Hurricane Squadron Ace: The Story of Battle of Britain Ace, Air Commodore Peter Brothers, CBE, DSO, DFC and Bar

by Nick Thomas

  The squadron’s pilots flew back from their temporary base at Wittering to Biggin Hill on 4 June. During the day, in a speech made in Parliament, Churchill announced, ‘All our types – the Hurricane, the Spitfire, and the new Defiant – and all our pilots have been vindicated as superior to what they have at present to face.’

  While the evacuation of Dunkirk had concluded, members of the BEF and French forces were still in action in western France, the RAF continuing to fly operations: ‘It is hoped that we shall be given a short respite in which to organize, refit and train new pilots in order to inflict yet heavier casualties on the German fighters and bombers when they attack this country and coastwise shipping.’

  On 5 June, No. 79 Squadron flew down from Digby, joining No. 32 Squadron on an escort to Blenheims raiding Abbeville. In his debriefing, a naturally frustrated Brothers reported that two Ju 88s were observed over the Channel but at a great distance and could not be pursued, ‘The reconnaissance Ju 88 had a top speed of about 300 mph, so if they had the jump on us, it was difficult to overhaul them before they reached the [French] coast.’

  With the bulk of the BEF now safe, King George VI sent a message to Winston Churchill:

  ‘I wish to express my admiration of the outstanding skill and bravery shown by the three Services and the Merchant Navy in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Northern France.

  ‘The measure of its success – greater than we had dared to hope – was due to the unfailing support of the Royal Air Force, and, in the final stages, the tireless efforts of naval units of every kind.

  ‘We think with heartfelt sympathy of the losses and suffering of those brave men, whose self-sacrifice has turned disaster into triumph.’

  ‘George R.I.’

  Winston Churchill remained bullish when he spoke in the House of Commons later that day:

  ‘We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.

  ‘I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.

  ‘We shall go on to the end; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air; we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.’

  In private, Churchill acknowledged that Dunkirk, despite the rescuing of 338,000 Allied troops, represented ‘the greatest military defeat for many centuries.’ Over 68,000 soldiers were listed as killed or missing, or had been taken as PoWs, while virtually all of the BEF’s equipment was lost. As the German forces advanced, however, they freed four hundred Luftwaffe pilots and aircrew, most notable among their number was the fighter ace Mölders.

  The squadron flew a number of offensive operations during 6 June, but without making any claims.

  Although the fighting around Dunkirk was over, elsewhere the battle for France continued. Scottish and Canadian troops had been landed in France to provide support to the 51st Highland Division, whose line fell between Abbeville and Dieppe. On 7 June, Brothers took off from Manston on a squadron patrol in the company of No. 79 Squadron, flying as escort to eighteen Blenheims bombing targets in the Abbeville area. No. 32 Squadron’s role was to stick closely to the bombers. When a formation of forty-plus Bf 109s was sighted over Abbeville at 1400 hours, No. 79 Squadron’s Hurricanes were ordered to peel off and engage them. Pilot Officer TC. Parker claimed two Bf 109s, while Flying Officer ‘Jimmy’ Davies destroyed one and a second unconfirmed, and Sergeant R.R. McQueen got another confirmed. Flight Lieutenant Roberts and Pilot Officer D.W.A. Stones both shot down a Bf 109 (unconfirmed). Sergeant A.W. Whitby sighted an Hs 126 which he destroyed.

  With their primary mission accomplished, No. 32 Squadron was able to go on the offensive. Having sighted a formation of twelve He IIIs and ten Bf 110s, they were given the order to attack.

  Pilot Officer Smythe and Flight Lieutenant Crossley shared in the destruction of an He 111, while Pilot Officer Grice destroyed an He 111. Engaging a formation of six Bf 109s, Sergeant Pearce claimed one destroyed. Meanwhile, to the east of Abbeville a lone Bf 109 was engaged and shot down, as was a second near Curey.

  Returning to Manston, Brothers and the rest of the squadron refuelled and awaited the next operation. This came at 1715 hours with a repeat of the earlier escort, resulting in the destruction of a further He 111.

  Taking off from Manston at 0820 hours the following day, a flight of No. 32 Squadron’s Hurricanes joined No. 79 Squadron on a patrol to Le Treport. Grice recalled, ‘Our role was to provide air support for troops embarking from the harbour.’

  An hour into the patrol a formation of twenty He 111s of I./KG 1 was sighted flying 3,000ft below. Crossley scoured the skies for their Bf 109 escort, but they were too far behind the bombers – they would make their presence felt soon enough.

  Ordering the squadron line astern, Crossley took the Hurricanes in for a No. 6 attack with instructions, ‘Going down to starboard; Leader taking port machine; Echelon starboard; Go!’

  With each of Red Section’s pilots lining up an He 111, they dived down, closing to firing range before letting loose a salvo. Veering off to port, they completed their pass, leaving the way clear for Yellow Section’s attack, during which Pilot Officer Daw sent two bombers down in flames. Crossley, flying on a parallel course to the bombers, saw his first victim crash-land, before he engaged a second which plummeted into the ground. Daw then spotted a Bf 109 attacking a Hurricane, successfully picking the enemy fighter off.

  Meanwhile, Pilot Officer Grice (flying P3530) lined up on the lead bomber of a section, getting close before firing a short burst. But his own aircraft was badly hit by the crossfire from the defending air gunners and later by Bf 109s of III./JG 26.

  Fearing his ruptured fuel tanks might ignite, Grice turned the engine off and glided fifteen miles before crash-landing near a small village between Rouen and Neufchâtel-en-Bray at 0925 hours, his Hurricane turning on its back. With another RAF officer in tow, Grice searched for an open aerodrome. Finally, at Dreux, he found an aircraft and flew back via Jersey, rejoining the squadron on the following day.

  The bomber’s Bf 109 escort arrived on the scene and were engaged by No. 79 Squadron, with Squadron Leader Joslin and Pilot Officer Haysom both claiming a Bf 109. Meanwhile, Flying Officer Davies, Pilot Officers Stones and Wood shared an He 111 over Abbeville. Flying Officer Mitchell was wounded and Joslin made an emergency landing at Hawkinge.

  Also drawn into the general dogfight were those pilots from No. 32 Squadron with ammunition, the remainder heading for Rouen-Boos landing-ground to refuel and rearm. Here they found that there was no means of siphoning fuel and so they made the hop to Drex, where they refuelled. No. 32 Squadron’s wider claims were listed in the ORB, although not all were remarked upon in the general commentary:

  ‘Pilot Officer Daw engaged twenty Me 110s, ten Bf 109s – destroying two He 111s. [The squadron’s Operational Record book also credits Daw with one Bf 109 as destroyed].

  Flying Officer Humpherson engaged twenty He 111s, destroying one He 111.

  Pilot Officer Flinders engaged twenty He 111s, destroying one He 111.

  Sergeant Pearce engaged three Me 109s, claiming one Me 109 unconfirmed.

  Sergeant Bayley engaged three Me 109s, claiming one Me 109 unconfirmed possible.

  Flight Lieutenant Crossley attacked seventeen He 111s, claiming two He 111s.

  Pilot Officer Grice engaged ten He 111s and six Me 109s, claiming one Me 109 destroyed and one He 111 destroyed’.

  During debriefing it was learned that one Hurricane had been seen to crash in flames, while another was observed close to the ground and under heavy attack from Bf 109s. These later proved to be
the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Cherrington and Pilot Officer Kirkcaldie. Cherrington was shot down by Bf 109s of III./JG 26, during an attack on He111s of I./KG 1 over Rouen. His aircraft crashed at Fief-Thoubert, St-Saëns. Meanwhile, Kirkcaldie was shot down by Bf 109s of III./JG 26, during an attack on He111s of I./KG 1 south-east of Rouen, his Hurricane (N2406) crashing near Houville-en-Vexin. Pilot Officer (42589) Geoffrey Inglesby Cherrington, RAF, was originally buried alongside the crash site as an ‘unknown’ RAF airman and re-interred on 4 June 1941 in Ste Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, Division 67, Row T, Grave 20. His identity was not confirmed until 1947 when the original crash site was investigated and the identification of Hawker Hurricane No. N2582 confirmed from serial numbers on the engine and airframe. Pilot Officer (72526) Kenneth Kirkcaldie, RAFVR, was the son of Herbert and Kathlen Kirkcaldie, of Wellington City, New Zealand; husband of Esma Mae Kirkcaldie, of Lagos, Nigeria. He was 28-years-old. Kirkcaldie was buried in Houville-en-Vexin Churchyard, collective grave.

  During the day No. 213 Squadron returned to Biggin Hill, their Hurricanes operating out of the ‘Bump’ until 18 June. Making only routine patrols the squadron were unable to make any claims, although a number of ‘B’ Flight’s pilots had already become aces while flying out of French airfields during the Battle of France. These included Flight Lieutenant R.D.G Wight, DFC (London Gazette, 3 June 1940) and Sergeant S.L. Butterfield, DFM (London Gazette, 14 June 1940).

  The squadron flew a flight strength patrol of the area Le Treport-Dieppe-Fecamp during the late morning of 10 June, but otherwise remained at Available.

  Helping to pass the time while awaiting the scramble, some of the pilots would play chess, cards, or even cricket, or kick a football about with the ‘erks’. The games could, however, sometimes get a little out of hand. Brothers recalled that one involved the discharging of a Very pistol, ‘You blindfolded a chap and then you all stood around him in a circle. Then someone – and he had to be bloody brave – spun him round until he became disorientated. Everyone ran like hell as he counted to ten before raising the Very pistol and firing.’

  The game was as dangerous as it sounded and on one occasion a young sergeant pilot was blasted in the backside, ‘The incident caused a bit of a stir down at the stores as they wanted to know how he had burnt a hole in the seat of his pants and needed a new issue; we had to give it up after that.’

  On the political scene, expecting that Britain would soon sue for peace, Benito Mussolini declared war on Great Britain, her Empire and Dominions. In honouring the terms of the ‘Pact of Steel’, he extended the conflict into the Mediterranean and North Africa, where the Italians had territorial interests.

  Meanwhile, Brothers flew two operational sorties during 11 June, the first a squadron fighter sweep made between 0930 and 1120 hours, when Nos. 32 and 79 Squadrons were ordered to patrol the Le-Treport-Fecamp area. The squadron landed and refuelled, repeating the patrol an hour later, extending the line to Dieppe. Three He 126s were encountered, with Pilot Officer Daw claiming one destroyed and Pilot Officer Smyth bagging a second. A third was damaged by Sergeant Jones (flying N2533 GZ ‘X’), who was shot down by return fire and reported as missing, believed taken as a PoW.

  Brothers flew on a joint dawn patrol between 0505 and 0650 hours on 12 June, ‘Our job was to patrol St. Valery, giving some protection for the embarking troops, with 79 giving us top cover.’

  No enemy aircraft were encountered, which gave some relief for the Royal Navy below. The operation was repeated on the following morning with the same result.

  Brothers’ second sortie on 13 June saw him joining the squadron on a fighter patrol between 1920 and 2115 hours, providing top cover for Nos. 79 and 213 Squadrons. The operation proved to be an uneventful sweep of the French coast between Le Havre – Dieppe. Meanwhile, Brothers flew on two joint patrols in the area of Dieppe – Le Havre – Abbeville – Boulogne on 14 June.

  It was probably during one of these operations that Brothers found himself underfire. He later recalled the incident, ‘Operating over France as a flight commander, I naturally took our last “new boy” under my wing to fly as my No. 2. Glancing up and immediately behind me [I saw] an Me 109 filling my mirror!’ Brothers immediately took evasive action just as the enemy opened fire, ‘I pulled away very violently and he shot away upwards; as I was doing a tight turn, looking for my No. 2, cutting the corner to get back into position, as I thought, until he opened fire – at me!’ Brothers snapped over the radio for him to ceasefire. He was mad, not only because his No. 2 had failed to warn him of the attack, but that when he had tried to shoot Brothers down with an easy shot, he’d missed, ‘I took him off operations for two days for intensive gunnery training’.

  Brothers recalled, ‘I also used to warn them that, if we were jumped by escorting fighters and you saw tracer passing on your left, turn into it, not away. Instinctively you want to turn away, but the enemy, having seen he was firing to the left of you, was then correcting his aim to fire to the right. Well, if you turned left you threw his aim completely; you went through some of his fire, and took your chance on that.’

  Sadly, Brothers’ advice and the extra training didn’t help his wingman, as he added that he was killed later in the battle.

  During the day German forces took Paris, which had been declared an open city. The French government established a temporary HQ at Bordeaux, the Great War hero, Marshal Philippe Petain assuming the premiership from Reynaud.

  Events were gathering pace in France and on 18 June Marshal Petain spoke to the nation, ‘People of France, it is with grief in my heart that I have to tell you to stop fighting’.

  Meanwhile, Ramsay, who was not fully aware of the part played by the RAF’s fighter pilots and the tactics they had been forced to adopt, wrote of the earlier evacuation: ‘For hours on end the ships off shore were subjected to a murderous hail of bombs and machine-gun bullets. In their reports the COs of many ships, while giving credit to the RAF personnel for gallantry in such combats as were observed from the ships, at the same time express their sense of disappointment and surprise at the seemingly puny efforts made to provide air protection during the height of this operation.’

  What Ramsey was not to know was that the real air battles were taking place high above France and that only the enemy aircraft that got through were seen over the beaches and the Channel.

  In a speech made initially in the House of Commons and later broadcast to the nation, Churchill reflected on the events surrounding the extrication of the larger part of the BEF from France and the realities of the struggle that lay ahead:

  ‘During the last few days we have successfully brought off the great majority of the troops, that is to say, about 350,000 out of 400,000 men. We have, therefore, in this island today a very large and powerful military force.’

  Wing Commander Grice had Churchill’s speech copied and posted around the station as a source of inspiration:

  ‘What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization, our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us.

  ‘Hitler knows that he will have to break us on this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free.

  ‘Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour”.’

  The previous few days had seen little air activity for the squadron, while on the following day, the 19 June, Brothers led two section strength fighter patrols against X-raids, but without making contact with the enemy. The air defence system relied on regular updates as the enemy could change speed, altitude, or heading at any moment, leaving the intercepting fighters way off course; ‘They tried their best but their information wasn’t always as go
od as it should have been.’

  During a section strength bomber escort to Amien Aerodrome, No. 32 Squadron flew in the company of No. 79 Squadron, whose Sergeant McQueen attacked three He 111s south-west of Amiens, shooting one down and claiming a second unconfirmed. McQueen had given a warning, unaware that his radio transmitter was faulty and no one in the formation could hear him.

  Meanwhile, Churchill, aware of the crucial role that Fighter Command would play in the defence of these shores, gave great emphases to the RAF’s role in the previous week’s fighting and the struggle ahead, announced to the Commons on 20 June:

  ‘I am happy to inform the House that our fighter strength is stronger, at the present time, relatively to the Germans, who have suffered terrible losses, than it has ever been; and consequently we believe ourselves possessed of the capacity to continue the war in the air under better conditions than we have ever experienced before. I look forward confidently to the exploits of our fighter pilots – these splendid men, this brilliant youth – who will have the glory of saving their native land, their island home, and all they love, from the most deadly of all attacks.’

  There would be a brief respite while the Luftwaffe established themselves in their new bases from Norway down to Northern France. When they renewed their campaign they would, however, have Great Britain as their target.

  It was evident that the civilian population would be targeted every bit as much as military infrastructure; ‘There remains, of course, the danger of bombing attacks. I do not at all underrate the severity of the ordeal which lies before us; but I believe our countrymen will show themselves capable of standing up to it.’