herkman, you're almost correct when you say:
In the RAAF, with their A, E and H models, prior to being qualified as a Captain, you had to show that you could do a windmill start.
In my case, I was cleared to the line as a captain without having done my 'windmill start' ride with the resident QFI and suffered the dead starter at Amberley within the first week or two of being let loose on my own. It took three runs up and down the Amberley runway before the engine finally cranked up successfully.
A week later, I was scheduled for my windmill start checkout, which I did. The QFI congratulated me on how well I handled it and was a little upset when I told him I probably should be able to as it was my fourth windmill start run in a week.
And
US Herc, the story you heard is pretty accurate. A clear case of "needs must", where the rules are for the guidance of wise men. At that stage of the war, 'Charles' was still very much in evidence in the province and would almost certainly have had a go at such a high value target had the Herc stayed at Luscombe overnight - and the medevac patients he was to carry out that day were all very serious cases, too badly injured to be taken down to Vung Tau, so I think he won a lot of brownie points with the grunts. Still, on a (very narrow) 5000' strip, I shudder to think how much runway he'd have had remaining when he reached 100k, which from memory, was the min. speed to attempt a windmill start.
If memory serves me correctly, (no guarantee of that after all this time!), JL, the captain involved, who was very highly regarded on the squadron, went on to a long career with Cathay Pacific.