I'm sure his reception on returning home was not as "icy" as officially recorded. They had to demote him, but I bet he didn't have to buy any more drinks in the mess.
A fascinating aspect of the war in the air not often retold, I have a lot of info on the ground attack role played by the RAF having researched the war history of my fathers brother my 'uncle' during WW11. He started on Hurricanes with 3SQ as a Flight Sergeant then became involved in ground attack in the middle east, before returning to 3SQ in '44 as Squadron Leader, flying Tempests, the successor to the Typhoon out of an airfield at Hythe in Kent. Leading a 'foraging expedition on info that V1s were in the Hague area of Holland they found one on a mobile ramp being readied to launch and he led the attack, sadly the whole lot went up and took the life of my uncle who is buried in the Hague. The Tempest was a fine aircraft and was at the time the fastest piston engined aircraft flying though like the Typhoon which was not universally liked it was better suited to low level work as like the Hurricane of which it was in part developed from it was a very stable gun platform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Typhoon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Tempest
The losses after D Day were as in the film above horrendous for those Squadrons involved in sorties over the French Belgium and Dutch coastal areas.
Sam - I'm sure you are right and I'm sure it was explained to him that demotion was merely to preserve appearances - can't have everyone doing it old chap.
Wiggia - interesting story. I haven't researched it as you have but I've gained the same impression - aircraft which were not universally liked but were good at what they did. I remember building a plastic model of a Typhoon as a lad and still remember liking the sturdy look of it.
3 comments:
I'm sure his reception on returning home was not as "icy" as officially recorded. They had to demote him, but I bet he didn't have to buy any more drinks in the mess.
A fascinating aspect of the war in the air not often retold, I have a lot of info on the ground attack role played by the RAF having researched the war history of my fathers brother my 'uncle' during WW11.
He started on Hurricanes with 3SQ as a Flight Sergeant then became involved in ground attack in the middle east, before returning to 3SQ in '44 as Squadron Leader, flying Tempests, the successor to the Typhoon out of an airfield at Hythe in Kent.
Leading a 'foraging expedition on info that V1s were in the Hague area of Holland they found one on a mobile ramp being readied to launch and he led the attack, sadly the whole lot went up and took the life of my uncle who is buried in the Hague.
The Tempest was a fine aircraft and was at the time the fastest piston engined aircraft flying though like the Typhoon which was not universally liked it was better suited to low level work as like the Hurricane of which it was in part developed from it was a very stable gun platform.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Typhoon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Tempest
The losses after D Day were as in the film above horrendous for those Squadrons involved in sorties over the French Belgium and Dutch coastal areas.
Sam - I'm sure you are right and I'm sure it was explained to him that demotion was merely to preserve appearances - can't have everyone doing it old chap.
Wiggia - interesting story. I haven't researched it as you have but I've gained the same impression - aircraft which were not universally liked but were good at what they did. I remember building a plastic model of a Typhoon as a lad and still remember liking the sturdy look of it.
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