COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
memory of Antwerp which would haunt me, on and off, for years. In
reality there was little enough to disturb our sleep. Just a faint rumble
of guns, when the wind was in the east, and the familiar dawn chorus
of Sabre engines.
The huts in which we slept might have been worse and they had
stoves to keep us warm when the nights were chilly. But the wooden
prefab buildings, at the back of each dispersal, were more like field
shelters of the sort that are used for animals. Mill, like all ALGs, was
pretty basic and had been completed in some haste. The PSP runways
and perimeter track were surrounded by lethal acres of soft peaty soil
and drainage ditches. High ridges of earth had been thrown up by the
levelling operations and then abandoned. Our jeeps could barely cope.
But help was at hand. The squadrons were about to be issued with
Bren carriers!
The Luftwaffe only appeared twice during that early spring
offensive. On the first occasion an Me 109, flying straight and level
over the airfield, was caught by a section from 193 Squadron. They
lined up one at a time, filling it with their cannon shells, until it
responded by diving into the ground. Less impressive still was the Me
262, in fighter bomber guise, which made a hit and run attack on the
next door airfield and appeared to run out of height as it headed for
home.
As the Army worked slowly south they came up against stubborn
resistance in the German frontier towns and villages. In reality these
formed part of the Siegfried Line and many were 'liberated 1 in attacks
which involved successive waves of Typhoons battering them for hours
on end.
In one set piece attack the Wing destroyed an ancient Dutch Castle,
which formed the core of a strong enemy position, on the east bank of
the Maas. Bijen Beek looked magnificent. But the occupants refused
to surrender and there were allied lives at stake. We took it out in a
combined effort - three squadrons with thousand pounders - followed
by one with RPs.
The classic outline, standing four square inside its rectangular
moat, made a splendid aiming point and 257 released as low as possible
with instantaneous fusing. As we pulled away, and 263's rockets rained
down behind us, the place was in ruins - massive walls breached, roof
fallen in, barns and stables razed to the ground - burning from end to
end.
Photo recce sorties, using the close in - steep turn - technique,
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