A Danny come to Judgment.
"The Cat was a dandy, the Cat was a Yank,
It was called by its aircrew the (blank) Flying Plank"
on account of its huge, long, rectangular wing, from under which our chap knew (but apparently the skipper didn't) that he could reach the engine control cables through an inspection panel over his position (out of sight of the pilots).
A couple of smart tugs, an engine which had been peacefully droning for hours suddenly bellowed, boost and rev needles swung wildly round the clock, then settled back. Justifiably alarmed by these harbingers of a "runaway prop", the Captain readily fell in with the F/E's advice to RTB. He put the ship about and they all went home in nice time for tea.
The Flight Engineer's satisfaction was short-lived. The Engineer Officer investigated, smelt a rat, collared the culprit and extracted a confession. Then the affair snowballed. In our opinion, a monumental blowing-up, and a few extra duties, would have amply met the case. But we suspected that there was more to it than met the eye. The Engineer Officer, old in the Service as most of them were, would know all the ways of making his displeasure keenly felt without invoking the Law.
But for some reason he "threw the book" at the offender. He charged him under the catch-all Section 40 of the Air Force Act: "W.O.A.S. * Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Air Force Discipline in that he did, improperly and without authority, interfere with the engine control cables of His Majesty's Catalina aircraft number so-and-so"..........
It might have been worse: he could have made it: "W.O.A.S. * When ordered to undertake a warlike operation in the air, failed to use his utmost endeavours"......... - and in theory have his man shot ! But of course, there was not the slightest suggestion of "LMF" in this case. Nevertheless, the man had been charged; some ass asked for a Court Martial; another ass granted it, and we were off.
Note * "When On Active Service" (ie in Wartime), Air Force Law provides much more severe penalties than in peace, up to: "Death, or such lesser penalty as a Court Martial may decide" (Note that: "Any two Officers sitting together may constitute a Court Martial" - the "Drumhead Court Martial" ?).
The facts were not in dispute and the defence could offer little beyond an apology and (later) a Plea in Mitigation. The Court retired to consider its verdict, and we Officers under Instruction went into our own huddle to decide ours.
We were unanimous for acquittal. We considered it no more than a practical joke which had gone wrong and the charge should never have been brought. The President returned and we told him so. Of course, this made no difference to the Court's verdict: "Guilty". Punishment? If he had to be punished at all, we opted for the minimum: "Reprimand". The Court went a step up: "Severe Reprimand".
It was water off a duck's back of course. He was a hostilities-only man like the rest of us, had reached the top of the NCO tree, and had no interest in a commission. It would soon be forgotten, and make no difference at all on his return to civil life.
Goodnight, all,
Danny42C
It'll be all the same in fifty years' time.
Last edited by Danny42C; 8th Sep 2012 at 22:11.
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