Some more of Peter Brett's Hawker Typhoon memories...
We now noticed that 'Noball' targets were no longer our prime objectives. More and more we were attacking radar stations and doing armed recco operations. Although of course we did not know it, this was the run up to D-Day. We were knocking out as many radar stations as possible - mainly to blind the enemy as to the approach of an invasion fleet but also to confuse the issue by attacking radar site miles from any projected landing sites.
On May 20th myself and F/O Eric Harbutt were detailed to cooperate with the G.C.I. (Ground Controlled Interception) controllers to calibrate some new RDF (Radio Direction Finding i.e. Radar) stations. We were sent off in opposite directions; I was sent east up the English Channel and Eric was sent west. After about 15 minutes, we were told to change frequencies on our radios so that we were no longer in contact with one another but each of us only with his own controller. I was given several vectors to fly and was told to fly at exactly 5000 feet. The final vector was due west. The controller then told me to look out for my target (Eric) dead ahead and 500 feet above. For several minutes I strained my eyes to pick up this aircraft that was approaching me. Suddenly I saw this little dot which very rapidly became a head-on view of a Typhoon which almost immediately shot overhead, missing me by what seemed to be inches. The GCI was perfect but unfortunately it seemed that our altimeters had not been adjusted exactly the same and, although Eric was told to fly at 5500 feet,which he did according to his instrument, our vertical separation was only some 100 feet! He never saw me at all, since I was hidden by the nose of his aircraft. Our combined approach speed was some 800 mph and, at that speed, over 1000 feet per second, there was not much time to react from the moment of sighting until the moment of passing. Fortunately the controllers were satisfied with the one pass and we did not have to repeat the experience!
Next day I led an armed recco. We approached the French coast and had began our climb up, reaching about 3000 feet when my number two suddenly called "Bandits two o'clock below". I looked down to my right and spotted two aircraft heading out from the French coast and about 1000 feet below us. They were too far away to identify but I called 'Tally-Ho' and peeled off into an attacking dive. As we came within range the pilots of the 'bandits' obviously saw us and broke violently - one each way. This presented me with a perfect plan view of an American Thunderbolt! I immediately called out on the R/T 'Friendlies, Friendlies' and pulled round to try to formate on them. It took a few minutes of milling around until we managed to get alongside the Thunderbolts so that they could see our markings. We finished up waggling our wings at each other and we were just about to depart and carry on with our operation when I received a call from base telling me to look out for two American Thunderbolts who were short of fuel and needed to be escorted back to the coast in case one or both of them had to bail out or ditch if they ran out of fuel.
We were told to switch to channel 'C' and contact the Thunderbolts which I did. I called 'American Thunderbolt R - Roger. This is RAF Typhoon HF-P on your starboard wing. Be advised that we are to escort you to the English coast. Please formate and we will lead you to the nearest airfield'. The reply I received was certainly not correct R/T procedure; it went something like: 'Jesus Christ man, you damn near scared the sh*t out of me back there. I'll stick to your wing, but I think I am running on fumes so keep tabs on me in case I faze out'.
Just then, the ground control called up and gave us a course to steer for Tangmere which was our closest airfield. We escorted the two Thunderbolts back, and saw them safely land then returned to Thorney Island. Next day the two pilots, a Captain and a First Lieutenant and their C.O., a Colonel, arrived in a chauffeur-driven American staff car to come and say thank-you. Needless to say, a drunken mess party ensued and they eventually left around midnight. As one of the pilots confided in me, it had been considered that they would fly over from their base, but they were pretty sure that there would be a party and they did not want to be 'party-poopers' by having to refuse to drink if they were flying back. Fortunately we were also on 'stand-down', so could afford to whoop it up as we would not be flying again until the 24th.
On that date we started our series of attacks on radar stations with an attempt against the site on Cap d'Antifer north of Le Havre. Unfortunately the cloud was 10/10 over the target area, and we could not attack. Next day was an unusual operation in that we attacked two radar sites on the same trip. The first just on the northern outskirts of Boulogne and the second at Hardelot just south of Boulogne. Both were our first low level attacks. Since we knew that Boulogne would obviously be heavily defended the C.O. decided that we would fly inland well north of Boulogne, turn back and pick up the railway track then follow this down to just south of Wimereux when we would turn out to the coast and hopefully hit it at the site of the radar station. We would then attack with cannon and fire four of our eight rockets. After the attack we would carry on heading straight out to sea, turn south when out of site of the coast, fly DR (Dead Reckoning) until we were opposite Hardelot and then turn into the coast again where, once again, we would hopefully strike our target and once again attack using cannon and our remaining four rockets.
Strange as it may seem everything worked out perfectly. The defences at Boulogne were caught by surprise and most of us had completed our attacks before the flak started. When it did, it was a case of better late than never and we were followed out to sea by a veritable hail of 20 and 40mm tracer. The gunners at Hardelot were also not fully alert, perhaps they had been told of the attack on Boulogne and had assumed that that was it for the day. In any case we once again managed to start our attack before the ground defences reacted. Since this time we were coming in from the sea the gunners could see us much earlier than the Boulogne defences were able to and the flak therefore started much sooner. Luckily there was not such a concentration of guns and the overall effect was much more normal. Nobody was hit and both stations were put out of action for at least 24 hours.
A day off for me and then another radar station. This one was a 'Freya' installation which had an enormous moveable antenna which was the most vulnerable part of the station. The site was at Fruges but we were unable to attack due to very thick haze. Although the leader took us down to 2000 feet we could not find the target and had to give up. Whilst we were looking for the target it seemed that every German gunner for miles was determined to get a shot at us and we seemed to be flying through a continuous barrage. This was made all the more impressive by the thick haze which hid the ground except almost vertically below and accentuated the brightness of the tracer which would suddenly appear in mid-air.
Once again, nobody was hit and we brought our rockets back. I was spare man on a show the next day, but nobody turned back so I just acquired another 40 minutes Typhoon time.
More soon ==TOW