Tangmere by Byron Reginald; Coxon David;

Author:Byron, Reginald; Coxon, David;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
Published: 2013-12-26T16:00:00+00:00

From Ed Prizer’s diary:

June 8

Yesterday I did one show which was almost uneventful. Huns in the distance but we couldn’t get near. Some inaccurate flak. At 9.30 yesterday night I took off for the night shift, lots of cloud around. We got over and began our patrol. Lots of alarms, but all friendly aircraft, occasional bursts of flak but all inaccurate. Great fires and smoke below as it began to get dark. Flashes from artillery all over the countryside. Some Typhoons attacked a town below us with bombs. It was immediately a mass of flames. Suddenly a shower of red tennis balls flew up around us. We were engulfed by them, shooting up like streams from great hoses. The sky all around us was brightly lit. We broke but they followed us for thirty seconds. Seemed a year. God knows how they could have missed. Came back in cloud. Missed hitting a barrage balloon by about twenty feet. Had wheel trouble in circuit. Made my first night Spitfire landing. Today I sat around dispersal. Got ready to go on show tonight but the ceiling was down to 200 feet so it was cancelled.

9.6.44

The weather today has been extremely bad with low cloud and miserable drizzle and rather cold. All operations cancelled and everyone rather depressed with the thought of being unable to give air cover over the beachheads, especially in intelligence was the atmosphere depressing owing to a report received early in the morning that the enemy had penetrated to the coast in two places dividing the Americans in two and also splitting them from the British and Canadians.

The weather cleared sufficiently in the evening to enable one squadron of 127 Wing to do a beach cover patrol.

During the day a Sea Otter of 277 Squadron managed to pick up a Mustang pilot but the sea was so rough that the Otter found it impossible to take off and was towed back.

The weather recco was made by a section of 453 Squadron to Le Havre and although it showed signs of improvement about 15.00 hours it was not until 20.20 hours that 127 Wing took off on the above-mentioned patrol. Because of cloud they naturally had to fly low and were unable to do the patrol owing to opposition from the Royal Navy. F/O Williams was missing, believed to have crashed in the sea and F/O Kelly was slightly wounded.

During the night 456 Squadron shot down three He177s making a total of seven destroyed since D-Day.

Aircraft of 83 and 84 Groups under Tangmere Sector control have since the morning of D-Day destroyed 48, probably destroyed nine and damaged 29 for the loss of 30 aircraft and pilots. From D-Day till the night of 8 June inclusive, aircraft of ADGB, 83 and 84 Fighter Groups have made a total of 5,018 sorties, the very large majority of which were cover.

10.6.44

Improvement in the weather today. 126 Wing started off with an escort job to Stirlings and Halifaxes. During the day numerous MT

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