The Way It Was

[flyboy]

June 6th onwards

Following the troop landings in Europe there was the requirement for air support for the Allied forces. The pace was fast and furious as raids were pushed home with the Hartford Bridge squadrons playing a most important role in the containment of the German forces.

None is a better example than the attack on the Mondeville steel works in the middle of the month carried out by the based squadrons and described by Jimmy Armstrong of 226 Squadron in his log book as a 'Very good prang'.

The late F/Lt Les 'Ginger' Walker was on this attack and his recollection makes interesting reading:
" The land battle was not going too well. The Germans had pushed back into Caen and had fortified the Mondeville steel works which was located there. This heavily defended position was holding up the advance of the 51st Highlanders as well as a Canadian Division. Air strikes were therefore called for and in a joint operation 72 Mitchell and Boston bombers dropped 500 and 1000lb bombs to batter the factory strong points. Heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire was encountered as we pressed home the attack. It was very successful and the works were captured the following day.

" The aircraft used in this raid had departed Hartford Bridge between 17.45 and 18.15hrs and on arrival at the target we were at medium level at about 7000 feet. We experienced intense accurate flak on our extended bomb run into the target, which was to give us ample time to position our aircraft to ensure accurate bombing results on the factory area in view of the close proximity of our troops. The bombing was accurate and the attack a complete success.

" It was my 50th bombing operation and having completed it successfully I was only a few days and three operations away from being taken off operational flying. I was at that time feeling mentally exhausted and not a little 'flak happy' and so was pleased to accept this chance of a rest from further operational duties."

[flyboy]

June 12th 1944

Mosquito XIII's of 264 Squadron were being sent during the month, to attack enemy aircraft over the Channel. S/Ldr Alwell and F/O Fergusson of 264 Squadron were each awarded DFCs for shooting down three out of five FW190 fighters which had been attacking shipping along the Normandy beaches.
During the month the squadron had destroyed thirteen enemy aircraft, including a JU188 which was carrying a glider bomb on top of the fuselage. However, this had not been achieved without their own loss , as one of their aircraft failed to return from operations on the 12th.

[flyboy]

June 1944

The Ground Crews.

During this very hectic time it should not be forgotten that the ground crews looking after the squadrons' aircraft were playing a very important role. As the pressure was building on the aircraft crews, so was it for the fitters and armourers who were working continuously around the clock to keep the aircraft in a flyable condition and ready for the next sortie. Be it a number of flak holes, a misfiring engine or a tyre change required, it had to be rectified urgently. They were often working outside in far from ideal conditions but the aircraft in their charge were in need of urgent repair so they had to get on with it. The aircraft were often desperately needed to fly again just as soon as they could be made airworthy and this would often be achieved in a very short space of time.
Hugely proud of what they achieved , the ground crew were very highly thought of by the aircrews. The ground crews were similarly very keen to look after the wellbeing of 'their' crews. One of the aircrew members that I spoke to remembered that they often managed to ease the burden in small ways which were much appreciated.
As an example, he recalled returning from an operation one particularly hot day and having parked the aircraft in dispersal, being met by their crew who were awaiting their arrival with a bottle in hand. This contained a cool drink of water which after a long hot flight, was very well received. Surprised that the water was so cold, they appreciated it even more, when they found out that the bottle and contents had been buried underground by their crew since the cooler temperatures of the early morning and had only been dug up as the aircraft was making its landing approach. No refrigerators in those days were available to keep it cool - so there had been a bit of forward planning and it was much appreciated!

[flyboy]

July 12th 1944

An unusual event at the airfield.

His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, AOCinC, and a number of other high-ranking officers , held an investiture at the airfield where 80 personnel were to be honoured. It was very unusual for an investiture to be held by royalty anywhere outside London.
It was a very hot day and airmen and WAAFs drawn up on parade were soon feeling the effects as they awaited the arrival of the royal party. In a long line, those receiving decorations filed forward until it was their turn to march up, salute, and shake the King's hand once they had received their medal. Among those from locally based squadrons being honoured were W/Cdr Lynn, 107 squadron,  'Ben' Lyon and 'Baby' Bance , both 88 squadron, F/O Binns, 264 squadron, S/Ldr Evans, 88 squadron with F/Lt Simpson and F/Lt Turner also from the same squadron.

The Queen spoke to F/Sgt Jimmy Armstrong and mistakenly thought he was Polish. His Geordie accent and blond hair had caused the confusion and she laughed when he told her he was from Newcastle-on -Tyne. The whole investiture was very informal and Jimmy said the Queen was charming.
It was a day of double celebration for 342 Free French squadron as it was also Bastille Day.
There were presentations made to personnel from other stations as well as Hartford Bridge. Buck Feldman , an American flying Tempest V's with 3 squadron at RAF Newchurch, Kent, received the DFC. It was possibly unique for a foreign serviceman to be decorated by the monarch in person. It was usually the Station or Sector Commander who would perform this duty.
Also attending this investiture was the Wing Leader of 150 Wing, W/Cdr Roland Bemont. He flew up to RAF Lasham, being the nearest convenient airfield as Hartford Bridge was closed for the ceremony. In a letter to me he described how on the flight up he intercepted an incoming V1 and destroyed it near Eastbourne and followed this up by damaging another. (quite extraordinary - Ed). The Tempest V was the only aircraft at that time capable of catching a V1 in level flight. W/Cdr Bemont received a bar to his DSO. By the end of the war he had shot down 32 V1s , while Buck Feldman had accounted for another 13. In all the three squadrons which formed 150 Wing accounted for 600 V1s by the end of the war. At the end of the war W/Cdr Bemont became one of this country's top test pilots.
His Majesty and the Queen left the airfield by road at 17.45hrs, having taken tea in the HQ Officers' Mess where a number of officers were presented to them.

[flyboy]

July 31st 1944

A lucky escape.

The crew escaped from Boston BZ210 of 88 squadron when the undercarriage collapsed on landing back at base. Their operation had been cancelled while they were airborne due to bad weather. The aircraft still had its full load of armed bombs aboard.

[flyboy]

August 4th/5th 1944

Tiger tanks were the target in Goulet Woods near Caen during the afternoon and later under cover of darkness the tanks tried to move out and escape but the Boston squadrons struck again as the German troops made their getaway.

In the Falaise area the aircraft were picked up by twenty-three searchlights and intense flak soon followed. They managed to knock out only two of the searchlights and the flak barrage soon took its toll with 88 Squadron losing two aircraft, while 342 Squadron lost five aircraft - a major disaster.
Despite these losses both squadrons were involved again in operations against troop concentrations and the railway system the following day the 5th, meeting heavy flak on the way home. Following their return to base they were ordered to prepare for a night attack, again against troops hidden in woods! The pressure was relentless.

[flyboy]

August 5th and 6th 1944

A Personal Account.

On the 5th despite the events of the previous day, it was the turn of targets in the Le Mans area to receive the attentions of 88 and 342 Squadrons. Railways and troops concealed in woods were attacked but the squadrons experienced heavy flak on the way home. The squadrons were soon airborne again as they were briefed for a night attack in the Angers-Tours-La Fleche area where troops hidden in woods were again their target. Yet again they were subject to heavy flak, this time in the Bernay area.
Meanwhile 226 Squadron were attacking a railway yard near Verneuil in an operation lasting 2hrs30minutes.

The following day the 6th was to see 226 Squadron again in action as they attacked the 21st Panzers tank holding area six miles east of Thury Harcourt. Seventeen of the eighteen aircraft taking part were to return eventually with flak damage following this operation and one aircraft was to be forced to crash land. F/Sgt Jimmy Armstrong recalls in his own words that crash landing and subsequent events;-

 "I was one of four crew members in our 226 Squadron Mitchell. The others were F/O McQueen, our pilot, Sgt Jack Watson, a Canadian who was our Navigator, Sgt Eddie Scott, Air Gunner, and I was the Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.
"We knew our target was to be a concentration of tanks in a wood but we had no idea what we were to experience. I recall it was a Sunday evening and the full squadron took part with eighteen aircraft in formations. We were flying number four in the middle. Having dropped our bombs we were met by a huge salvo of anti-aircraft fire both light and heavy in the shape of a shoe box. All the aircraft scattered to avoid this terrific bombardment. Being in the mid upper turret I could see everything and because we were in the middle of the first wave we were literally blasted.
" Everything I could see I reported to Mac, our pilot. I told him that part of the tail had gone and fuel was streaming from our port wing. I suggested that we should bail out but he told me that we would be blown into enemy lines and we all knew that they took no prisoners - you were shot before you even landed. He also said that he could see a landing strip where he intended to try to land despite having a runaway propeller which couldn't be feathered and the other engine rapidly failing. With no undercarriage and minimum flap available on the aircraft he told us to take up crash positions. I had always been told that the mid upper turret was the strongest part of the aircraft but I decided to sit on the floor and brace myself ready for the touchdown which I knew would be a belly landing.

" Mac put it down about half-way down the strip which was just wire mesh laid down for the use of an American fighter squadron flying Tomahawks. At a high speed which I think must have been about 200mph we tore down this bit of mesh and on over numerous tree stumps until we finally came to rest in a ditch. When we did finally stop I sat up and promptly hit my head on a tree trunk about the thickness of a telegraph pole which had come in straight through the aircraft. I then saw Eddie the other gunner who had blood streaming down his face from a wound caused by one of the guns which had come up and hit him between the eyes. I shouted to him that the aircraft was on fire and there was a hole in the side of the aircraft to his right. I watched as he felt his way out and it wasn't until then that I saw my own predicament. The mid upper turret had collapsed. Had I remained in it I would certainly have been decapitated by the 2 x .5 Browning guns which by now , along with a mass of pipes and wires, were blocking my way to the escape hole through which Eddie had so recently disappeared. I must have used super-human strength to clear a way through. As I clambered out, my parachute harness which I was still wearing snagged on the side of the plane. I had to cut myself free quickly using a knife that I always carried and I managed to scramble up the bank of the ditch in which we had come to rest. With the parachute hanging down my legs I set off as quickly as possible to get away from the burning plane as I expected it to blow up at any minute. I didn't realise at that time that I was being chased by two American soldiers with a stretcher. When they caught up they asked why I hadn't stopped, to which my curt reply was: 'There are 6000 rounds of ammunition in there!'
" They must have had a laugh to themselves chasing an airman with his parachute dangling and the seat of his trousers hanging out. I was taken to the medical tent where I met up with Mac who had received some burns while he helped Jack Watson out of the aircraft. We were put in a cubicle and told to strip ready for a medical examination. We duly did so , but can you imagine our embarrassment when a lady doctor appeared. Hands immediately covered certain areas ! After treatment for our injuries -I had hurt my right arm - I was told that Jack and Eddie were going to the field hospital. Jack had injuries to ligaments in one of his legs and Eddie had a broken nose but thankfully his eyes were all right, which was very good news for me having seen what he was like in the aircraft.
"Mac and I met the commanding officer of the squadron who took us off to a chateau aptly named 'Moggins Maulers' where I met a Canadian crew who had made a more normal landing than ours to make repairs. Why we didn't fly back with them I will never know but instead I was placed in the care of two American sergeants. One of them told me that he had been manning a gun as we approached and was about to blast us until we crashed, he had thought that we were a German Dornier on a bombing run. They treated me like a King and allowed me to share their foxhole that night. I awoke next morning, not knowing we had been shelled during the night, to be given hot water and a razor before being taken up to a huge marquee for breakfast of flapjacks covered by bacon and maple syrup plus a pot of steaming hot tea. Sitting at a collapsible table outside I was mobbed by GIs who showered me with gifts of cigarettes, candy and chewing gum, which they insisted I took. All I know about those two sergeants was that one was called Duke and he gave me a tour of the base in his Jeep. He also took me to see what remained of the aircraft, very little I am afraid.
"A plane eventually arrived to take me and Mac back to base and it was only then that I was told that only one aircraft out of the eighteen aircraft that left the airfield had made it back to land there, although others had made it back but landed elsewhere.
" A quite extraordinary thing happened when we landed back at base. Remember that it was not our aircraft that we were returning in - so how did my dog know that I was on board this one? No sooner had we stopped than she came running up to the aircraft to meet me; I think that was quite uncanny.
" Mac was sent off to a burns hospital and I was given the option of going to hospital or on sick leave. Needless to say I took the sick leave and I eventually arrived home on a Sunday , having stopped off at my sister's in Middlesex. My mother's first words were 'Why haven't you sent me a letter?' to which my reply, not wishing to worry her , was 'I couldn't because I fell off my bike and hurt my arm'. My dad wasn't fooled though and when we went down to the local before lunch he said 'What really happened to you ? You've hurt your right arm but you write with your left hand', I had to tell him everything and he kept my secret until after I married my girlfriend.

" I was honoured to be a member of 226 Squadron, 2nd TAF".     

          

[flyboy]

September 1st 1944

Another harrowing personal account.

Operations in support of Allied troops were continuing and spreading into Holland. On the 1st of the month 226 Squadron mounted an attack on marshallimg yards at Givet on the Luxomberg border.
F/O John Irvine of 226 Squadron wrote to me from his home in Canada.
"This was the last trip of my tour and I was anxious to get the attack over. I was glad later that I had sat up in the gun turret as we taxied out where I could see the people of the area lined up along the fence waving to us as the planes took off. It never entered my head that in a couple of hours I would be the only member of our crew still alive.

" We went into our bombing run and the flak was heavy, so as normal, as soon as our bombs went we climbed as fast as we could. All I felt was a wallop and when I checked for damage I could see one whole fin had gone. we remained in the air for a while , but the aircraft soon began to break up so the order to bail out came. I grabbed my parachute and kicked the escape door open. From then on it was luck for me. A Frenchman on the ground with binoculars told me that I didn't bail out but he saw me at the escape hatch and then the aircraft rolled over, throwing me out. The rest of the crew were buried in a small town called Bezingheim - Pas de Calais. I ran for a long way and found myself a small wood on a hill looking down on a large farm.
"I started to think of the kindness of the people at Hartford Bridge (Yateley? -Ed.), the way they were to me. I had been in several of their homes and the way they treated us was just like home. It didn't matter, Canadian, New Zealand, Polish or even Limeys (with respect). I though and wondered if they counted the crews as they came back as I was always glad to see the fence as we came in to land.

" I thought of the dances and the girls and adults that we met and the fun we had. I know some of us could be rowdy at times but as one mother and father said while we were having dinner with them, it's quite usual and they just hoped their sons in the East had someone to talk to.

About four in the afternoon a girl and a boy came up the hill from the farm and told me to stay. They left a bottle of wine, cheese and bread and it tasted like a banquet. Later three men came up and spoke to me, then took me to the barn and hid me in among the hay bales for a few days. Then they took me into the house and put me in a small room. Having covered the entrance door , they hid the outside window with a vine. Once again I was full of amazement - the people on the farm acted the same as the people at Hartford Bridge. The Germans hunted all through the area and the farm itself, but the children acting as lookouts told me in time to hide. They eventually told me that Canadian and British troops were nearby and they put me in a farm waggon and delivered me as close as possible. All they asked of me was my .45 Colt revolver and shells.

" When the troops moved on I went with them up as far as Ghent in Belgium. I was able to secure a lift to the beach and a lift home aboard a DC3 Gooney Bird or Dakota. When I got back to Hartford Bridge I looked at the place with tears in my eyes. The station squadrons were being sent to France but I was sent to a holding unit in Birmingham and from there shipped home.

" I often think of the local people and Hartford Bridge with thanks and sadness. This letter can in no way thank them for their help during the war but I hope you can use it to explain how they made life on an RAF station almost nice."   

                       

[flyboy]

October 1944

The airfield took on a new role as heavy ground fighting was taking place on the Continent and as casualties increased they were flown back to this country, often landing at Hartford Bridge. After their arrival the injured were quickly transferred by ambulance to local hospitals and in particular to Aldershot Military Hospital.

                           

[flyboy]

October 14th 1944

On the receiving end.

A rail bridge over the river Ijssel at Zutphen in Holland was attacked by all three based squadrons. Jan Wassink then a young child remembers the raid vividly.
He came to see me in my office at Blackbushe and he told me how he was in Zutphen at the time and was on the receiving end of the bombing. He recalls German troops in the town some being on the bridge itself, which was only lightly damaged when the bombing went wrong. The bombs from 226 Squadron's second formation box overshot the target and fell in the town. Shortly afterwards exactly the same thing happened as 88 Squadron pressed home their attack.
The bombs fell in a street of very old houses and over 80 people lost their lives, in addition to the many seriously injured. Hundreds of houses were flattened and many more damaged. Jan's parents' house received damage to the roof caused by the shock blast and flying debris. He remembers that others in the road were not so lucky and seeing houses on fire.
Something that had particularly stuck in his mind over the years was the sight of a warehouse used as a store for printers' paper being well alight and burning wildly out of control. It took months before it was finally put out in December and all that time embers and ash were blowing about. Water to fight the fires he recalled had to be taken from the river as the town's water mains had been fractured by the bombing.