Pathfinder'S Story by Ww Robinson

Author:Ww Robinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781781594582
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2012-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The Third Tour – Pathfinder

If 1943 was the year in which it became possible to believe that the Allies could win the war, it was during 1944 that the key battles were won. The bomber offensive continued, but as time went by the need for effective cooperation between air, land and sea forces became more important. Whatever Harris may have thought of this derogation of Bomber Command’s strategic role, the men and women under his command took the switch to tactical targets in their stride.

As we have seen, the effectiveness of Bomber Command had increased enormously since Jack’s previous tour, through both experience and the application of new technology. Furthermore, the Americans had introduced long-range fighter aircraft to escort their daylight bombing formations. On 8 February 1944 a joint force of 350 American and British aircraft had attacked Frankfurt without loss, shooting down nineteen German fighters in the process. On the night of 15 February, the RAF had put 1,000 bombers over Berlin causing major disruption to communications. In other theatres, the Allies were advancing through Italy and, although Cassino was to hold them back, Mussolini was deposed. Meanwhile, in the Pacific the Japanese were being forced out of one island after another.

Jack’s new squadron, No. 35, was first formed in the Royal Flying Corps on 1 February 1916, at Thetford, Norfolk. Towards the end of January 1917 the squadron went to France equipped with Armstrong Whitworth FK8s for army cooperation duties. The squadron had the distinction of having been specially trained for cooperation with the cavalry and it remained attached to the Cavalry Corps throughout the First World War. It was disbanded in 1919 on its return to the UK.

The squadron re-formed as a bomber squadron in March 1929, initially flying de Havilland 9A biplanes, at Bircham Newton, Norfolk, the airfield where Jack crash-landed in December 1941. The DH9A had been a successful daylight bomber during the last months of the First World War, dropping bombs on German towns, but it was hardly a type fit even for the 1930s. They were soon replaced by Fairey IIIFs, a light day bomber which had much success in bush-wars in Africa but lacked the firepower and bomb payload necessary in a European conflict.

By 1932 the squadron had re-equipped again, this time with the Fairy Gordon, a more powerful version of the IIIF. In October 1935, 35 Squadron was deployed to the Middle East following the invasion of Abyssinia by the Italians. For ten months the squadron was based in the Sudan as a reinforcement to RAF Middle East Command. When it returned to UK it was based at Worthy Down during the latter part of 1937 where it exchanged its Gordons for Vickers Wellesleys. The Wellesley was an excellent aircraft for its day. A two-seat general purpose bomber with a 2,000lb bomb load and mounting one Vickers machine gun forward and one aft, its principle asset was its long range. In November 1938, it claimed the world longest flight record when two aircraft flew non-stop from Ismailia in Egypt to Darwin in Australia.

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