I'm neither a pilot, nor an ex-member of 84 Squadron, but feel bound to make a contribution to the thread... as Arthur Gill's son.
On his behalf, many thanks, everybody, for the RIPs and interest in his story. Were he alive, I know he'd be making responses to everyone's comments, so I'll do my best on his behalf. I have written up his life story, for the family, so I'm reasonably knowledgeable. I don't know who wrote the Telegraph obituary, but there are a few dodgy bits in it... though putting obituaries together must be quite tricky.
Danny42C
Fantastic to 'meet' an ex-Vultee Vengeance (VV) aircrew member! WOW! I note you had left the battle before 84 Sqn arrived, so I appreciate that your knowledge isn't 100%... and there might be just a touch of 'inter-squadron rivalry' in what you wrote!! Haha!
My father reckoned, as you do, that the VV dived vertically. However some pilots thought it was just off the vertical, so there's different opinions about it. I gather it definitely felt like vertical (YIKES!)
Yes, 84 was one of six VV squadrons over Burma... the obituary was misleading by its omission. Regarding the monsoon, you say 84 effectively operated for 3 of the 5 months it was in theatre, because the monsoon would have prevented the squadron operating. In fact, they did continue to operate after the other VV squadrons had been withdrawn. The vertical dive started at about 12000', the aircraft finishing at maybe 200', and the pilot had to aim at the target, so low cloud made it unworkable. However, 84 developed a low level dive, which was less accurate, but still pretty effective. On top of this, Arthur's navigator, Jimmy Hawke, was a star performer (and won the DFC for it), so the squadron would invariably find it's target, unless the cloud was at ground level. So, 84 stuck at it, operationally, and picked up a lot of praise from ground commanders throughout it's 5 months, despite the monsoon.
You question why the VV didn't have more problems with Oscar fighters. In fact, the Allies had nine times the number of squadrons as the Japs, over Burma, in support of the '44/'45 offensive ... definite air superiority! Squadrons of Spits and Hurricanes were doing an excellent job of knocking down enemy aircraft, while bombing operations were targeting their airfields and the supply chain. However the VV (like the German Stuka) was extremely vulnerable to fighters. But despite this, they rarely flew with fighter cover. So if enemy aircraft were sighted in the target area, the mission would be delayed until it was 'safer' to operate.
I think 84 usually operated as a squadron of 12 aircraft, but they had more on strength, so 14 might have been possible on occasion. ( I don't have my father's log book to hand, so can't confirm this). He did, however, lead a Wing of 2 or 3 squadrons for 'maximum effort targets'. This was because his navigator was so dependable, despite the target often being in featureless jungle-clad hills.
The photo in the obituary does show Arthur in a VV mark II. The 'rails' you couldn't identify are in fact poles, supporting a camouflaged awning, under which the aircraft were serviced.
He did get his DFC for his leadership over Burma, of 84 Squadron and the Wing ops. The citation mentions the support of the Chindits and the 14th Army (Kohima and Imphal crises included). He led over 90 operations and 1500 (individual aircraft) sorties. Monsoon difficulties and lack of fighter cover was also mentioned, plus commendations from Army units.
Later on, you question the length of flights. 84 were specifically tasked to support the Chindits (900 soldiers conducting fighting patrols deep behind enemy lines, harassing and cutting communications while the Slim's 14th Army was invading from the North). This required flights of up to 3 hours, unlike the close-range ops in support of the main offensive. So careful fuel management was needed... low speed and gentle take-off. However, Arthur regretted that he was unable to give the Chindits as much support as he had hoped, because the demand from the 14th Army was so great... sometimes 3 ops a day.
You also doubted that the VV would be used for long distance support of the Chindits, suggesting that the Liberators would be doing such work. But in fact 84 had trained with the Chindits in Gwalior, so they had a special relationship with them. Also, as you acknowledged, the VV was accurate enough to attack targets close to friendly troops, unlike Liberators. Furthermore, it required just 3 aircraft to take out targets like a bridge... very effective use of resources.
There's plenty about this in
'Vengenance The Vultee Vengeance dive bomber' by Peter C Smith'. More too in the 84 Sqn history
Scorpion's Sting by Don Neate'. (the former being written professionally).
You might also be amused to see the squadron in 1943. When the squadron was being reformed by my father at Vizapatam (following the loss of the squadron in the Far East), a film unit turned up and took some footage. Youtube.com: search
World at War, episode 14, It's a lovely day tomorrow' At
25.51 ground crew wheel a VV, and at
26.20 Arthur (definitely!) taxies a VV past the camera. There's also shots of the camp... all in monsoon downpour! (Unrelated, there's good footage of Hurribombers in action at
45.10).
ValMORNA
Thanks for your various quotes from Scorpion's Sting... including the bit about Arthur bagging an Oscar and getting a telling-off for it!
Yes, 84 was going to go to the Arakan, but the airfield was found to be unusable due to flooding. They were then sent down to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as there were intelligence reports of a pending Jap naval attack. They used the time practicing bombing techniques on ships and rock islands. After the threat diminished, they went to Ranchi and Arthur met with the AOC Pierce, Mountbatten, Wingate and Slim. He explained what the VV could do to a conference of 400 Army commanders, demonstrated the precision destruction of a bunker position, constructed by the Army. He consented to train with Wingate's Chindits, using smoke mortar bombs to triangulate and thus identify targets on the ground. After that, they moved to Khumbirgram in Assam, to join other VV squadrons in their deadly and vital work at the Front. To quote General Slim: 'The men of the 14th Army would have been doomed were it not for the men of the Air Force'. Poised to invade Burma, the 14th Army were shocked to have the Japanese army sweep through them as they began their own invasion of India! A desperate fight unfolded, Kohima and Imphal being cut-off by the Japs. The VV squadrons performed a vital role in relieving the 14th Army and destroying impregnable Jap bunker positions as the Army moved forward.
Teeteringhead
Arthur said he was stunt double for the film 'In the Air'. The original flying was done by one of the ex-RAF flying instructors at Hanworth, where Arthur trained to be a pilot in '37-'39, as a member of the RAF(VR). However the film crew needed some retakes and Arthur was asked to fly them. Whether any of his flying ended up in the film is uncertain. The flying is pretty impressive (I believe), being low level. Arthur had completed Elementary but not Service flying at that time... so one might wonder if he would have been good enough... though he was rated 'a natural' and was graded 'above average'. Judge for yourself (I'd be interested in a pilot's opinion). Youtube.com, search
It's in the Air George Formby. Flying begins at
Part7, 6.06 and continues into Part 8. Some of it is a model in front of a back projection screen. The song at the end is fun! The hangar area, plus the Blackburn B2 training aircraft and Hawker Harts were well known to Arthur.
Sir Peter
Your mischievous 'hearsay snippet' (!) about 84 Squadron's commander Wg Cdr John Jeudwine is decidedly dodgy!! He made a brave and remarkable six week escape from Java to Australia with 12 squadron personnel in a lifeboat under sail. I haven't heard about 'aircrew taking the ground crew's boat', but I suspect this down-plays the seriousness of the undertaking. Jeudwine hand-picked his crew for the perilous venture. At one point a Jap submarine surfaced close by and trained its guns on them.. the commander decided to spare them, greatly to his credit. They ran short of rations, coped with the baking sun and storms. Jeudwine did the navigation and kept morale up. The idea that the ground crew were left behind to fend for themselves is a grave insult. The plan from the start was to send a sub to pick them up. However when it finally arrived, there was no sign of them. They had by then been captured, of course. Jeudwine was a remarkable man... quiet but a true leader. His story is told in
Global Warrior, Lacey-Johnson, ISBN 0-9536418-0-5. He is one of many outstanding Englishmen who gave their lives in the service of their country. (But I appreciate you were having a bit of mischievous fun, rather than genuinely insulting anyone!!)
In Conclusion....
My father has been called 'The RAF's foremost dive bomber pilot'. The claim has all the hallmarks of 'media hype'. But maybe there is something in it... if one defines it more precisely as 'foremost
vertical dive bomber pilot'. He refined VV bombing technique in close air support and wrote an influential document on it, and on the training of VV pilots. This was sent out to all VV squadrons in '43. On the squadron, his flying skill was highly respected (graded 'exceptional'). He did an excellent job in Burma and would have got a DSO if General Slim's recommendation had been consented to by the RAF's Sir Keith Park. The Squadron kept operating in support of ground forces after the monsoon made things difficult. So, even if the claim is over-blown... I'm not just a little proud of him!
Nigel