The Untold Battle of Britain

[Davedog74]

Originally Posted by bobbysocks

"First Light" a feature length program about the BoB is scheduled to aire on BBC2 on tuesday sept 14 @ 9pm. its based on Geoffrey Wellum's autobiography by the same name. hopefully BBC america will aire this sometime in the future. so enjoy boys...

cheers for the heads up bobbysocks,ive found this,a season of b.o.b specials,some top viewing coming up,nice 1 bbc http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/seasons/batt...ritain-season/

[bobbysocks]

just found out there may be a way for us non ukers to watch/listen to the BoB series programs. the bbc i-player has them after they have been presented. the link is here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv

[bobbysocks]

A group of World War Two RAF pilots gathered at the Cabinet War Rooms in London on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. MSN UK News spoke to some of them to hear their memories of fighting and ultimately defeating the German air force.
"There was no time to feel afraid," explains Squadron Leader Nigel Rose, aged 92."You were so busy dealing with everything. There was so much to think about when flying the plane.
"One obviously missed one's friends who were lost. But you hadn't got time to mope about it. It was one of those things that happened."

Rose and other veterans were attending an event organised by the Royal Mint in association with the Battle of Britain Fighter Association and the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.
Squadron Leader Rose joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938 and had logged 87 hours before being called up at the outbreak of war in September 1939. He joined 602 Squadron at Drem in Scotland in June 1940, just as the Battle of Britain was about to get underway.
"We were very new and raw," he recalls. "On my third day with the squadron I had my first engagement, when about 100 or so Germans were spotted coming in over the coast.

"Here was this enormous great gaggle of aircraft. I'd never seen a German aircraft before, not one, and here were 100 or so. We dived down and tried to hit the rear end of these enormous Bf 110s. I got my baptism of fire then, I really did."

Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC* AFC AE joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in October 1938 and was called up in September 1939. He joined 249 Squadron, stationed in North Weald in Essex, in May 1940.
"We became operational - fit to take on the enemy - on 4 July 1940," Neil remembers, "and in the afternoon of the same day I intercepted my first enemy aircraft somewhere out to sea. I was so intrigued by the sight of an emey aircraft that I sat there looking at it for quite some time.
"The leader of my formation, who was a bit of a halfwit, was slow to see the enemy; I was banging on my window, telling him there was an aircraft over there! He didn't get out of the way to enable me to shoot."

Four days later Neil shot down his first enemy aircraft. He recalls seeing a news report of the battle in a cinema and being bemused at how it stated the aircraft had been shot down by a Spitfire. "We were flying Hurricanes! But of course, unless you were flying a Spitfire, nobody was interested!"

Flight Commander Keith Lawrence was mostly based in Hampshire during the Battle of Britain. Asked if he and his colleagues were aware of how the wider Battle was progressing, he is blunt. "In modern day language, we hadn't a clue! All we did was concentrate on flying each day's shift. We might have to be ready at first light. We would be waiting and waiting for the telephone to ring to give us the call to go.

"We would race to the aircraft, strap on the kit, press the start button and be airborne within four or five minutes of getting the call to scramble."
Lawrence had a few close shaves during the Battle of Britain, including getting a wing shot off while flying over Kent. "A plane cannot fly with only one wing," he states, matter-of-factly. "I was ejected from my aircraft and had to get my parachute open, which was very badly damaged in the ejection. A stong wind blew me out to sea and I landed in the Straits of Dover."
Squadron Leader Rose recalls how one of his fellow pilots was shot down and landed in the grounds of a girls' school. "One of the teachers picked him up in her car, together with his parachute, and drove him to the station.
"After a few days this pilot got a letter from the head girl of the school to say they'd held an emergency meeting that night and had decided to adopt the pilot! The rest of the squadron was very jealous, as from that moment on he'd get socks and scarves and all sorts of things."
Later in the war Rose became a gunnery instructor. He remembers one of the most unpleasant tasks was not going into battle in the air, but writing letters to the parents of pilots who had been killed in action.
"You had to point out what a nice chap he was, how popular he was, what a good pilot he was; there were all these standard phrases. But you knew that parents were trying to read between the lines to see what people really thought of their son. They were really difficult to write, these letters, more difficult than flying a plane, because you could be trained to fly a plane."

Battle of Britain Day is held every 15 September: the anniversary of 24 hours Winston Churchill dubbed "the crux of the Battle of Britain" and which marked a permanent shift in the balance of power in the air in the RAF's favour.

The Royal Mint has issued a special Battle of Britain £5 coin for this year's anniversary, and has launched a virtual memorial wall where members of the public are encouraged to post a tribute to the contributions of their relatives during the Battle of Britain.

The Royal Mint will also donate £1 to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust's Learning Centre Appeal for every person who posts a tribute on the wall between 3 September and 17 October, up to a total of £10,000.

Squadron Leader Rose is proud to be involved in this year's commemorations. "Remembering the Battle of Britain appears to be much more important now than before. It's wonderful what has been happening this year, this 70th anniversary, and how it's touched people of all ages, even little children.

"The popularity of it seems to have grown tremendously, which is no bad thing. We need a bit of national pride."

MSN NEWS

[bobbysocks]

During the late summer of 1940 Oberleutnant Helmut Rau was Staffelkapitän of 3./JG3, based at Colembert in the Pas-De-Calais. While with Stab I/JG3, he had gained four victories in the Battle of France; a Morane on 13 May, two Curtiss Hawk 75s on the following day and a Wellington on 29 May. On 24 August he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG3.

Ronald Berry was born on 3 May 1917 in Hull. He worked for Hull’s City Corporation Treasury Department and joined the RAFVR in 1937. He was called up in June 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war. He was posted as a sergeant pilot to 603 Squadron at Turnhouse flying Spitfires and was commissioned in December of that year.
No 603 Sqn carried out defensive patrols over Scotland, gaining a number of victories. Finally, on 27 August 1940, the squadron moved to Hornchurch near London, as part 11 Group right in the thick of the Battle of Britain.
Berry was to claim 9 kills during the battle and a total of 17 during the war. He remained with the RAF after the war and served as the CO of the AFDU and 543 Sqn, flying Valiants. He retired in 1969 with the rank of Air Commodore. Ronald Berry passed away on the 13 August 2000.

On Saturday 31 August 1940, Hornchurch took a battering. The station was bombed heavily in the afternoon while 54 Sqn were taking off. One bomb detonated between three aircraft that were taking off. One, X4236, was piloted by Al Deere. All three aircraft were destroyed, but all three pilots were uninjured and were in action again the following day.
The station was again attacked in the evening. This time 603 Sqn were up and ready for the raiders. Richard Hillary and Peter Pease downed a Bf110 each. Brian Carbury claimed a Bf109 on this sortie, which made a grand total of five for the day. However, Carbury’s aircraft was hit by cannon fire, wounding him. He managed to land safely at Hornchurch.

Helmut Rau was flying top cover for the raid at 30,000 ft when they were attacked from behind by the Spitfires of 603 Sqn. Rau attempted to climb away from the attack, but saw that his wingman was in trouble. As he dived to engage the attacking Spitfire, he himself was hit.

Because of an unserviceability with his aircraft, Ronald Berry had not stayed with the rest of his unit. However, his chance came when the dogfight above him came down to his altitude. His combat report stated:

" As I had no oxygen, I had to leave the squadron at 22,000 feet and waited below in the sun for straggling enemy aircraft. After patrolling for 30 minutes, I saw a Me109 proceeding very fast. To overhaul him I had to press the emergency boost - indicated speed - 345. I caught the enemy aircraft off Shoeburyness. I opened fire at close range and fired all my ammunition until the enemy aircraft streamed with smoke and pancaked on the mud at Shoeburyness..".


Rau managed to make a forced landing on the mudflats and walked away unharmed from his aircraft. Berry made a low pass over the downed aircraft to confirm the kill and saw a defiant Rau stood on the sand, shaking his fist angrily. Rau was taken prisoner and spent the remainder of the war as a POW.

[Gilly]

A bronze statue of New Zealand pilot Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, who played a key role in defeating the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain 70 years ago, will be unveiled in London on Wednesday.
At the outbreak of the World War Two, Park was commanding the Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons that defended the southeast of England, and he is regarded as one of the key figures in a decisive early phase of the conflict.

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler attempted to gain air superiority over England and the battles involving British Spitfire and Hurricane fighters reached their height in August, 1940.

Germany's failure is widely seen as a major factor in preventing an attempted land invasion launched from the sea across the English Channel.

Douglas Bader, one of the most famous RAF pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, once said: "The awesome responsibility for this country's survival rested squarely on Keith Park's shoulders."

Financier Terry Smith, who led the campaign to have a permanent memorial erected in London and funded the statue, said Park was an unsung hero who had been overlooked for too long.

"I think he was a New Zealander, he was an understated, modest guy and he didn't play the political game," Smith said, explaining why he thought Park had not had the recognition he deserved.

"The official history of the Battle of Britain doesn't even mention him."

London Mayor Boris Johnson and several Battle of Britain veterans are among those expected to attend a ceremony to present the larger-than-life bronze statue of the airman, which will stand in Waterloo Place near New Zealand House.

A series of events are being held across Britain this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the famous aerial battle.

Park died in 1975 aged 82.

from yahoo news

[bobbysocks]

John Freeborn, British Fighter Pilot, Dies at 90
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Published: September 17, 2010

Seventy years ago, John Freeborn was one of the Royal Air Force’s leading fighter pilots, acclaimed for his exploits off Dunkirk and in the air above English villages during the Battle of Britain.

Of the nearly 3,000 Allied fliers who dueled with German aircraft in that battle, thwarting Hitler’s ambition to conquer Britain, none logged more combat hours than Wing Commander Freeborn. He was credited with shooting down at least 12 German planes during World War II, and he was twice decorated with Britain’s Distinguished Flying Cross.

But Mr. Freeborn, who died on Aug. 28 at the age of 90, was also a central figure in a long-remembered episode of “friendly fire” — one that brought him anguish throughout his long life.

On Sept. 6, 1939 — three days after Britain had gone to war with Germany — Mr. Freeborn, flying a Spitfire fighter, was among a group of pilots sent aloft from their base at Hornchurch to intercept what were reported to be German planes headed toward the Essex coast in southeast England.

But it was a case of war jitters. There were no German aircraft. Mr. Freeborn and a pilot flying alongside him each shot down what they presumed to be German fighters.

But they had, in fact, downed a pair of British Hurricane fighters, which had also been sent up, from the nearby North Weald airbase.

Pilot Officer Montague Hulton-Harrop, the flier shot down by Mr. Freeborn, became the first British fighter pilot killed in the war. The other Hurricane pilot shot down that day survived.

Mr. Freeborn, accused by his commanding officer of disregarding a last-minute order to hold his fire, was court-martialed. But he maintained that his commander had lied — that he had, in fact, been told to attack. He was exonerated together with his fellow Spitfire pilot, the affair attributed to miscommunication.

In May 1940, Mr. Freeborn took part in covering the British Expeditionary Force’s escape from Dunkirk when German forces were overrunning France. He shot down two German planes, but his Spitfire was later downed. He was rescued, and he returned to England.

When the Battle of Britain raged in the summer of 1940, Mr. Freeborn returned to combat with his No.74 Squadron, a unit with a tiger’s face as its emblem and the motto “I Fear No Man.”

On Aug. 11, the “tiger” squadron flew into battle four times in a span of eight hours and reported destroying 23 German planes, 3 of them downed by Mr. Freeborn, and damaging 14 others.

Mr. Freeborn came to the United States in 1942 to train American fighter pilots, then returned to England to escort bombers on missions off the French and Dutch coasts. He became one of Britain’s youngest wing commanders in 1944, overseeing a fighter unit based in southern Italy.

Mr. Freeborn’s death, in Southport, in northwest England, was announced on the 74 Squadron Association’s Web site by his biographer, Bob Cossey, author of “A Tiger’s Tale” (2002). (In 2009, Mr. Freeborn collaborated with Christopher Yeoman on a memoir, “Tiger Cub.”)

Mr. Cossey said that Mr. Freeborn was his squadron’s last surviving Battle of Britain pilot.

John Connell Freeborn was born on Dec. 1, 1919, in Middleton, England, outside Leeds, the son of a bank manager, and joined the R.A.F. in 1938.

He left military service in 1946 and worked as a regional manager for a soft-drink distributorship.

He is survived by his daughter, Julia Cruickshank, of Ainsdale, England, from his marriage to his first wife, Rita, who died in 1980. His second wife, Peta, died in 2001.

Mr. Freeborn never forgot about the British pilot he shot down in those frenzied first days of World War II.

In a 2004 interview with the author Gavin Mortimer, reprinted in the Smithsonian’s Air & Space magazine on Mr. Freeborn’s death, he recalled how that episode could have become even more tragic if another pilot had not intervened after Pilot Officer Hulton-Harrop was shot down.

“I think I would have shot down more if it weren’t for Hawkins,” he said of that fellow flier. “He got in the way, and I was shouting at him to get out of the bloody way, either shoot or let me shoot. But then he said, ‘It’s one of ours.’ ”

In September 2003, Mr. Freeborn visited Pilot Officer Hulton-Harrop’s grave in a churchyard near the old North Weald airfield.

“I think about him nearly every day,” Mr. Freeborn told the BBC in 2009. “I always have.”

“I’ve had a good life,” Mr. Freeborn said, “and he should have had a good life, too.”

[bobbysocks]

now this is truely amazing. of all the ac built...and the few that survived to match this up....wow

Battle of Britain veteran Franciszek Kornicki reunited with spitfire at RAF Northolt

A BATTLE of Britain hero was reunited with the Second World War plane he had flown at a special ceremony in Northolt last week.

Squadron Leader Franciszek Kornicki, now 93-years-old, once again laid eyes on his old Spitfire plane after it flew in specially to RAF Northolt on Friday, at 4.30pm.

The reunion was supported by Hillingdon Council as part of a series of events to mark 70 years since the Battle of Britain.

Cllr Ray Puddifoot, leader of the council, said: "This is a great occasion to reunite a Battle of Britain airman with the original plane he flew in the Second World War.

"I don't think this can happen very often. We are immensely proud of the role that the Polish Air Force played in the Battle of Britain and we are very pleased we can be part of this celebration today."

Squadron Leader Kornicki added: "It is absolutely wonderful to be reunited with my plane. This is a wonderful bird to fly, which I first flew in 1942. It brings back lots of memories and everything comes alive again from so many years ago."

source: The Hillingdon Times

[bobbysocks]

Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery

An Indian pilot who flew Hawker Hurricanes during World War II has died, it has been announced.

Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji, 92, died at at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent on Saturday following a stroke.

Sqn Ldr Pujji was believed to be the last surviving fighter pilot from a group of 24 Indians who arrived in Britain in 1940.

He survived several crashes and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for services in Burma.
22 September 2010 Last updated at 21:27 Share this pageFacebookTwitter ShareEmail Print WWII Indian flying ace Squadron Leader Pujji, 92, dies

Wartime experiences

Sqn Ldr Pujji also flew combat missions in Britain, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East during the war.

Earlier this year he published a book about his wartimes experiences entitled, For King and Another Country.

Following the war Sqn Ldr Pujji became a champion air race pilot in India setting endurance records in gliders.

He later settled in Gravesend in Kent.

RIP.