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…largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved, and was also the first battle in which the Japanese air force carried out organised Kamikaze attacks. Norm in the 1940s After severely damaging the Japanese Centre Force on the 24th of October, Admiral Halsey believed he had removed…
…4th FLOTILLA, often being used in a COUNTER KAMIKAZE picket role, with whole batteries of guns, plus the organisation of Executive Standby Bridge facilities, seeing much bravery and initiative; other memories were of the BPF AIR TRAIN SHIP, DEER SOUND, bereft by then of spare parts, seeing HMS HOWE at…
…ART 4637 West soon decided he wanted to be a pilot, and volunteered at any opportunity for sorties in order to accumulate an impressive total of flying hours as an observer, before applying for pilot training. By July 1917, he had flown over 100 hours in operations, and duly requested…
…Leader C G Lott: injured; Hurricane P3464 lost in air operations, 9 July 1940” On July 9th 1940, while leading six Hurricanes on patrol 40 miles south of the Isle of Wight, he engaged a Messerschmitt 110 in a head-on attack. He was badly wounded in the face and lost…
…convoys. Gibbs found his desk job immensely frustrating and constantly badgered his superior officers to allow him to return to operations. In April 1942, the only Beaufort anti-shipping squadron in the theatre suffered devastating losses during an attack on an Italian convoy, and Gibbs was sent to No 39 Squadron…
…to England. BJ Ellan book cover depicting Spitfires and contrails Throughout 1943 Lafont flew with No 341 Squadron on operations over France and the Low Countries. By war’s end he had completed 230 operational missions, and he was one of the few to be awarded the Ordre de la Libération,…
…Priory to install the RAF’s first radar operations room. But it was serviced by only five stations, and would have been, in his view, “quite inadequate” to its defensive purpose. It was Chamberlain’s negotiation of the Munich agreement that same day which bought sufficient time for the Chain Home network…
…it was two months before his mother heard that he was alive. The Vichy French had suffered heavy losses and sued for an armistice. Bryan was moved to a British base hospital in Jerusalem to recuperate. Further operations followed at a hospital in Natal before he was repatriated. In February…
…later transferred to No 133, one of the three American-manned “Eagle” squadrons of the RAF, and during the Dieppe operation in August 1942 he shot down a Dornier bomber, probably destroyed a Focke Wulf 190, and damaged two others. He was awarded a DFC after completing 120 operations. In September…
…the ensuing Nazi occupation. In the UK, Poulsson joined the first Norwegian Independent Company as a second lieutenant. He was soon recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), created in summer 1940 by Winston Churchill for sabotage operations in occupied territory. The Norwegian resistance reported in autumn 1941 that the…
…deck operations: Royal Navy, circa 1943 ‘Commander Mike Crosley was a Fleet Air Arm ace and later a test pilot. Among the operations in which he took part was Harpoon, when a convoy ferried supplies and new aircraft to the relief of the besieged island of Malta in the summer…
…awarded the B.E.M. for his valuable services in Japan – in support of the operations in Korea – in the period September 1950 to June 1952, he served in Germany in the following year, with command of the ‘Old Guard’ to Rudolf Hess at Spandau Prison. Active service resumed with…
…Soldiers Jan and Jozef fled to Britain after Germany invaded their homeland in 1939. The following year the Czech government, in exile in London, and Britain’s Special Operations Executive devised a plan to kill “Blond Beast” Heydrich who was bringing terror to the Czech capital. They began training a team…
…operational aircraft. This was followed by a tour as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations) in the MoD. In 1973 he became the Air Officer Commanding No 1 (Bomber) Group, and in 1974 he led a team of four Vulcans to compete in the annual USAF Strategic Air Command Bombing…
…Ground attack operations over France continued for the remainder of the year and on November 7 he destroyed a Fw 190. ‘Dieppe – withdrawal from Beach’ by [Bob Mullen?] (Source unknown: please let us know if you do!) He commenced a second tour with No 312 Squadron in July 1943…
…he was posted to 61 Squadron at Syerston, Newark, to commence Lancaster bombing operations, and flew seven sorties to various German cities before the raid on Dusseldorf. Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series I (Special), JB781 ‘KN-W’, of No. 77 Squadron RAF gathers speed on the runway at Elvington,…
…In the ensuing Battle of Britain, he increased his tally to 20, including five unconfirmed kills. He later fought the Japanese in South East Asia and planned operations against Javanese insurgents. After qualifying in 1938 for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, David was posted…
…else Representing PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE, vital in ground, naval & air operations #13 Harold BALFOUR Harold Balfour, First Lord BALFOUR of Inchrye PC MC* (9 e/a) Flight Lieutenant Commander as 43(F) Sqn was formed by 23yr old Major Sholto Douglas MC; flew Western Front Sopwith Strutters & Camels; Churchill’s 1938-44 USofS…
…30 operations, Alabaster was awarded the DFC. He had been identified as an outstanding navigator and was sent to Canada to complete a specialist course before returning to Bomber Command. He applied to train as a pilot but his services as a navigator were considered too valuable. Soon after the…
…in due course: please sign up to the Newsletter (bottom of the page) and we’ll let you know when we’ve done more justice in writing up our extraordinary signatories. Fighting STRETCHER BEARER ROYAL NORFOLK REGIMENT (& posthumous, twice wounded, triple counter-attacking Cpl ‘Basher’ BATES VC, who brought back Aug 44)….
…Operations Headquarters before joining SAS as intelligence officer. Prisoner of war severely injured trying to escape. SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE, & Cols Airey NEAVE & James LANGLEY, MI9 ESCAPE & EVASION & + father SEARCHLIGHT & A/A DEFENCE. #43 Macleod FORSYTH Company Sergeant Major Macleod FORSYTH MM Order of the Red…
…fighter operations of the ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE in particular in North Africa and also New Guinea, who initially joined the 7th Light Horse quickly joined the RAAF. After training in Rhodesia he joined No.452 RAAF Squadron in England and was fortunate to serve with ‘Bluey’ Truscott in the UK…
…MA CEng FICE CORPS of ROYAL ENGINEERS: served in 1 Section 23 FIELD COMPANY R.E., in 1 TROOP 6 COMMANDO, and took part in the early, successful COMBINED OPERATIONS RAID on VAAGSO & Maaloy in NORWAY 27 Dec 1941 (after Blenheims bombed the nearby German airfield at Herdla) wrecking oil…
Alan Pollock’s Rough Notes: A work in progress – the fuller biographies will emerge in due course: please sign up to the Newsletter (bottom of the page) and we’ll let you know when we’ve done more justice in writing up our extraordinary signatories. James McDowell commemorates the war operations of…