Wings (42 page)
Authors: Patrick Bishop
18
. No. 279 Squadron RAF Collection, Second World War Air Sea Rescue With Coastal Command, Imperial War Museum Documents 13705.
19
. Ibid.
CHAPTER
13
: WIND, SAND AND STARS
1
. Arthur Tedder,
With Prejudice: The War Memoirs of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder
(Cassell, 1966), p. 47.
2
.
The War Diaries of Neville Duke
, ed. Norman Franks (Grub Street, 1995), p. 2.
3
. Ibid., p. 63.
4
. Ibid., p. 73.
5
. Laddie Lucas,
Voices in the Air
(Arrow Books, 2003), p. 222.
6
. Ibid., p. 223.
7
. Terraine, op. cit., p. 380.
8
. Ibid., p. 383.
9
. Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté,
The Forgotten Ones: The Story of the Ground Crews
(Hutchinson, 1961), p. 182.
10
. See Sir Philip Joubert de la Ferté’s
The Forgotten Ones
for further details.
11
. Quoted in Patrick Bishop,
The Battle of Britain
, p. 204.
12
. Joubert, op. cit., p. 151.
13
. Squadron Leader Beryl Escott,
Women in Air Force Blue
(Patrick Stephens, 1989), pp. 97–8.
14
. IWM Sound Archive 10221.
15
. Quoted in Jeremy Crang,
Come into the Army Maud: Women, Military Conscription, and the Markham Inquiry
, Defence Studies,
Vol. 8, Issue 3 (2008).
16
. Joubert, op. cit., p. 150.
17
. Private Papers of Mrs M. Brooks, Imperial War Museum Documents 2387.
18
. Pip Beck,
Keeping Watch
(Crécy, 1989), p. 23.
19
. Ibid., p. 25.
20
. Quoted in Escott, op. cit., p. 238.
CHAPTER
14
: NO MOON TONIGHT
1
. Noble Frankland, Address to the Royal United Services Institution (December 1961).
2
. The Second World War Letters of G. J. Hull, Imperial War Museum Department of Documents.
3
. Ibid.
4
. Don Charlwood,
No Moon Tonight
(Goodall, 2000).
5
. Letters of Reg Fayers, IWM Department of Documents, 88/22/2.
6
. Peter Johnson,
The Withered Garland
(New European Publications, 1995), p. 165.
7
. Charlwood, op. cit., pp. 14–15.
8
. Harry Yates,
Luck and a Lancaster
(Airlife Classic, 1999), p. 101.
9
. Willie Lewis, Unpublished Memoir, IWM Department of Documents 67/28/1.
10
. Webster and Frankland, op. cit., Vol. IV, pp. 432–3.
11
. IWM Sound Archive 11587/4.
12
. Webster and Frankland, op. cit., p. 440.
13
. PRO AIR 14/357.
14
. Harris, op. cit., p. 187.
15
. Quoted in Lucas, op. cit., p. 388.
16
. Currie, op. cit., p. 136.
17
. PRO AIR 2.
18
. Quoted in Lucas, op. cit., pp. 364–5.
CHAPTER
15
: AIR SUPREMACY
1
. AHB/II/117/10.
2
. Duke, op. cit., p. 148.
3
. Slessor,
The Central Blue
(Cassell, 1956), p. 578.
4
. Quoted in Terraine, op. cit., p. 589.
5
. Ibid., pp. 583–4.
6
. Edward Lanchbery,
Into the Sun
(Cassell, 1955), p. 100.
7
. Quoted in Richard Morris,
Cheshire: The Biography of Leonard Cheshire, VCOM
(Viking, 2000), p.
108.
8
. Ibid. p. 148.
9
. John Keegan,
Six Armies in Normandy
(Book Club Associates, 1982), pp. 14–15.
10
. Quoted in Lucas, op. cit., pp. 406–7.
11
. Lanchbery, op. cit., p. 143.
12
. Quoted in Desmond Young,
Rommel
(Collins, 1950), p. 211.
13
. Terraine, op. cit., p. 676.
14
. Roy Lodge, unpublished memoir.
15
. Terraine, op. cit., p. 686.
CHAPTER
16
: JET
1
. Morris, op. cit., p. 222.
2
. W. A. Waterton,
The Quick and the Dead
(Frederic Muller, 1956), p. 35.
3
. Walker Downes, op. cit., p. 152.
4
. Ibid., p. 153.
5
. Waterton, op. cit., p. 22.
6
. Walker Downes, op. cit., pp. 200–205.
7.
Daily Mail
, ‘The Day Britain Was 15 Minutes From Triggering Nuclear Armageddon’ (26 September 2008).
CHAPTER
17
: ‘FOX TWO AWAY!’
1
. www.fast-air.co.uk, The Falklands Conflict.
2
. Maxi Gainza, ‘Birds of a Feather’,
Seven Days
magazine,
Sunday Telegraph
(21 May 1989).
3
. Commander Nigel ‘Sharkey’ Ward,
Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: A Maverick at War
(Cassell Military Paperbacks,
2000), p. 132.
4
. Ibid., p. 156.
5
. Ibid., p. 158.
6
. Gainza, op. cit.
CHAPTER
18
: PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
1
. Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton,
The Utility of Air Power: The Royal Air Force’s Contribution to the Defence and
Security of the United Kingdom
(2010).
2
. John Peters and John Nichol,
Tornado Down
(Penguin, 1998), pp. 4–6.
3
. Ibid., p. 97.
4
. Interview with author.
5
. Interview with author.
This book has benefited from many conversations with many people over the years, some historians, some aviators with first-hand experience of the events described. I am
particularly grateful to the late Peter Brothers, Eric Brown, Sebastian Cox, the late Billy Drake, the late Christopher Foxley-Norris, Lawrence Goodman, Tony Iveson and Rob Owen for helping me to
at least partially comprehend what it is to fly in battle.
Wings
has also been enriched by the work of many fine aviation historians. I am indebted to, among others, the late Ralph Barker, Joshua Levine, Nigel Steel and Peter Hart and John
Terraine.
My task has been made much easier by the enthusiasm, cheerfulness and professionalism of the Atlantic team. To Toby Mundy, Angus McKinnon, Ian Pindar, Margaret Stead and Orlando Whitfield, my
heartfelt thanks.
Accart, Jean,
315
Admiral Scheer
,
176
Aermacchi planes,
349
aero-modelling clubs,
14
Aeronautical Research Committee,
218
,
329
Afghanistan,
10
,
151
,
309
,
358
,
365
Agedabia,
262
Air Board,
85
air control,
308
Air Ministry,
129
,
135
,
147
,
153
,
219
,
239
,
272
,
332
and jet engine development,
329
and lack of moral fibre,
300
and rearmament,
158
,
162
,
165
,
168
,
171
and strategic air campaign,
213
,
280
see also
Blitz, the; strategic air campaign
air shows,
14
air speed records,
331
Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA),
274
aircraft carriers,
122
,
124
,
240
,
350
aircraft identification,
58
aircraft production,
92
,
113
,
126
,
128
,
193
,
204
airmail services,
30
see also
Zeppelins
Alam el Halfa, battle of,
270
Albatros biplanes,
78
,
94
,
100
,
106
Alexander, Albert,
252
American Civil War,
19
Antelat,
263
Anzio,
305
Ar Rumaylah airbase,
362
‘Archie, Certainly Not!’,
59
Ardennes offensive,
322
Argentine air force,
349
Armstrong Whitworth Siskin,
150
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley,
167
,
181
,
212
,
221
Army Air Corps,
369
Arrarás, Juan,
5
artillery, spotting for,
17
,
57
,
62
,
64
Asdic,
234
Atkinson, Ron,
277
Auton, Jim,
223
Auxiliary Air Force (AAF),
147
Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS),
273
Aviatik reconnaissance planes,
70
Avro Anson,
235
Avro Lancaster,
168
,
212
,
220
,
229
,
231
,
280
,
287
,
291
,
294
,
312
,
314
,
321
,
326
Avro ‘tractor’ planes,
48
Avro York,
335
Baldwin, Stanley,
156
Ball, Albert,
30
,
94
,
96
,
102
,
105
,
110
,
112
,
133
,
142
,
184
Bamberger, Cyril ‘Bam’,
196
Bann, Eric,
202
Barlow, Keith,
42
barrage balloons,
93
Barton, Pam,
274
Batt, Gordon,
202
Battle of Britain,
8
,
33
,
36
,
67
,
145
,
148
,
187
,
216
,
233
,
357
three phases of,
197
Battle of Jutland,
118
Battle of the Atlantic,
119
,
216
,
232
,
254
Battle of the Marne,
50
Bay of Biscay,
253
Bayly, Gordon,
46
Beatty, Admiral Sir David,
118
Beaverbrook, Max,
193
Beck, Pip,
276
Belgian air force,
180
Benzie, Nichol,
366
Berlin airlift,
335
Birmingham,
218
Bishop, Ernest,
260
Bismarck
,
247
Blériot, Louis,
17
Blériot aviation school,
30
Blundstone, Patrick,
89
Bodie, Crelin ‘Bogle’,
203
Boeing B-29 Superfortress,
327
,
340
Boeing C-17 Globemaster,
368
Boeing E-3 Sentry,
367
Boelcke, Oswald,
75
,
95
,
102
,
104
,
133
Bolland, Guy,
236
Bolzan, Danilo,
7
Bomber Command,
34
,
153
,
174
,
235
,
253
aircrew selection,
223
and area bombing,
216
briefings,
288
concentration principle,
228
conditions,
283
crewing up,
226
relief missions,
326
routine,
288
strategic air campaign,
181
,
209
,
279
,
323
target marking,
312
and V-weapons,
322
anti-submarine,
236
Blue Danube,
341
laser-guided,
364
‘smart’,
365
Tallboy,
320
see also
nuclear weapons
Bonar Law, Andrew,
135
Borton, Amyas ‘Biffy’,
58
Bosnia,
365
Boulton-Paul Defiant,
193
Bowhill, Sir Frederick,
235
Bowring, Ben,
198
Breda planes,
265
Bremen,
280
Breslau
,
162
Briggs, Dennis,
247
Bristol Beaufighter,
255
,
262
,
266
Bristol Blenheim,
167
,
176
,
193
,
212
,
258
,
263
,
266
Bristol Scout,
72
British Expeditionary Force (BEF),
41
,
44
,
55
,
174
British Power Jets,
329
British sea power,
54
Brock incendiary rounds,
86
Brooklands aerodrome,
13
,
28
,
32
,
163
Brooks, Morfydd,
276
Brown, Roy,
132
Brunsbüttel,
176
Brunswick,
312
Buerling, George ‘Screwball’,
267
Bufton, Syd,
280
Bulman, George,
163
Caldwell, Keith,
99
Campbell, Lindsay,
14
Cape Matapan, battle of,
245
Cape of Good Hope,
258
Cappy airfield,
130
Carmichael, George,
66
Casablanca Directive,
283
Cecil, Lord Hugh,
143
Central Flying School,
26
,
28
,
32
Chadwick, Roy,
168
Chamberlain, Neville,
172
,
175
,
178
Chile,
349
Chinook helicopters,
365
Churchill, Sarah,
274
Churchill, Winston,
23
,
51
,
53
,
80
,
84
,
153
,
249
,
260
and Battle of Britain,
188
,
192
,
207
and Battle of France,
185
and Battle of the Atlantic,
233
and jet engine development,
330
and naval aviation,
252
and strategic air campaign,
209
,
211
,
217
,
230
,
283
,
295
,
324
civilian casualties,
175
,
178
,
181
,
217
,
230
,
282
,
296
,
311
see also
strategic air campaign
Clayton, ‘Captain’,
11
Clegg, Ella Ida,
181
clock codes,
63
Coastal Command,
233
,
247
,
253
,
279
,
335
air–sea rescue operations,
254
casualties,
254
Cochrane, the Hon. Ralph,
153
,
312
Collier’s
magazine,
283
combat air patrols (CAPs),
1
,
349
,
351
commercial aviation,
147
Committee of Imperial Defence,
26
communism,
336
Compiègne,
47
Coningham, Sir Arthur ‘Mary’,
261
,
270
,
309
Consolidated B-24 Liberator,
237
Consolidated PBY Catalina,
237
,
247
Conte di Cavour
,
245
Conte Rosso
,
124
convoys,
191
,
197
,
206
,
216
,
234
,
246
,
254
,
258
Coode, Tim,
249
Cooke, Charles,
196
Cooper, N. C.,
248
Copeland Perry, Evelyn,
44
Courtrai,
66
Crompton, Richmal,
144
Crossley, Michael,
189
Cuban missile crisis,
342