Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

[Geriaviator]

It doesn't seem like six years since Danny began posting his account of training in Florida and meeting the Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber on posting to India. This superb picture from late 1944 shows Danny in his favourite VV M-Mother with the Western Ghats in the background. He had been appointed to command of a special flight based at Cannanore on the Malabar (west) coast of India.

You will notice the sinister shapes under the wings, but they are not bombs. They are containers of mustard gas which was sprayed over Army volunteers to test the efficiency (or otherwise) of anti-gas capes and equipment.

Danny's fascinating story from September 2012 can be revisited from Post #3036, page 152 of this thread. The trials were in case the Japanese used gas when the Allies eventually invaded their homeland. Very few people knew of this project which was carried out under the aegis of Porton Down, the chemical warfare laboratories of the time.

Britain had long prepared for gas warfare. My father joined 142 Sqn in 1938 when their Hawker Hind biplanes were changed for Fairey Battles and the squadron sent on exercise to Montrose on the east coast of Scotland.

The exercise involved attacks on troop formations and one day the Battles were fitted with underwing tanks containing a harmless (they said) yellow dye. The RAF had heard that a big parade with much Army bull was due to be held the following Saturday (of course nobody goes to war at weekends) and the Battles swept over the hillside and sprayed the sparkling soldiery with dye, to much Army annoyance even though the stuff washed off.

Later, however, the squadron was quietly told that the gas tanks were not just for pranks. Should an aggressor use gas, Britain had stocks of chemicals with which we could and would retaliate.