COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
The pattern of trenches and gun emplacements was clearly visible,
hastily camouflaged, in the middle of an open field. We went in fast
with our clusters, strafing for good measure. A burst of flame and
smoke shrouded the site - and I could hardly hide my satisfaction:
"Good show White Section - that should keep the buggers quiet!"
A game of cat and mouse with the German gunners. Low down,
encouraging them to have a go, and mostly they lay doggo until our
backs were turned. When the streams of tracer came chasing up from
behind, we were - as the Squadron diary once recorded, tongue in
cheek:
"Not really scared of flak, just highly strung!"
Back at Mill the sections of four came and went. For a long time
no losses occurred. Then a section from 'B' Flight, led by Snowy
Harrison, returned without him. He had baled out amongst the gliders.
At the final count the Wing had flown a total of 88 sorties. Two
Typhoons were missing, with one pilot safe and the other, Snowy, still
outstanding.
'Varsity' had been lucky with the weather, which broke
immediately afterwards, and it was possible to catch up on other
things. Stan Carr had just completed the prototype forward facing
camera installation and the first test flight proved that it worked.
For the operational trial Tommy suggested an SS Battalion HQ, in a
small group of houses, which we had recently destroyed. It was ideal
because 35 Wing had already taken a vertical pinpoint and this would
provide a conventional target photograph for comparison.
The approach in a shallow dive was exactly like a low level attack.
Even the bomb/RP push started the camera running. The results were
spectacular. Showing a degree of detail which was not apparent in the
previous pictures. An unexpected feature, created by the relationship
between the leading edge aperture and the lens, was the way in which
the centre of the shot was highlighted as if by a very powerful flash.
Examples of these first 'forward obliques 1 were forwarded to
Group HQ. They requested 100 copies which were circulated widely.
Rumour had it that 35 Wing, in the person of their Commanding
Officer, were not amused. We were stealing their thunder!
A week or two later Tommy invited me into his office. A set of
prints was lying on his desk. 35 Wing had fitted a forward facing
camera in the slipper tank 3 of a Spitfire XIV and they too had
circulated their first results. 'Death of a Hun - by Group Captain
Anderson' featured a human figure caught on top of a set of lock gates
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