A Very Unusual Air War
Page 22
After the war he remained in England for some years and he married his WREN officer. In the early 1950s he joined Gloster Aircraft Co., succeeding Bill Greenwood as Chief Test Pilot. He was responsible for the test programme on the Javelin all-weather aircraft. Following a partial break-up on a high-speed run, he deliberately chose to crash-land, at great risk to himself, rather than bale out, so that the aircraft would be available for examination. The aircraft caught fire but, in spite of the risk, Bill returned to the fuselage to retrieve the flight records. He was awarded the George Medal.
Due to his outspoken comments in a book that he wrote about the aircraft industry, he was not popular with the company and returned to Canada. Following our final meeting at Gloster Aircraft in 1954, we remained in contact by letter. W.A. Waterton, GM, AFC & bar, died in 2006.
Summary for:- September 1944 1. Spitfire 5–20
Unit:- AFDU Wittering 2. Typhoon −20
Date:- 1/10/44 3. Mustang 1–10
Signature:- H.L. Thorne F/Lt 4. Boston 10–45
Signed T.S. Wade S/Ldr
O/C Flying AFDU
YEAR 1944 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
October 2nd Spitfire XIV RB179 Self Dive bombing −50
Mustang III FZ107 Self Dive bombing −40
3rd Spitfire XIV RB179 Self Dive bombing −40
Spitfire XIV RB179 Self Dive bombing −25
Spitfire XIV RB179 Self Dive bombing −25
5th ME109G TP814 Self Local experience on type −20
Spitfire IX BS552 Self Tank dropping −55
6th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Aileron test −25
ME109 TP814 Self Local −20
10th ME109 TP814 Self Local −20
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −30
13th Spitfire IX 251 Self Air test −15
Spitfire IX 251 Self GGS tracking −30
24th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Local −15
Tempest 808 Self Bombing, dives −35
25th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing at Holbeach −35
27th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −50
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing 1–00
28th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −30
29th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −30
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −25
30th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing 1–00
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −45
31st Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −45
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −50
GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,089 hours 20 mins 3–30 11–20
60–00 1014–30 16–15
5 October: This was my first flight in the Messerschmidt 109G, known as the Gustav, the most advanced model of the 109 at that time. It was superior in many respects to the Spitfire Mk V, many of which were still in service, but the Griffon Spitfires (Mks XII and XIV) and the Mustang III all outclassed the Gustav. Used by the Luftwaffe in its dive and zoom tactics, the Gustav was still a formidable opponent. I did not like flying the 109; for me the cockpit was cramped and, with its up-and-over canopy, claustrophobic.
10 October: Further experience on type. As I was flying without an escort, I stayed close to base. With its narrow undercarriage, great care had to be taken when taxiing.
24 October: This aircraft would have been the Tempest V with a Napier Sabre liquid-cooled engine. Like the Typhoon, the Tempest picked up speed very quickly in a dive and great care was necessary in the recovery.
31 October: What a week! I came to hate this experimental bombing; high-level flight starting at 15,000 feet, releasing at 12,000 feet and dive bombing starting at 8,000 feet to low level, ending with cannon firing for ground attack.
Summary for:– October 1944 1. Spitfire 12–20
Unit:– AFDU Wittering 2. Mustang −40
Date:– 1/11/44 3. ME 109G 1–00
Signature:– H.L. Thorne F/Lt 4. Tempest −35
T.S. Wade S/Ldr
O/C Flying AFDU
YEAR 1944 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
November 1st Spitfire IX JL359 Self Guns and camera −55
2nd Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −25
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −40
4th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −25
5th Spitfire XVI DV295 Self Speed runs −40
6th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing −30
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Bombing 1–00
9th Hurricane 397 Self Photography −20
10th Mustang III FZ107 Self To Manston −45
Meteor I K Self Local experience on type −30
Anson 184 F/Lt Lane Self To base 1–35
13th Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Speed run −15
14th Spitfire XVI PV295 Self To Grimsburgen, Brussels 1–55
15th Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Grimsburgen to Antwerp −15
18th Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Antwerp to Wittering 1–40
20th ME 109G TP814 Self Air test −10
22nd ME 109G TP814 Self Crashed on take-off −05
Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Weather test −25
Spitfire 21 LA201 Self Preliminary handling −30
27th Spitfire IX MJ421 Self Marker bombing −25
30th Spitfire IX PV295 Self Observe Lancaster marker bombs −45
GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,103 hours 30 mins 3–30 11–20
60–00 1028–40 16.15
AFDU 1944 in front of a Mk 1 Tempest. Above: formal and hatted. Below: casual. Standing: ‘Zip’ Zobell (RCAF); F/Lt W.A. ‘Bill’ Reid; F/Lt C.E.O. ‘Cappy’ Lane (RAAF); F/Lt W. ‘Otto’ Waterton (RCAF); F/O H.W. ‘Chas’ Charnock. Seated: F/Lt Collins; F/Lt Simms; S/Ldr T.S. ‘Wimpy’ Wade; W/Cdr Allan R. Wright; S/Ldr ‘Sawn off’ Joce; F/Lt Chadwick; F/Lt H.L. Len Thorne.
Bud and Ian ‘Bill’ Burge.
Left to right: F/Lt H.L. Thorne, S/Ldr T.S. ‘Wimpy’ Wade, F/Lt H.S. ‘Susie’ Sewell, Cpl Green, on a very cold day in winter 1944.
5 November: With increased production of Spitfires and Merlin-engined Mustangs, demand for Merlins and Griffons outstripped Rolls-Royce production capacity. The American car firms Packard and Ford produced Merlins under licence. The Spitfire Mk XVI was powered by a Packard Merlin and had American armament of .5 mm Browning machine guns instead of 20 mm Hispano cannons. Broadly similar to the Spitfire Mk IX, it was still checked for performance.
F/Lt Thorne and his ME109 at Wittering, 22nd November 1944. Port oleo collapsed on take off.
10 November: For a few hours I was attached to the famous 616 Squadron, which had also been known as ‘Bader’s Bus Company’ earlier in the war. Written on the Squadron bulletin board during 1941 was ‘Bader’s Bus Company – daily tickets to the Continent – Return tickets only!’
That autumn the Luftwaffe brought their first jet-engined fighter, the ME262, into service. It was an outstanding aircraft capable of speeds far in excess of any piston-engined machine. It was imperative to get the RAF jet into service for operational and prestige purposes. The first Gloster Meteors underwent handling trials at A&AAE, Boscombe Down, and were immediately passed into service with ‘A’ Flight, 616 Squadron.
Flying our first jet was a revelation, no torque, therefore no swing on take-off, no vibration and little or no engine noise. The engines of the Meteor Mk I had very poor performance at low speed, so take-off procedure was very different. Brakes held full on, throttle fully open; when maximum revs had built up, release brakes and allow the aircraft to roll forward. When speed built up, stick back to raise nose wheel, followed by becoming airborne. Maintain level flight until speed built up to 200 mph, then commence climb. In other respects the Meteor was an easy aeroplane to fly, with excellent forward visibility.
14 November: This was a flight and landing in mainland Europe. After D-Day increa
sing numbers of enemy aircraft fell into Allied hands as the ground forces advanced towards Germany. I was sent over to test fly a number of ME109s which were intended to be ‘playthings’ for senior officers. Great care was needed, as many of these machines were booby-trapped. My flight had to be planned with care, as some of the Channel ports, including Calais, Cherbourg and Dunquerque, had been bypassed but still held enough ammunition to give a hot reception to any Allied aircraft that flew too close. It had been a very wet autumn and the steel mesh decking (Somerfield Tracking), which made the runways, was underwater. Landing and take-offs left wakes rather like speedboats. Conditions were primitive and I spent 2 or 3 nights in partially destroyed buildings around the airfield perimeter; the least damaged had been made into temporary living quarters and messes. The Wehrmacht forces had been pushed back to the River Scheldt but small groups, known as Werewolves, were active at night.
A number of ground staff personnel were killed at night by these silent assassins. It became obvious that under these conditions there was no chance of doing any test flying. I therefore flew north to Antwerp in the hope of an improvement but still no flying.
Living conditions were much better here as I was billeted in the Hotel Century, right in the city centre. The Germans had left behind some excellent chefs and a very good orchestra that played background music in the evenings. The most requested tune was, of course, the German war song, Lilly Marlene. We were under strict orders not to go sightseeing alone but always in threes or more. The danger here was not Werewolves but prostitutes, who were missing their German customers. I spent one pleasant evening in a nearby nightclub, listening to music and watching the very attractive girls performing. With a couple of American officers and one Brit I went into Brussels one morning for sightseeing and shopping. Luxury goods, clothes and furs could be bought very cheaply but perfume and jewellery were not particularly cheap. Those in the know took home two items that were in great demand, real coffee and toilet soap.
During my stay in Antwerp a number of V1s fell in the area; one in particular, during the night, fell near enough to break crockery and glass in the hotel. The weather continued to make test flying impossible so on the sixth day I decided to return to Wittering. When I asked the flying control, he initially refused to give me a clearance but finally agreed, making it clear that it was my own responsibility. After take-off I climbed to 12,000 feet into clear air and set an estimated course to the west. When I judged my position to be mid-Channel, I called Wittering control for a homing. They suggested that there was better weather at some southwest airfields, particularly Hurn.
This posed a problem as I was carrying a few parcels to be posted in England to wives and girlfriends of the chaps in Antwerp, plus some presents like perfume for Estelle. It was essential to land at base where there were no customs checks, so I carried on with the homing to Wittering and only saw the ground when I landed. Our ground staff stripped gun panels to quickly remove any incriminating material, plus my own parachute bag, which was hanging behind the armour plate that protected my head. On the outward flight I had carried a drop tank under each wing, which contained not petrol but many gallons of Mitchells and Butlers’ Best Bitter for the Grimsburgen messes! So ended an adventurous week.
18 November: Looking back I find it incredible that I undertook these flights with nothing more than a set of maps and an absolute faith in radar and our ground controllers.
22 November: Probably my nearest brush with death. On take-off, just before ‘unsticking’ at around 120 mph, the port oleo support strut broke and the left leg of the undercarriage collapsed. The port wing hit the ground, causing the aircraft to do a complete cartwheel. By good fortune it came to rest the right way up but badly damaged. It was a frightening situation as the fuselage ‘kinked’ just behind the cockpit, jamming the canopy closed. With fuel and coolant dripping, I was very relieved that help came quickly and I was released, badly frightened. Flying Officer Chadwick, the Unit photographic officer, was on hand to take the picture that has since appeared in many magazines and newspapers. There was no attempt to repair TP814 as many captured 109s were now available. It came to rest in one of the 1426 Flight hangars at Colley Weston, to be cannibalised for spares.
Following the rules, I flew again immediately after the crash and suffered no noticeable ill effects.
The Mk 21 was meant to be a big step forward, with a more powerful Griffon engine, four 20 mm cannons, cut down rear fuselage for better visibility and contra-rotating airscrews, each of three blades. Problems in controlling the increased torque with a single 11-foot-diameter airscrew were the reasons for changing to contra-rotating airscrews.
I went on to make eleven or so flights in the Mk 21 covering all aspects of the test programme and, at the CO’s request, wrote the draft report. For the first time there was an adverse report on a Spitfire. AFDU received LA201 towards the end of 1944. It was only 10/12 mph faster that the Mk XIV but apart from improved aileron control, it otherwise felt unstable, particularly in the horizontal plane. As a gun platform it proved poor and sighting was difficult. My comments were upheld by other Unit pilots and it was generally felt that the Mk 21 should not go into service, the Mk XIV being a much better aircraft. However, extensive modifications were made and a few months later the Spitfire Mk 21 was accepted for service.
27 November: These bombs emitted coloured smoke which was released slowly after impact. They were intended for target marking.
Summary for:– November 1944 1. Spitfire 10–45
Unit:– AFDU Wittering 2. Hurricane −20
Date:– 4/12/44 3. Mustang −45
Signature:– H.L.Thorne F/Lt 4. Meteor −30
5. ME109G −15
6. Anson 1–35
Signed H.L. Thorne F/Lt
for O/C Flying A.F.D.S.
In the absence of Squadron Leader Wade I was given an acting rank as O/C Flying. The Unit was upgraded to Squadron status and became AFDS.
YEAR 1944 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
December 1st Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Bombing −35
Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Bombing 1–00
Spitfire XVI PV295 Self Bombing 1–00
4th Spitfire XXI LA201 Self Climbs and speeds −45
5th Spitfire IX JL359 Self Bombing −40
Spitfire V AD318 Self Air test −20
6th Spitfire XXI LA201 Self Comparative v. Tempest −45
7th Spitfire IX JL359 Self Bombing −35
17th Typhoon MN974 Self Rocket projectiles (RPs) −55
Spitfire XVI RB179 Self Rocket projectiles 1–05
18th Typhoon MN974 Self Rocket projectiles 1–00
31st Mustang FZ107 Self Fire bombs (napalm) at Colleyweston −25
Mustang FZ107 Self Fire bombs at Colleyweston −25
GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 1,113 hours 00 mins 3–30 11–20
60–00 1038–10 16–15
1 December: The development of bombing by fighters was something that had to be done. I hated it! Our lovely Spitfires were not meant to be used in this way. Ground attack, whether by the use of bombs, rockets, machine gun or cannon fire, was a most dangerous action. German light ack ack was most efficient and the casualties were horrendous.
6 December: Comparative testing embraced all aspects of fighter use: mock combat, turning circles, rates of roll, climbs, dives, speed runs, operational and absolute ceiling.
17 December: Rocket Projectiles were carried on rails under each wing, four each side, and were fired electrically. They had been in use for some time and it was our job to improve aiming techniques. Those first RPs were the forerunners of the air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles that are in use today.
18 December: The RPs could be fired selectively in pairs, fours or eights. Firing all eight at once was equivalent to a destroyer’s broadside.
31 December: Earlier in this year AFDU c
ommenced experiments on the use of fire bombs. I have the doubtful honour of being the first, or at least one of the first, to demonstrate this diabolical weapon. It was primarily intended for use against the Japanese in the Pacific war and would need to be effective against fox-holes and slit trenches.
The first efforts were somewhat primitive: a 250-gallon drop tank under each wing of the aircraft was filled with jellified benzole. [Later known as napalm.] Two hand grenades were strapped to each tank, the firing pins attached by wires to the bomb-rack.
On an unused part of Colleyweston airfield fox-holes and slit trenches were dug and human dummies were placed in them. I was ordered on this cold and very windy day to release the tanks in front of senior officers of Allied and American Army and Air Forces to demonstrate the effect. Despite the adverse weather conditions I made a successful run in but, at the first attempt, one tank failed to release immediately. However, when I made a climbing turn away, the second tank dropped. It fell on to the parade ground of a nearby American army camp, bursting into a spectacular ball of fire. I visualised with horror burnt and dead American soldiers but, luckily, being a Sunday, they were all off camp.
Against my will I was ordered to try again and at the second attempt, again, only one tank released. I pulled up into a very gentle climbing turn and flew to the Wainfleet bombing range. I admit to being worried (scared stiff!) that the grenade pins had pulled out and I was about to be cremated or blown to bits. All was OK; after a very tight turn the second tank fell harmlessly into the sea. By then the weather had deteriorated and further tests were abandoned – thank goodness! I assume the one tank test had been enough, as the system was adopted and has, unfortunately for the victims, been used ever since.