They Spread Their Wings (5 page)

On 2 November 1942 a general signal was received by the squadron:

Eighth Army broke through enemy positions this morning. All units to check mobility.

When the Allied breakout from El Alamein came on 2 November, the enemy retreated in earnest. The coast road became packed with every type of transport heading west and every RAF fighter was immediately put to work strafing the road. On the 3rd, No 6 was refused permission to join in but was allowed to go free-hunting for anything that moved in the southern sector. No air escorts were needed now as there were no enemy aircraft about and, operating in twos, threes and sixes, the squadron claimed twelve lorries, three semi-tracked vehicles and a tank transporter. Another sortie later that day accounted for six tanks, one armoured car and seventeen lorries. The lethal effectiveness of the Hurricane IID’s 40mm cannon was confirmed by a German prisoner who, during interrogation, described how his company of twelve tanks was decimated in a surprise attack by aircraft firing AP shells. He said six tanks were knocked out and left in flames, while the other six, though hit several times, were able to retreat to their lines. One of these tanks was hit by six cannon shells and the turret of another had a hole punched right through it by an AP shell. The prisoner said the appearance of British tank-busters came as a great surprise and they caused panic wherever they materialised.

By 5 November 1942 the enemy was in full retreat westwards. With the success of the Allied seaborne landings in Operation Torch, German forces were now squeezed from both east and west into a pocket in Tunisia where they would eventually capitulate. During November No 6 Squadron moved ‘A’ Flight with six aircraft and ground staff forward to landing ground LG 172. This was located near Hammam close to the Egyptian coast, still 30 miles east of El Alamein but 25 miles west of Amriya. The detachment was kept at instant readiness to move further forward, but the call never came. Howard and a number of other pilots in the squadron had seen no air action during the Battle of El Alamein and it was becoming ever clearer, to the aircrew at least, that the day of the tank-buster was temporarily suspended.

Much of this enforced period of inactivity was taken up with sorties by lorry all over the recent battlefields around Alamein to find and examine knocked-out enemy tanks and other armour so that the pilots could see the effects of their 40mm cannon up close. The CO and his deputy, Sqn Ldr Donald Weston-Burt, also spent a great deal of time and effort producing detailed reports, such as: (1) ‘Operations of No 6 Squadron RAF – Hurricane IID aircraft’; (2) ‘Training of Pilots since July 1942’; (3) ‘Individual claims of direct hits’; and (4) ‘Handling notes – Hurricane IID aircraft’ – all of which were sent to Air HQ (AHQ) Western Desert in the hope of stimulating the higher authority’s view of the value of IID operations.

The squadron did not take kindly to being left out of the action against Rommel and his tanks, particularly when, on 6 December, the following signal was received from HQ Middle East:

Two Flights of No 6 Squadron to rearm with Hurricane IICs and to be transferred to the operational control of AHQ Egypt for shipping protection and fighter operations duties. Third Flight is to remain at Shandur as a Hurricane IID Training Flight.

The CO, Wg Cdr Porteous, was not amused and on 6 December sent a letter to AHQ Egypt:

A considerable number of tanks appear to be in Tunisia and it is suggested that if this unit could be sent to Tunisia to fill the role of an anti-tank squadron with Hurricane IIDs, we might be of value to our own forces. The Squadron at the present time is very well trained in the above tactics and operations, both in air and ground crews, and it would appear to be rather a waste of effort if this training could not be utilised to some good purpose. It is understood there would be considerable difficulties in transporting the unit from the Middle East to Tunisia, but possibly this could be overcome.

The same day, the CO was instructed to fly to Edku (or Idku) airfield ‘to confer with the station commander concerning the move of the squadron [from LG 172 to Edku]’. The order stood but everyone was disappointed with the change of role, prompting several pilots to apply for posting to squadrons ‘where they could take a more aggressive part against the enemy’. These applications were deferred mainly on the grounds that, since No 6 would now work to ‘normal’ fighter squadron establishment, there would need to be a reduction in flying personnel anyway. The change of role took effect on 1 January 1943, when No 6’s ‘D’ Flight at Shandur was also disbanded and its personnel dispersed. The Hurricane IIDs were to be handed over to No 109 Maintenance Unit at Abu Seuir to be given a thorough servicing. Howard Clark was one of the pilots staying with No 6 and received further good news on 23 December 1942 when he was promoted to the war substantive rank of flying officer, backdated to 25 September. In a letter home, Howard commented: ‘they should pay into my bank account £6 more now and there should be a lump sum for the back-pay.’ Christmas 1942 was celebrated by the squadron in fine – and wet – style, but the next day, 26 December, saw the first convoy patrol flown by Flt Lt Bluett and Fg Off Carswell.

Even when AHQ WD had ordered the transition and the squadron had actually moved to Edku, Wg Cdr Porteous still did not give up trying to have the squadron deployed as a IID tank-buster unit, bombarding AHQ with signals trying to get them to change their mind – but without success. Thus, on 9 December No 6 Squadron joined No 219 Group at Edku, which was on the coast about 20 miles east of Alexandria, where it was to be equipped with Hurricane IICs, each armed with four 20mm cannon. These Hurricane IICs had previously been fitted with just two 20mm cannon in an effort to improve their combat performance, but now AHQ decreed that since there were few to no enemy fighters to contend with and targets would be mostly enemy bombers, the aircraft were to be returned to four-cannon configuration. What actually took place was that a new signal from AHQ WD required No 6 Squadron to adopt a two-flight status in which one flight would be equipped with Hurricane IICs and the second flight would retain some of the original Hurricane IIDs. The training flight at Shandur was disbanded, its aircraft sent to Helwan and its personnel to Edku, where the overall squadron strength was to be reduced to twenty-six pilots and the remainder posted away. Another signal on 25 January would order the complete removal of IIDs to No 2 Aircraft Repair Unit at Helwan and replacement with IICs.

Whether or not Wg Cdr Porteous had rubbed someone at AHQ the wrong way by his persistent lobbying for action, on 1 January 1943 he was posted to No 74 Operational Training Unit and Sqn Ldr Donald Weston-Burt assumed command of No 6 Squadron. No 74 OTU was a training unit for tactical desert reconnaissance based at Aqir, north-east of Jerusalem in Palestine, but this pill was sweetened by the well-deserved award of a DSO for ‘courage, determination and devotion to duty during his tenure in command of No 6 Squadron’.

Edku airfield itself was located on a narrow strip of land 2 miles wide, bordered to the south by Lake Edku and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Much of December was taken up with practising air combat manoeuvres, aerobatics, cloud-flying and formation exercises, and it was from Edku that on 3 January, then on the 8th and again on the 10th, Fg Off Clark flew operational convoy patrols. These were usually around the Alexandria coastal area, for example picking up an inbound convoy off the coast north-east of Hammam and covering it until safely in Alexandria harbour. For a change, on some days he flew practice ‘scrambles’ and interceptions against Boston light bombers – but saw nothing by way of combat action.

Back on the ground there was plenty of time for recreation, such as hockey, rugby and football matches against neighbouring army and air force units, plus gramophone recitals and dances – one of the latter said to be ‘for the entertainment of Sisters and VAs from an Australian hospital and WRNS from Alexandria’ – and trying to avoid an outbreak of jaundice running through the squadron. As if this was not enough, there was continual trouble with thieving by the ‘natives’ who nicked
anything
that was not tied down or guarded – even from inside pilots’ tents!

There now began a programme of training to accustom pilots to a ‘fighter squadron’ way of life. This included pre-dawn sorties on alternate days by alternate flights and night flying practice on a similar basis on favourable nights. Howard still found time to write home frequently, but there was little he was allowed to say about the squadron activities.

Next day (19 January), Howard led a practice scramble with Sgt F. Harris and the squadron mounted convoy patrols of two or three aircraft during most days. After three or four weeks of this routine convoy work, things were beginning to hot up again out in the desert. Although in retreat, the Germans were proving hard to prise out of the area around Tunis and even resupply operations were being mounted by the enemy to try to kick-start a new offensive. On 21 January Sqn Ldr Weston-Burt flew to Cairo for a conference on the subject of equipping the squadron for a projected move to a different sector. On 23 January Fg Off Howard Clark returned from leading another section scramble with Plt Off F. Robey, this time an attempt to intercept a hostile aircraft, but they returned without finding any target. Always keen to get to grips with the enemy, he wrote in his next letter: ‘I am still flying the same Hurris, I wish we could get Spits out here; there are not many out here and they are really needed more out here than in England.’ Upon landing, however, he found that the squadron had received orders to come to a mobile state in preparation for a move to Sidi Bu Amud, near the main coastal road some 35 miles west of Tobruk. Were they going to rejoin the shooting war?

The ground echelon set off on the morning of 28 January. After delays due to a severe dust storm, the squadron’s twenty-one aircraft – all Hurricane IICs by now – staged via Buqbuq and Mersa Matruh to arrive at Sidi Bu Amud airfield on 2 February 1943. Here, once again, the squadron settled down to convoy escort duty.

The squadron Operational Record Book (ORB) writer clearly felt the need to wax lyrical and on 1 February, upon arrival at Sidi Bu Amud, he was moved to write:

At this season of the year the desert puts on its best garment and the landscape is very pleasing to the eye, with a profusion of wild flowers in the wadis. This squadron knows this part of the desert from previous campaigns and in the dry heat of summer with the
Khamseen
[or
Khamsin
: a dry, hot, dusty wind off the Sahara] blowing it can be one of the least desirable places on Earth. To visit here in spring is a refreshing experience for everyone.

On the matter of ‘living in the desert’, life for Howard and his colleagues was decidedly rough and ready – with the emphasis on rough. It could hardly be anything else, when one considers the terrain, the distances involved and the need for mobility at short notice. Sleeping in small two-man tents, dug into the ground or with sand piled up around them to give the impression of protection from bomb blast and flying splinters, everything else was done out in the open: messing, briefing, ablutions and suchlike. Food was scarce and usually tinned. Drinking water was like gold; water for washing and shaving was extremely limited. Howard grew a moustache and when he sent a picture home the opinion was that he looked a bit like Clark Gable! To combat the absence of fresh food, vitamin C tablets were issued and if personnel visited any liberated town or official unit, they were ordered to take their own meagre rations with them. In Tripoli, for example, due to extreme food shortage in the city, troops were ordered not to have meals in cafes or hotels, although they were told ‘this does not apply to tea or coffee or like beverages …’

In the heat and dust, clothes became dirty, smelly and ragged. Off-duty time was generally boring with occasional football or cricket, until the heat made it unbearable, or sleeping, reading, writing letters if so inclined – although paper was scarce, too – and trying to keep out of the sun, the dust and the ever- present flies. High winds or sudden sand storms lasting days filled every aperture – human and machine – with sand and dust. Very occasionally it rained, turning everything to mud, seeping into tents and turning slit trenches into swamps until it soaked away or dried up when the sun returned. As they moved through the desert, there were constant reminders from HQ medical staff about the presence of malaria, typhus and dysentery, and the dangers of flies and of not disposing of refuse properly. Apart from these discomforts, the Luftwaffe sought out landing grounds on nightly bombing raids in order to make things even more uncomfortable. After this, a swim in the sea was sheer bliss.

Home sweet home! Howard’s tent in the desert. (Clark Collection)

On 4 February the Eighth Army, having secured Libya, rolled into Tunisia, but that wily fox Rommel was not finished yet. Using the former French fortified Mareth Line as his base, and now with relatively short lines of supply, Rommel attacked the Americans in the west and the British in the east.