They Spread Their Wings (14 page)

All of the practice flying was directed at bringing all pilots to a high state of expertise on the Typhoon and thus be declared operational once more. It was natural, therefore, that the full squadron formation flying practised during April would eventually lead to trial wing formations in company with Nos 266 and 609 Squadrons. The first of these took place on 17 April when No 56 flew as top cover to No 266, the whole formation being led by Wg Cdr Denys Gillam DSO, DFC*, AFC, who was now the Duxford wing leader. Spitfires of No 616 Squadron intercepted 266 but failed to spot No 56 Squadron and were themselves ‘bounced’ by the joyous Typhoon pilots.

Now promoted to flying officer, as a squadron pilot trying to come to terms with this potent aircraft Walter Dring was actively involved with all these issues and events. It was on 18 August, just after the squadron moved to Matlaske, that an unusual coincidence occurred involving the loss of Typhoon IB, R7644, and its New Zealand pilot, Sgt James Jones. A squadron formation, including Walter, made a practice sweep across the Fens from Matlaske. Reaching the vicinity of Moulton, near Spalding, at about 12.45, this aircraft dived towards the ground and was seen to break up in the air and crash. It came down on Gibson’s Farm, Spalding Gate, Moulton, near the Dring family home. Whether any high spirits were involved in the incident is not known, but Walter wrote later: ‘[I] did a fairly steep dive; Sgt Jones followed but failed to pull out and went in about half a mile from my home.’

Hawker Typhoon fighters of No 56 Squadron. (Author’s Collection)

Despite the optimism expressed by the squadron diarist, during May aircraft serviceability took a nose dive. Several new engines had to be fitted that month and there were some days when the squadron could muster only two aircraft to fly. However, by the end of the month serviceability rose once more and everyone was somewhat cheered by rumours of an impending return to operational status. Rumour became reality on 29 May 1942 when Gp Capt John Grandy, Duxford’s station commander, visited Snailwell to break the news that the AOC had approved operational status for the squadron. Furthermore, he announced that one flight of four Typhoons was to be detached to the Westhampnett satellite of RAF Tangmere and another flight of four aircraft to RAF Manston. The Typhoon was to be pitted immediately against the bomb-carrying, tip-and-run Messerschmitt Bf 109s harassing land and shipping targets along the south coast. Although they had first been noted in January 1942, these raids began in earnest from about March 1942 and continued until June 1943. The Typhoon pilots were buzzing with expectation and raring to get a crack at the enemy – and they did not have long to wait since these detachments were implemented the very next day.

With Wg Cdr Gillam scenting the prospect of a fight on his old stamping ground at Manston, he flew off to the Kent airfield with ‘A’ Flight, comprising himself, Flt Lt Ronald Fokes and Fg Offs Robert Deugo and Walter Dring, where they arrived at 11.40. No 56’s CO, Sqn Ldr Dundas, took ‘B’ Flight to Westhampnett in company with Plt Offs Doniger, Pollack and Coombes. Spare pilots followed in a Handley Page Harrow, which dropped off Flt Sgt Myall and Sgt Stuart-Turner together with ground crews at Manston, before flying on to Tangmere with Plt Offs MacDonald and Reed (USA) with the remaining ground crews and the intelligence officer.

Sqn Ldr Dundas was keen to get the job under way and as soon as the pilots had fixed up dispersal and accommodation with the resident No 129 Squadron (Spitfire) boys, he scheduled a sortie for 17.30 that day. Thus the first operational sortie by Typhoons was made by Sqn Ldr Hugh Dundas and Plt Off Norman Doniger, who patrolled – uneventfully – from Selsey Bill to St Catherines Head on the Isle of Wight, landing back at Westhampnett at 18.50. This pair were relieved by Plt Offs Pollack and Coombes, who patrolled at heights between 300 and 3,000ft over the same route. Twice they were vectored on to an X-raid, but despite seeing vapour trails they were unable to make contact. Over at Manston, Plt Off Dring, from ‘A’ Flight, was quickly off the mark as he was airborne for one of two similar patrols flown in that sector. Next day, the 31st, the Manston Flight put up three patrols of two aircraft each but without success. During the day ‘A’ Flight was joined by three more Typhoons flown in by Plt Offs Mause and Poulter and Sgt Stimpson, while ‘B’ Flight also flew two patrols and was joined by Sgts Storey and Woodhouse.

When action finally came, sadly it was for all the wrong reasons. The first day of June dawned a fine clear summer’s day with wispy high cirrus cloud and good visibility. During the afternoon ‘A’ Flight despatched Plt Off Robert Deugo and Sgt Keith Stuart-Turner from Manston to intercept a raid off Dover. Two Spitfires from No 401 Squadron based at Gravesend were also vectored on to the same raid. Plt Off Deugo said later that he followed the vectors (courses) given by the controller, climbing as instructed to 17,000ft to orbit just off Dover. He identified two Spitfires approaching above his section, close enough to see their roundels very clearly. Thinking no more of it, he watched these Spitfires as they curved in towards the Typhoons. Likewise, the Spitfire pilots had spotted the Typhoons but mistook them for Fw 190s and opened fire simultaneously on both aircraft. Sgt Stuart-Turner’s aircraft was hit and he must have died instantly because his aircraft turned over on to its back and dived vertically into the sea in flames. Deugo’s aircraft was also severely hit but he was able to turn it upside down and bale out. Coming down in the sea he inflated his life raft and spent the next couple of hours bobbing around until picked up by an RAF rescue launch and taken to Dover, where he was admitted to hospital with burns and gunshot wounds. Sadly, this would not be the last case of mistaken identity for Typhoon squadrons.

Patrols along the south coast by section pairs of aircraft continued every day until 7 June 1942, by which time the enemy had still not been brought to battle. Walter Dring, for example, was airborne with Wg Cdr Gillam during the evening of the 5th when they were vectored on to an incoming Ju 88, but returned to Manston without seeing a thing. When the No 56 Squadron detachments were brought to an end, both flights returned to Snailwell.

In addition to carrying out readiness duties and standing patrols, activity was now generally directed at exercising the three-squadron Typhoon wing and although everyone was airborne to this end whenever there was suitable weather, there was much debate at all levels of command on just what type of operation the Typhoon was best suited to. This all came to a head in a meeting held at Duxford on 10 June, chaired by Air Marshal Sholto Douglas, at which Sqn Ldr Dundas presented his own ideas – persuasively – once again. His view was not to exclude the Typhoon from the current concept of offensive sweeps because of its altitude performance limitations, but rather to capitalise upon its particular strengths within those large-scale operations. Hugh Dundas wrote:

Pilots of ‘A’ Flight, No 56 Squadron at Matlaske, December 1942. From left to right: Sgt E.A. Magee, Plt Off C.T. Stimpson, Fg Off G. Myall, Fg Off A.G.H. Rouse, Fg Off R. Poulter, Fg Off R. Deugo, Sgt F.A. Sullivan. (Ken Ellis Collection)

I proposed, for instance, that an ideal way of using the [Typhoon] Wing would be to send it in for a high-speed sweep round the rear of the main formations as they were withdrawing. We could go in at about 21,000 feet, gradually losing height as we swept around, so that we would be at optimum altitude during the critical stages of our passage. We would attack anything we saw … not sticking around for dogfights … but taking advantage of our superior speed to pounce and get away.

The first of these Typhoon wing operations came on 20 June 1942. Wg Cdr Denys Gillam led eleven aircraft from No 56, including Walter Dring, together with a similar number from No 266 Squadron, from Duxford at 15.12 to sweep along the enemy coast from Dunkirk to Boulogne. The wing’s third squadron, No 609, was not included in this particular operation. No 56 landed back at Snailwell at 16.20 without having seen any action. The wing continued with this type of operation along the coast of northern France and Belgium at intervals throughout June, July and August 1942, sometimes moving to a forward base on the south coast, but the results were always inconclusive. When any Fw 190s were spotted they always seemed to beat a hasty retreat. Visiting RAF Sutton Bridge for some air-firing practice on 12 July, Walter’s ebullience got the better of him when he ‘shot up place, by doing one upward roll – practically court-martialled!’ It was nearly ‘curtains’ though on 19 July. Flying R7854, Walter was returning from a wing sweep around Le Touquet when, over mid-Channel, he was attacked by Spitfires. He wrote: ‘Section of Spitfires did perfect attack on me. F/O Rouse saw cannons firing as I broke away. No hits.’ Walter had seen their intentions just in time.

It was at 06.00 on 30 July that No 56 left Snailwell for RAF West Malling to undertake another of these offensive operations. At 12.20 the whole squadron left West Malling and flew to Gravelines, then along the coast to Cap Gris Nez and thence back to Snailwell. Walter wrote:

We were at 20,000 feet over Calais when suddenly there was a terrific bang and a whoosh of air. I sat panic stricken for a brief moment and thought ‘I’m hit’ and waited for developments while losing height and turning. I was scared absolutely stiff until I realised my [cockpit] door had blown open, then I calmed down. Coming back over the Channel, one of the new boys, Norwegian Fg Off Erik Haabjørn, reported engine trouble and he slowed to 160mph. Struggling to keep airborne he was down to 2,000 feet, ten miles from the English coast when he was attacked by Spits and shot to hell. Fortunately Haabjørn was unhurt and baled out, spending just fifteen minutes in his life raft before being hauled out by an air-sea rescue launch. It has now developed into a war between 11 Group and 12 Group. As a Belgian in 609 said: ‘the Nazis don’t need to attack us, they leave it to the Spits!’

Walter took some leave at this point but was back in time for the biggest ‘show’ so far for the Typhoons and indeed Walter himself (three one-hour sorties). This came on 19 August 1942 when the Typhoon wing was involved in Operation Jubilee: the Dieppe Raid. The RAF committed forty-nine fighter squadrons to this operation against which the Luftwaffe put up 115 fighters. The scheduled ‘dawn show’ was cancelled and the first sweep of the day was made from Duxford at 11.15 when No 56 Squadron Typhoons flew towards Ostend. Ten miles from the Belgian coast the squadron turned south and followed the coast down to Mardyck before heading back to West Malling without seeing any ‘trade’. ‘We had a quick beer and swallowed lunch almost whole and the call came to attack the bombers that were going for the returning convoy. What luck, just what our machines are suited for,’ wrote Walter later.

Refuelled, the squadron took off from West Malling at 14.00, this time heading for Le Treport intending to make a sweep back towards Le Touquet. Flying at 20,000ft altitude, No 56 was acting as top cover for the Duxford Wing, with No 266 squadron a couple of thousand feet below and No 609 Squadron at 15,000ft.

As the wing approached the coast the leader was advised of enemy bombers coming from Douai to attack British ships heading for home. Nos 266 and 609 Squadrons went for the three Dornier Do 217 bombers and a dozen Fw 190s escorting them. No 56 stayed at 17,000ft as top cover, holding off several diving attacks by more groups of Fw 190s coming out of the sun from about 5,000ft higher and keeping the sky clear until the lower squadrons withdrew. The wing landed back at West Malling satisfied that this first engagement had shown that the Typhoon could compete with the Fw 190 at medium altitudes, even though it might not be able to outmanoeuvre the enemy fighter. The squadron was airborne again at 17.00, making a sweep with No 266 Squadron from Le Touquet to Boulogne for an hour before returning to Snailwell. Next day No 56 was on top cover duty at 24,000ft as the wing swept from Dunkirk to Cap Gris Nez, again without drawing German fighters in the vicinity into battle. In the air battle over Dieppe, in addition to the bomber aircraft committed on both sides, the RAF lost eighty-eight fighter aircraft compared to the Luftwaffe’s twenty-three.