were not the chosen victim. A Lancaster flying parallel with our aircraft and only a short distance away was the target. One quick burst of cannon fire and the Lanc was burning fiercely along its wing section. I don't think the rear gunner managed to get a shot off, it was so sudden. The whole action was over in only a few seconds. The speed of the jet was frightening. At that moment I realised that air combat had entered a new era which, at a stroke, made our four-engine bombers virtually obsolete. We completed this operation without further alarms, but, on nearing England, were instructed to divert to Tangmere, where other crews were also instructed to divert. F/O Nelson's crew spent the night at Juvencourt, France, and according to F/O Jock Petrie DFC, the flight engineer, things were much the same as when we landed there in November. They found bomb-cratered runways and derelict Luftwaffe barracks, where they bedded down for the night but found sleep impossible. Bomber Operations, Night of March 20/21, 1945 Key to the map: (1) Hemmingstedt: 166 Lancasters with electronic cover, supplied by 1 Fortress, 1 Liberator and 1 Mosquito: low level attack on oilplant. (2) Bohlen: 235 aircraft. See * . (3) o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o Mandrel Screen comprised seven pairs of Halifaxes of No. 171 and 199 Squadrons. These blacked-out the German early warning radar. (4) 64 training aircraft made a feint attack towards Strasbourg. (5) Berlin raid by thirty five Mosquitos of Pathfinder Force. (6) Bremen raid by twenty seven Mosquitos of Pathfinder Force. Fourteen Mosquito fighter bombers from Nos. 23 and 515 Squadrons carried out intruder patrols over German night fighter airfields before the arrival of the bombers, to cause further disruption to the enemy's defences. * The 235 aircraft stream to Bohlen, (2) on the map, were split after crossing the French coast: (a) 41 Lancasters. (b) 211 Lancasters, preceded by 7 Liberators of No. 223 Squadron and 4 Halifaxes of No. 171 Squadron laying a dense window cloud. They burst through the 80 mile long Mandrel screen near the Rhine. This stream then turned towards Kassel, as the Liberators and Halifaxes, aided by Pathfinder Force Mosquitos, opened a spoof attack on this city. At a point some 20 miles south of Kassel they then changed direction and headed for Bohlen. Before the target was reached four Forts of No. 214 Squadron, 2 Halifaxes of No. 199 Squadron, in company with 12 Lancasters, left the main stream and, laying a window trail, made a spoof attack against Leuna, an equally important oil target 20 miles north west of Leipzig. The main objective, Bohlen, was successfully attacked, and the Lancasters were given jamming support through the target by 5 No.214 Squadron Fortresses, a Liberator of No. 223, and 2 Mosquitos of No. 192 Squadron. Additional cover was given by 33 high level Mosquito night fighters which escorted the bomber force and patrolled both sides of the stream. After an operation to Magdeburg on April 10, a round trip of over eight hours, we were informed by the CO that our tour was at an end. This was unusual, as we were only three-quarters of the way through it, but I suppose he realised the problems we were facing and, with a surfeit of crews then available, decided to screen us. For Don Beaton and me this was a bitter blow. We had been flying together now for two years and neither of us wished to finish up behind a desk. We immediately applied for a third tour, stating preference for Tiger force, a Squadron that was being prepared for service in the Far East. I suspect that our application got no further than the Station MO for we were soon given the thumbs down and reluctantly left Oulton and 214 for Air Crew Re-allocation Centre at Catterick. There I got my wish to go to the Far East, but not in a flying capacity. Don, meantime, was sent to serve in Germany. In April the Squadron was heavily engaged in its last full month of operations against Germany without the loss of any plane or crew member. Then, on May 2nd, just as in the first World War, a 214 aircraft participated in the last bombing mission of the war. This particular operation was flown by the OC B Flight S/Ldr Van den Bok DFC and bars, and his WOpAG P/O John Mills states, "My log book contains an entry for May 2, 1945: Operations Schleswigjagel Aerodrome, Kiel area, take-off time 2048 hours, flying time 4 hours 50 minutes." This was, I believe, the last offensive operation of the war in Europe. Acting Squadron Leader Ralph Van den Bok, DFC and two bars, had an eventful service career. On his first tour of operations he flew as a wireless operator air gunner in a Hampden, and was shot down on the last operation of his tour. He evaded capture, and with help from the French Resistance made his way back to England via Spain and Gibraltar. Upon his return he remustered to pilot, completed his training in Canada, and chalked up two more tours. Dutch, as he was called, left the RAF in 1951 and went to work for Esso Aviation Fuel Division, flying the company's Proctor and Oxford aircraft. In 1957, after several thousand flying hours and surviving many crashes, he was badly injured in the Lewisham train disaster, losing his left leg and sustaining a fractured skull. Шg&'[жзK{ Ъ Д м4У=№"1$<з>╞@-CWEaHцIюL|P"V#VQVRV¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤Шg■RVSVTVUVVVWVXVYVZV[V\V]V^V_V`VaVbVcVdVeVfVgVhViVjVzV W2W╙WX¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤XXXЪXЫXЕYИYьYZР^С^*bМdЦgЧgШg¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤# 0РА░╨/ ░р=!░p"░а#Ра$Ра%░ [(@ё (NormalCJmH <A@Є б<Default Paragraph FontШc╓                    M :д+з:ЫIcR2ZШc_┬yс^ШgfRVXШggijШghenщя$*╚xcЪc mСZк^╡^╪^▌^-_C`┬`╟`Ъc  Rosaleen Dickson8Macintosh HD:Desktop Folder:Sqyadron 214 Book:Chapter 15 @АЧcЧcА╥+ЧcЧcт+Шc0@GРTimes New Roman5РАSymbol3Р Arial3РTimes"1И╨h9Вv&:Вv&hR*Гп▒е└┤┤А0┘d╥  $Chapter XV - 1945, Year of VictoryRosaleen DicksonRosaleen Dickson■  рЕЯЄ∙OhлС+'│┘0МИР└╠шЇ , H T `lt|Д'%Chapter XV - 1945, Year of Victoryft hapRosaleen Dickson45,osaNormalnRosaleen Dickson45,1saMicrosoft Word 8.0,@F├#@6m╞4├@|0ъ4├hR■  ╒═╒Ь.УЧ+,∙оD╒═╒Ь.УЧ+,∙оP  hp|ДМФ Ьдм┤ ╝ э'teп*┘db %Chapter XV - 1945, Year of Victory TitleШ 6> _PID_GUID'AN{F51AB811-9FCD-11D7-A840-0003930A169C}  !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijk■   mnopqrs■   uvwxyz{■   }~АБВГ■   ¤   ¤   З■   ■   ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Root Entry         └FАЯшdх3├ЙА1Table            lWordDocument        %╓SummaryInformation(    tDocumentSummaryInformation8            |CompObj    XObjectPool            АЯшdх3├АЯшdх3├            ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ■      └FMicrosoft Word Document■   NB6WWord.Document.8