Mosquito: Menacing the Reich: Combat Action in the Twin-engine Wooden Wonder of World War II (57 page)

77
Production of PR.XVIs began in November 1943 and 435 were eventually built. The XVI had a pressure cabin, which maximised to a pressure differential of 2lbs per square inch, which gave a useful reduction in the cabin altitude, especially since this model could cruise quite comfortably at 35,000ft thanks to its two-speed, two-stage superchargers and paddle blade propellers. With 100-gallon drop tanks, the PR XVI had a range of 2,000 miles. A pair of split F52/36-inch lens cameras were installed in the rear fuselage, split from vertical to increase the lateral coverage and controlled by a Type 35 control in the bomb aimer’s nose position so that the cameras would turn over at pre-set intervals. This ensured 60 per cent overlap between succeeding exposures and therefore gave a stereo-pair of photographs. In the forward end of the bomb bay was another camera with a 6-inch lens, which gave a series of small-scale photographs to assist the interpreters in plotting the large-scale 36-inch photographs. When in the Target area the navigator went down into the bomb-aimer’s position in the nose to give the pilot the usual directions onto target and switched on the cameras accordingly. The first PR XVI to reach the Middle East was MM292 at the end of January 1944 and on 17 February the first of nine PR.XVIs for 680 Squadron arrived at Matariya, Cairo. 24 hours earlier, the unit had received its first PR.IX (LR444). On 7 May 680 flew its first Mosquito PR sortie when MM333 and Flight Lieutenant A. M. Yelland covered ports and airfields in Crete and the Cyclades. Apart from three PR.IXs detached from 540 Squadron to the Mediterranean in the summer of 1943, only a few PR Mosquitoes operated in this theatre. ‘B’ Flight in 680 Squadron mostly covered Greece and the Balkans and, later, central and southern Europe, whilst B Flight of 60 SAAF Squadron made deep penetration sorties over southern Europe and Poland.

78
MM258, a converted. B.XVI.

79
Bill Hampson’s and Bill Newby’s operational life on Mosquitoes came to an abrupt end over the Eastern end of the Baltic on 18 July when Me 262s blew their nose of their Mosquito off, hit both engines and put cannon shells in the cabin behind the pilot’s armour-plate. They evacuated the Mosquito in ‘quick time’, were captured and transported independently to Dulag Luft. They were subsequently incarcerated in Stalag Luft I at Barth in Pomerania.

80
Above All Unseen by Edward Leaf. PSL. 1997.

81
In PR.XVI NS504.

82
For this outstanding operation Flight Lieutenant (later AVM) Dodd was awarded an immediate DSO. In September, Flight Sergeant (later Flying Officer) Hill was awarded the DFM. Hill was later commissioned and awarded the DFC (27 July 1945) for ‘gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations’.

83
The Heinkel He 280 was a twin tailed mid wing monoplane powered by two turbojets attached to the undersides of the wing and first flew on 2 April 1941. A few test models were built but the aircraft did not enter production. On 29 September a He 280 was flown with V-type tail in place of the previous twin fin and rudder assembly.

84
Kenneth Watson, who was awarded the DFC, rejoined the RAF after the war and was posted to a RAF PR Squadron at Wyton flying Canberras. On 3 June 1954 he and his navigator took off for Cuxhaven to test a Night Photography Flash Bomb. The bomb exploded in the bomb bay and the aircraft was set on fire. Watson managed to land but both he and his navigator were killed.

85
The Mossie
, MAA Vol.12 January 1996/
Otago Daily Times
, Dunedin, NZ. See also,
Focus on Europe
by Ron Foster DFC CdG, Crowood Press (2005).

86
On 29 October 1944 47 Lancasters attacked the
Tirpitz
but no direct hits were scored. On 12 November 30 Lancasters of 9 and 617 Squadrons attacked the
Tirpitz
again and at least two
Tallboys
hit the ship, which capsized to remain bottom upwards. Some 1,128 of the 1,900 men on board were killed or injured. About one-and-a-half hours later Flight Lieutenant A. R. Cussons and Flight Sergeant Ken Ellis from 540 Squadron took photos, which showed the ship had indeed ‘turned turtle’.

87
Daniels and Baylis joined B Flight of 544 Squadron at Benson and flew their first squadron operation on New Year’s Day to Denmark.

88
NS587 had been tested thoroughly in November, during which time it had earned a bad reputation due to engine overheating and myriad other problems manifesting themselves. In the event, this aircraft became the only PR 32 allotted to 544 Squadron:

89
‘Lofty’ South and his pilot, Flying Officer R. M. Hays later had a harrowing flight in PR XVI N5795 on 16 March 1945 when, over Leipzig, they were intercepted by three Me 163 rocket-powered fighters. Hays managed to throw them off by putting the Mosquito into a 480-mph dive, during which the starboard engine caught fire. After feathering the propeller the fire went out, so they decided to set course for the Allied lines. Flying through violent frontal conditions, they were then jumped by a Bf 109, which Hays threw off once again by putting the nose down and diving for He ground, before pulling up. NS795 eventually landed at Lille, still on one engine. For this exploit, Hays was awarded an immediate DFC. Two weeks later, on 30 March, Hays and South were killed when they lost an engine on take-off from Benson.

90
On 22 March 1945 Eric Hill and Frank Dodd left Benson for a last look at the
Tirpitz
. They refuelled at Sumburgh and then flew to Tromsø, where they took some magnificent obliques of the partly submerged battleship from zero feet. After a 10½ flight they landed back at Benson having completed the longest PR sortie of the war. Hill, a tall, upright batsman, made his debut for Somerset in 1947 as an amateur in a famous game at Lords, which Somerset won by one wicket. Turning professional the following year, he played for Somerset for four seasons. After retirement he became a journalist with the
Somerset County Gazette
and later a freelance on cricket and Rugby.

Chapter 3

91
Oboe
was the code name for a high-level blind bombing aid, which took its name from a radar-type pulse, which sounded rather like the musical instrument. (All non
Oboe
-equipped squadrons in 8 Group were termed ‘non-musical’!) Mainly because of this device, Bennett’s force was able to conduct
eine kleine nacht musik
almost every night over Germany. Pulses were transmitted by Type 9000 ground stations at Hawkshill Down (Walmer), Kent, Trimingham near Cromer and Winterton both in Norfolk, Sennen and Treenin Cornwall, Worthy Matravers and Tilly Whim (Swanage), Beachy Head and Cleadon (Newcastle). A high-flying
Oboe-
equipped aircraft up to 280 miles distant could receive them. The ‘cat’ station sent the pilot and navigator a steady sequence of signals describing an arc passing through the target, with dots to port and dashes to starboard. If inside the correct line, dots were heard; if outside the line, dashes. A steady note indicated that the aircraft was on track. The ‘mouse’ station indicated distance from target, and was monitored by the navigator only. Flying the beam made considerable demands on the
Oboe
pilot, who for 15-20 minutes had to maintain constant airspeed, altitude and rate of change of heading. The navigator monitored the aircraft’s position along the arc, and only he received the release signal, from the ‘mouse’ station, when the aircraft reached the computed bomb-release point. Ten minutes away he received in Morse, four ‘A’s; four ‘B’s at 8 minutes; four ‘C’s at 6 minutes and four ‘D’s at approximately 4 minutes. The bomb doors were then opened. Next was heard the release signal, which consisted of five dots and a 2½-second dash, at the end of which the navigator released the markers or bombs. The jettison bars were operated and the bomb doors closed. As the pilot could not hear the ‘mouse’ signals, the navigator indicated to him the stage reached by tracing with his finger on the windscreen in front of him, the ‘As, ‘B’s and ‘C’s etc. When the release signal came through, the navigator held his hand in front of the pilot’s face. Permitted limits were strict - up to 200 yards off aiming point and crews were expected to be at the target within a 4-minute time span, from 2 minutes early to 2 minutes late. Sixty seconds off time on release point were acceptable. Failure to meet these criteria and the crew were off the squadron!
Oboe
was to become the most accurate form of blind bombing used in WWII and in practice, an average error of only 30 seconds was achieved.

In April 1942 109 Squadron was established at Stradishall, Suffolk to bring
Oboe
into full operational service as a navigation aid for Bomber Command before moving to Wyton in August, where at the end of the year, it received the first
Oboe
equipped Mosquito B.IVs.
Oboe
was first used on 20/21 December 1942 when the CO, Squadron Leader H. E. ‘Hal’ Bufton and his navigator, Flight Lieutenant E. L. Ifould and 2 other crews, bombed a power station at Lutterade in Holland. On 31 December.1942/1 January 1943, on a raid on Düsseldorf, sky-marking using
Oboe
was tried for the first time when 2 Mosquitoes of 109 Squadron provided the sky-markers for 8 Lancasters of the Path Finder Force. ‘Sky markers’ were parachute flares to mark a spot in the sky if it was cloudy.  The PFF markers’ job was to ‘illuminate’ and ‘mark’ targets with coloured TI’s (target indicators) for the Main Force and other 8 Group Mosquitoes. The Path Finder Force achieved Group status on 13 January 1943 and 109 Squadron became the premier marking squadron in the RAF, carrying out the most raids and flying the most sorties in 8 Group, which it joined on 1 June 1943. On 10 December 109 Squadron at Marham received the first B.XVI for the RAF, although 692 Squadron were the first to use it operationally, on 5 March 1944. In addition to its flare marking duties for the heavies, 109 Squadron’s Mosquitoes carried bombs.

92
Three types of marking, using names selected by Bennett from the hometowns of three of his staff, were later employed.
Parramatta
in New Zealand gave its name to the blind ground marking technique, which used only H2S in bad visibility or broken cloud.
Newhaven
was ground marking by visual methods when crews simply aimed at the TIs on the ground and
Wanganui
in Australia lent its name to pure ‘sky marking’. The TIs themselves were made in various plain colours and used vivid starbursts of the same or a different colour to prevented the enemy from copying them at their many decoy sites near major cities.

93
Later Group Captain DFC* AFC AE.

94
Wing Commander Roy Pryce Elliott DSO DFC, who had been awarded the DSO and DFC in 1942 while flying Lancasters on 83 Squadron was on his third tour. He commanded 627 Squadron until 3 June 1944, having flown a total of 81 operations. A bar to his DFC followed on 15 September 1944.

95
On 3 November Air Chief Marshal Harris had told Churchill. ‘We can wreck Berlin from end to end if the USAAF will come in on it. It may cost us 400-500 aircraft. It will cost Germany the war.’

96
Squadron Leader Edward Inkerman J. Bell DFC and Flying Officer J. G. R. Battle, who were shot down on 8 January 1944. On 13 January both were reported PoWs in Stalag Luft III.

97
Simpson and Walker came down near le Beny Bocage in the Calvados region of France and they were taken in by the French Resistance. On 24 February 1944 both men crossed safely into Switzerland. See
At First Sight; A Factual and anecdotal account of No.627 Squadron RAF.
Researched and compiled by Alan B. Webb. 1991.

98
Lancaster III JA686 blew up at Wyton on 26 November 1943 killing five ground crew and three men aboard the airraft.

99
At First Sight; A Factual and anecdotal account of No.627 Squadron RAF
. Researched and compiled by Alan B. Webb. 1991.

100
On 7 April 1944 571 Squadron was formed at Downham Market. A shortage of Mosquitoes meant that 571 had to operate at half-strength for a time. On the night of 13/14 April two crews from 571 and six Mosquitoes from 692 attacked Berlin for the first time carrying two 50-gallon drop tanks and a 4,000lb bomb. On 1 August 1944 608 Squadron at Downham Market joined LNSF. On 25 October 142 Squadron re-formed at Gransden Lodge and that same night they flew their first operation when their only two B.XXVs were despatched to Cologne. On 18 December 162 Squadron re-formed at Bourn with B.XXVs and soon accompanied the veteran 139 Squadron on target-marking duties. 163 Squadron, the 11th and final Mosquito unit in 8 Group, reformed at Wyton on 25 January 1945 on B.XXVs. it was commanded by Wing Commander (later Air Marshal Sir Ivor, KCB CBE DSO DFC** AFC) Broom DFC. The squadron flew its first LNSF operation just four days later when four Mosquitoes dropped ‘Window’ at Mainz ahead of the PFF force.

101
The navigator worked out the flight plan and calculated the time to set course in order to reach the target at the correct time. On marking sorties it was important that TIs were dropped at the correct time in order not to compromise the Main Force. Having worked out the time to set course, navigators actually did this with six minutes in hand to allow for any errors in the forecast wind, etc. Having settled into the flight and arrived at the ETA for the waiting point, crews usually had to make some sort of correction. If the full 6 minutes had to be lost, the pilot did a 360° orbit and most pilots became expert in achieving this in the 6 minutes. Lesser times to be lost were accomplished by making a dog leg.’

102
Eaton was awarded an immediate DFC for this operation and went on to complete ninety operations by 18 March 1945. On 10 July1944 he and Jack Fox took off on their first daylight operation when the port engine blew up as they reached the end of the runway, an event that was usually fatal. Eaton somehow flew a circuit and landed safely on one engine but when Fox dropped prematurely through the escape hatch the propeller killed him.