Master Bombers: The Experiences of a Pathfinder Squadron at War 1944-45 by Sean Feast

Author:Sean Feast [Feast, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781909166981
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Published: 2012-09-25T21:00:00+00:00

“It was an unforgettable experience of comradeship, excitement, laughter and fear all rolled into one. Each day when you woke the first thought that came into your head was ‘will I be flying tonight?’. After leaving our hut, the crew would go to their different messes for breakfast that, compared to civilian rations, was usually very good. The crews would then assemble in the crew room and it was there that we would find out if operations were ‘on’. We would then go out to the Lancaster and each crew member would check their respective equipment before taking off on a night flying test (NFT). This enabled us to make sure that everything was in working order but unfortunately it also alerted the German radar systems that operations were scheduled for that night because of the increased wireless activity.

“In the afternoon (assuming this was a night operation), we would attend briefing and find out what the ‘target for tonight’ would be. By this time, Little Staughton would be ‘closed down’, i.e. no outside phone calls, no leaving the airfield, and the armourers would go from aircraft to aircraft loading the different types of target indicators and bombs. At the same time, the petrol bowsers were busy putting the high-octane fuel into the petrol tanks. I distinctly remember that the fuel load for a Berlin raid was 2,154 gallons and for a Ruhr raid 1,200 gallons.

“Before take-off, the meal was always the same, comprising eggs and chips. I believe there was a medical reason for this which is probably true. The waiting between then and take-off was the worst time of all because although everyone was frightened and hoping that for some reason the raid might be called off, no one had the courage to admit it! It was always a relief when the time came to start up the engines and we taxied round the perimeter track to the end of the runway ready for take-off.

“Once we were airborne all thoughts of a negative kind were eliminated and the adrenalin started pumping through one's body. Crossing the enemy coast was an experience that never failed to excite, with the combination of anti-aircraft fire (flak) and searchlights. Invariably on the way to the target one could see bombers being shot down by the nightfighters and combats taking place between the fighters and the bombers but the superior cannon fire of the former gave very little chance to the .303 ammunition of the latter.

“Over the target was an experience that anyone who has witnessed it will never forget. Searchlights, flak, flares and target indicators all combined to turn night into a huge, colourful, beautiful but frightening event. When a shell burst close to the aircraft, the powerful smell of the explosive filled the oxygen masks of the crew and the plane would rock as if it were taking part in some aerial dance in a noisy symphony concert! The worst part of the raid was the 10/12 seconds straight and level run that the aircraft had to make after the release of the ‘cookie’ (4,000-pound HE bomb).

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