Showing posts with label 417th NFS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 417th NFS. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Two Huron Heroes

The Night Fighter Squadrons of World War II were comprised of exceptional men.  Their duties were particularly dangerous. Huron, South Dakota can boast of not only one of these heroes, but two: Raymond Christensen and Malcom "Duff" Campbell.

The 417th Night Fighter Squadron was just the fourth of its kind to be formed.  Using a “new” and top-secret weapon (radar), they could effectively find and destroy Nazi operatives attempting to disrupt the allied war effort.  As U.S. convoys moved overnight, they were the object of attack by Nazis; the night fighter squadrons would frequently engage in air-to-air combat to protect these convoys.

This was such a dangerous job that only volunteers were considered for the 417th NFS, and it took a special kind of man to fulfill this mission.  From the volunteers, potential trainees were hand-picked based on aptitude tests, high physical standards, and a background security check.  Because of the secretive nature of the job, trainees were unable to tell their families or friends exactly what they’d be doing. 

The squadron was assembled in Kissimmee, Florida and the men were sent to England for additional training.  It was in England that pilots and Radar Observers (R/O) were teamed together.  Compatibility and a good working relationship were essential.  Christensen, a radar observer, later said, “I’ve got quite a bit of faith in my pilot and we get along as well as anybody could…We’ve got to have perfect teamwork to live out this blessed war, so we pay as much attention in our teaming up as we would to getting married – probably more.  In this case “until death do us part” doesn’t seem to lend any humor to the situation whatever.”    Christensen was paired with Joseph Leonard, a young and somewhat fearless pilot.  The name of pilot Campbell’s R/O is unknown.

The pilots had trained using P-70 planes, but would be using Bristol Beaufighters in combat.  These planes were hand-me-downs from the Royal Air Force as they acquired new ones.  This plane was nicknamed “The Ten-Gunned Terror” and “Whispering Death.”  The build of the plane could also easily accommodate radar equipment.  But – Beaus were described as “clunky” and hard to fly.  Brakes were frequently faulty and the needed replacement parts could be hard to find.  Gas lines could rupture on takeoff and landing due to their placement, so if things weren’t done just right, explosion could result. 

Above: A Bristol Beaufighter in flight (photo source unknown).  Below: Cockpit of a Beaufighter

The R/Os also needed additional training on the Mark IV radar system on these planes.  Early radar used 2 scopes, one displaying left/right and the other displaying elevation, both in relation to their own plane.  R/Os had to be able to quickly assimilate frequently changing data and relay the info to the pilot.  In short, the R/O had to tell the pilot how high, how fast, and in which direction to fly.


The bulk of their missions were flown over water - either the Mediterranean Sea or the Tyrrhenian Sea in the case of the early 417th.   The pilot and R/O were partially directed by the ground crew. Nazi planes flew very low over the water because the Mediterranean Sea caused clutter to show up on the radar, allowing them to fly undetected. When blips were spotted by the ground radar controller, a 417th air crew would be sent after it to investigate but would have to fly as low as possible to visually identify the aircraft before any firing could take place to avoid shooting down an allied plane.  The most accurate and deadly shots were taken from below the target, so while flying low was advantageous for several reasons, it also made the situation extremely dangerous.  Too high and the enemy might shoot them down.  Too low and a watery grave awaited.

417th Camp in Oran, North Africa

The 417th were initially deployed to Oran, Algeria in North Africa.  They flew their first mission on the day they arrived.  Five months later, the squadron began relocating to the island of Corsica.  They worked a 3-day rotation – one day on, one day on-call, one day off.  Missions could be anything from routine, to “hair-raising,” as Christensen described them.  Even just landing the plane after an uneventful night’s work could take years off one’s life.   “What’s worse than Germans is trying to come back over the mountains and land with clouds and fog clear down to the ground.  That’s when I’ve really got work to do.  Between the two of us we usually make it.”

Christensen told of one of the many close calls he and pilot Leonard had: “And so we are out stooging around in the clouds over this convoy when the Jerries sneak in under our noses.  I don’t know what they threw at the convoy, but somebody got mad and the convoy escort threw up everything including the galley stove and the sink.  So we head for France and bless my soul if we aren’t on some poor devil’s tail.  So I’m a’ telling my pilot to go down and he politely – like hell – tells me we are minus 200 feet already.  I remember the field is not very high so I look over the side and there’s the damned Mediterranean sea a’shining past about fifteen feet away and the night black as hell.  That shook me.  Well – after due time of messing around and etc. we are right up there looking at him and he doesn’t know it.  Beats the hell out of me how he was doing it, but he was flying lower than we were yet.  So we threw a bit of lead at him and got all kinds of stuff back – prettiest stuff you ever saw at night too.  That’s what you get for missing – so we have to do it all over again.  We hit his slip stream and almost went into the drink ourselves.  I had one hand on the hatch just ready to try getting out.”

To settle the nerves, liquor was a “standard-issue item for crews returning from patrols.” [Beaufighters in the Night] In addition, the camp doctor also doubled as a psychiatrist.

 Original members of the 417th Night Fighters Squadron

Of the original 40 members of the air crew, nine were killed or failed to return from a mission.  This is only about an 80% survival rate, and while this data may or may not hold true over the night fighters as a whole, it does illustrate just how dangerous this work was.

Christensen would have been among the 80% to go home to their families, but after completing his tour of duty he signed on for another tour almost immediately, despite having just recovered from a bad case of dysentery.

It was the night of May 12, 1944 that all hell broke loose over Corsica when the German Luftwaffe launched a major attack.  The alert sounded and everyone dove into trenches.  The Germans dropped numerous bombs, one of which hit the end of the runway, but didn’t do any major damage to it.  The carnage continued into the early morning hours of May 13.

On the following evening, May 13, Ray Christensen and Joe Leonard were scheduled for duty.  They loaded into Beaufighter KW161 and departed from Borgo Airdrome for patrol.    Shortly before midnight, a “bogey” was spotted by radar, and identified as an enemy aircraft.  Ray and Joe gave chase near the island of Montecristo.  Ground radar personnel saw two “blips” on their radar screen, and at 11:56 pm, one of those blips disappeared, and the other left the area.   Flight Officer Raymond Christensen and 1st Lieutenant Joseph Leonard failed to return from their mission.   Lt. Leonard’s body washed ashore 12 days later.   An unnamed soldier from the 417th wrote about the loss of Joe and Ray: “They had been vectored onto a “Bogey” and whether they flew into the water or were shot down was never determined at the time.  Having flown “baggage” many times with Lt. Leonard, I suspect the later.  They were both gallant airmen.”  Christensen’s body was never recovered and may still be in the Beaufighter at the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

On June 2, on a farm in Beadle County, South Dakota, a telegram from the War Department was delivered to Mr. Peter Christensen and his wife, Ella, saying, “The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your son Flight Officer Raymond Christensen has been reported Missing in Action since Thirteen May over Corsica.  If further details or other information are received you will be promptly notified.”  He would later be classified as Killed in Action.  Peter Christensen was part owner of Bell Bakery in Huron.

Pilot Malcolm “Duff” Campbell, a South Dakota native, lived with his family in Huron for some years before they relocated to Oklahoma.  At that time, Malcolm had completed one year of college, and listed his civil occupation as an actor.  He married Joy Ackers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Ackers of Tulsa on Friday, October 8, 1943 in Tulsa before being chosen to join the 417th NFS.

Campbell flew some high-profile missions, and was bestowed a number of honors, including the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, plus other Army awards.  He was also given the Croix De Guerre with Silver Gilt Star by the French.

During one mission, he and his radar operator were successful in shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf-109.  Typically, an enemy plane that was salvageable was brought back to the home base, but this type of plane was difficult even for experienced German pilots to fly, says Lt. Col. Braxton "Brick" Eisel, author of "Beaufighters in the Night."  A volunteer was needed to fly the captured plane, and "Duff" Campbell was the one to step forward.  Soon after getting the plane in the sky, the aircraft rolled and Campbell was unable to recover.   The plane crashed and burst into flames.  Malcolm Campbell died on May 17, 1945, in Lorraine, France, ten days after V-E day. He was buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery at St. Avold, France, Plot C, Row 12, Grave 83.

©Karen Seeman, 2022

Sources:
Letters of Raymond Christensen
Dan Whitney,  Richard Ziebart, https://www.417th-nightfighters.com/
The Evening Huronite, Huron, S.D., numerous issues
National Archives and Records Administration. U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938 - 1946. (Ancestry.com)
National Archives and Records Administration.  World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas. (Ancestry.com)
Beaufighters in the Night: 417th Night Fighter Squadron USAAF.  Lt. Col Braxton "Brick" Eisel - USAF.  2007.
Various Huron, S.D. City Directories
Various U.S. Censuses
American Battle Monuments Commission (abmc.gov)

Friday, April 29, 2016

Log Books and Flight Summaries - February and March, 1944

The following are excerpts from the Pilot's Log book of 1st Lt Joseph Elden Leonard and flight summaries from “417th NFS Illustrated History," edited by Dan Whitney.

1st Lt. Leonard and his radar observer Flight Officer Raymond Christensen, were night fighters for the 417th NFS, U. S. Army Air Force.  Both were killed in action when their plane was engaging a Nazi night fighter over the Tyrrhenian sea.  Their plane disappeared from radar and presumably crashed into the sea after being shot down.  F/O Christensen was my great-uncle.

Much of the work of the 417th NFS was to protect boat convoys as they transported allied suppies and soldiers.  As you can imagine, these convoys were prized targets of the Nazis.  Also, the 417th were sent on missions to check out "bogies" that showed upon their radar, and if found to be an enemy plane, engage in combat.

These excerpts resume in Tafaraoui, Algeria.  F/O Christensen was radar observer for all of these flights, so I have not mentioned him specifically.  Other passengers are noted.   The quotes are from the flight summaries of 1st. Lt. Leonard.   Notes between brackets are mine.  All crews from the 417th are named "Bishop 50, Bishop 51," etc.  Note the crazy hours these guys fly!

******

These entries conclude the log book and flight summary data.

Feb. 3, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 151.  Sgt. Sabo along as well.  Night Fighter Training.  2:00 pm - 2:40 pm.  "151 is undoubtedly the best A/C [air craft] on the line, everything checked up perfect, wonderful day."
Flight 2: Beau 151.  Convoy Patrol - Turban (Woodlog) [ground control].  5:35 pm - 8:30 pm.  "Convoy patrol on Turban, ran one PI [practice interception] with Bishop 57, seven mile range on the AI [airborne intercept radar], was vectored after bogie with negative results, had trouble with Woolsack and Frenchmen in the pattern, A/C [air craft] has slight hydraulic leak."

Feb. 6, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 177.  Pfc. Coleman was along.  Night Fighter Training.  2:20 pm - 3:00 pm.  "NFT, ship and radio were OK, but AI [airborne intercept] was PP ["Piss Poor"]"
Flight 2: Beau 177.  F/O Heinecke along as well.  Practice interceptions with Woodlog.  A.I. U/S. [airborne interceptions - ?/?].  6:30 pm - 8:15 pm.  "PI's with 50 on Woodlog, pretty good night despite the fact that my AI was U/S, ship and R/T [radio transmitter] were OK."

Feb. 15, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 204, Night Fighter Training. 3:05 pm - 3:50 pm.  "Night Fighter Training in the soup, very nice, A/C [air craft], R/T [radio transmitter], and A/I [airborne intercept radar] OK also."
Flight 2: Beau 204, Convoy patrol with Fishbone [ground control].  5:55 pm - 8:05 pm.   "Convoy patrol on a helluva big job about 80 ships, nothing doing as usual and Joe Long was off the ball on his vector, A/C [air craft], R/T [radio transmitter], and AI [airborne intercept radar] OK."
Flight 3: Beau 204.  Scramble.  2:20 am - 3:40 am.  "Scramble after bandit that failed to materialize, I investigated a destroyer that turned out to be friendly, my first scramble and I get lost on the Taxi strip, C'est La Guerre ["That's war!"].  R/T [radio transmitter] a bit ropey."

Feb 18, 1944.  Beau 938, 2:15 pm - 3:05 pm.  "NFT [Night Fighter Training] with [Bishop] 70, A/C [air craft] check out OK but engineering marked it out so they could play with it.  R/T [radio transmitter] and A/C [air craft] OK."

Feb 22, 1944.  Beau 158.  8:05 pm - 12:40 am.  "PI [practice intercepts] with Bishop 53 on Stalecrust [ground control], we worked quilt at Angels 11 [altitude of aircraft - 11,000 ft] - the blackest damned night that I have ever seen.  We were both getting visuals from 800-300 ft.  Ship and set OK."

Feb. 23, 1944.  Beau 151.  5:35 pm - 8:25 pm.  "Convoy patrol with Perform [ground control], Bags of Oranges and Orange juice, uneventful as usual, ship and set OK, but it leaks."

March 3, 1944.  Beau 151.  7:55 am - 9:35 am.  "Dawn patrol with Bradshaw [Tafaraoui RAF Aerodrome control].  After waiting 25 minutes for [Bishop] 57, Bradshaw vectored me after a bandit which I chased for about 25 minutes when my radio went out.  I turned back and about 5 minutes later my port engine went out, but the radio came back in so I was vectored home, R/T [radio transmitter] OK."

Friday, April 22, 2016

Log Books and Flight Summaries, January 1944

The following are excerpts from the Pilot's Log book of 1st Lt Joseph Elden Leonard and flight summaries from “417th NFS Illustrated History," edited by Dan Whitney.

1st Lt. Leonard and his radar observer Flight Officer Raymond Christensen, were night fighters for the 417th NFS, U. S. Army Air Force.  Both were killed in action when their plane was engaging a Nazi night fighter over the Tyrrhenian sea.  Their plane disappeared from radar and presumably crashed into the sea after being shot down.  F/O Christensen was my great-uncle.

Much of the work of the 417th NFS was to protect boat convoys as they transported allied suppies and soldiers.  As you can imagine, these convoys were prized targets of the Nazis.  Also, the 417th were sent on missions to check out "bogies" that showed upon their radar, and if found to be an enemy plane, engage in combat.

These excerpts resume in Tafaraoui, Algeria.  F/O Christensen was radar observer for all of these flights, so I have not mentioned him specifically.  Other passengers are noted.   The quotes are from the flight summaries of 1st. Lt. Leonard.   Notes between brackets are mine.  All crews from the 417th are named "Bishop 50, Bishop 51," etc.  Note the crazy hours these guys fly!

******


Jan. 1, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 940.  Sgt. Gura also along.  Night Fighter Training.  3:25 pm - 4:40 pm.   "NFT with [Bishop] 70 who returned with a bad engine so I stooged around and flew single engine for awhile."
Flight 2: Beau 940.  Practice interceptions with Woodlog [ground control]. 5:45 pm to 8:10 pm.  "PI's with Woodlog and [Bishop] 59.  Wizard control and a beautiful night.  Ran three interceptions and the AI [airborne interceptor radar] was remarkably good.  VHF [very high frequency transmission] and A/C [air craft] OK."

Jan. 4, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 940.  Night Fighter Training.  4:40 pm - 5:10 pm.  "NFT with [Bishop] 59, my port transmitter went out and bismuth screwed the detail more than usual.  A/C [air craft] and AI [airborne intercept radar] OK."
Flight 2: Beau 940.  Practice interceptions (Woodlog and Perform were ground controls).  6:00 - 9:15   "PI with 53 on Woodlog - very good work on the part of Woodlog.  They turned us over to Perform and we did convoy patrol with them until they vectored us in.  A/C [air craft] and R/T [radio transmitter] OK."

Jan. 6, 1944.
Beau 177.  Convoy Patrol (Woodlog and Perform ground controls)  10:30 pm to 2:30 am.  "Convoy patrol with [Bishop] 53 on Woodlog who ran one PI [practice interception] and then turned me over to Perform who attempted to vector me on to a bogey which they had a plot on.  He went home and so did I.  Port receiver went out, otherwise OK."

Jan. 7, 1944.  Beau 938.  Practice Interception with Fishbone [ground control]. 06:10 am to 8:05 am.  "PI with[Bishop] 53 controlled by Fishbone and was it ever lousy - 2 interceptions apiece.  A/C [air craft], R/T [radio transmitter] and AI [airborne intercept radar] OK."

At this point, they moved to nearby La Senia, preparing for the big move to the island of Corsica.

Jan. 10, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 167.  Also joined by Bernie Brun.  Convoy Patrol.   5:40 pm to 8:00 pm.  Squadron history reports a Nazi Ju 88 plane damaged by 1st Lt. J. E. Leonard off the Coast of Spain.  "Convoy patrol with Fishbone [ground control].  Chased two P-39's and then noticed some gunfire from "across" then Joe Long vectored me on a fighter.  Engaged the enemy twice and got hits on his tail the first time and got two hits on stbd wing.  Got another contact and followed it to the coast of Spain.  One Ju88 damaged.  Cannon all fired.  Chris [F/O Christensen] was on the ball.  A/C [air craft] was perfect.  VHF [very high frequency transmission] good.  Everyone is on the ball I Oh!  What a beautiful morning."
Flight 2: Beau 941, Convoy Patrol.  7:00 am to 8:40 am. "Patrol on 'Links.'  "C" Channel crystal went out.  Beautiful morning.  AI [airborne intercept radar] U/S."

Jan. 13, 1944.  Beau 938.  Pvt. Schoenberg along as well.  Night Fighter Training.  2:30 - 3:20.  "NFT with[Bishop] 53.  Canary check OK.  A/I [airborne intercept radar], U/S and rheostat in gunsight U/S."

Jan. 16, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 938.  Night Fighter Training.  "NFT rather uneventful.  Ship, AI [airborn intercept radar], R/T [radio transmitter] OK."
Flight 2: Beau 938.  Don Barnhart also along.  Convoy Patrol with Perform [ground control].  5:45 pm - 8:00 pm.  "Convoy patrol with Bishop 53 on Perform.  53 ran two PI [practice interceptions] whole damned thing was uneventful.  Everything OK."

Jan. 19, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 204.  On patrol off Balearic Islands.  4:30 pm - 7:30 pm.  "Patrol near the Balearic Islands which was rather fruitless but we learned a lot.  Receiver went rather duff on the way out.  AI [airborne intercept radar] and A/C [air craft] OK."
Flight 2: Beau 204.  Sgt. Filipowics also along.  Convoy patrol with Woodlog [ground control]. 12:55 am to 3:40 am.  "Single plane patrol on "Nipper."  Went to sleep three or four times; ears are still plugged up.  A/C [air craft], R/T [radio transmitter] and ship OK."

Jan. 24, 1944.
Beau 941.  Convoy Patrol (Woodlog ground control).  5:40 pm to 8:25 pm.  "Convoy patrol with Bishop 70.  My port receiver went out so came back on "C" for Charlie.  Port engine rough."

Jan. 25, 1944.
Flight 1: Beau 961.  Night Fighter Training.  2:20 pm - 3:05.  "NFT.  AI [airborne interceptor radar] ropey and then went out.  A/C [air craft] and R/T [radar transmitter] OK."
Flight 2: Beau 961.  From La Senia to La Passet.  "Alert at Lapasset.  Did a dawn patrol and PI [practice interceptions] with [Bishop] 70 and returned to base after having had breakfast at Lapasset.  A/C [air craft] OK."
Flight 3: Beau 961.  Practice Interceptions with Woodlog [ground control].
Flight 4: Beau 961.  LaPasset to LaSenia.

Jan. 31, 1944. Beau 151.  Duty: Tenacle.  4:00 pm - 7:50 pm.  "Tenacle with no results, received Whitetooh, Bradshaw [Tafaraoui RAF Aerodrome control], Madbrain, and Oxter, landing ropey as usual, AI [airborne intercept radar] was out completely, A/C [air craft] was very good."

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Log Books and Flight Summaries, Part 1

The following are excerpts from the Pilot's Log book of 1st Lt Joseph Elden Leonard and flight summaries from “417th NFS Illustrated History," edited by Dan Whitney.

Joseph Leonard's Log Book

1st Lt. Leonard and his radar observer Flight Officer Raymond Christensen were night fighters for the 417th NFS, U. S. Army Air Force.  Both were killed in action when their plane was engaging a Nazi night fighter over the Tyrrhenian sea.  Their plane disappeared from radar and presumably crashed into the sea after being shot down.  F/O Christensen was my great-uncle.

Much of the work of the 417th NFS was to protect ship convoys as they transported allied supplies and soldiers.  As you can imagine, these convoys were valuable targets of the Nazis.  Also, crews of the 417th were sent on missions to check out "bogies" that showed upon their radar, and if found to be an enemy plane, engage in combat.

These excerpts begin in Tafaraoui, Algeria, North Africa.  F/O Christensen was radar observer for all of these flights, so I have not mentioned him specifically; any other passengers are noted.   The quotes are from the flight summaries of 1st. Lt. Leonard.   Notes between brackets are mine.  All crews from the 417th are named "Bishop 50, Bishop 51," etc.

*****

Sept. 26, 1943
Flight 1: Beaufighter #819, Duty: ground gunnery, 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm.  "Gunnery Mission, Shadow [name of ground control unit] but playmate failed to take off so I stooged around and did some ground gunnery but the gunsight went out and since the radio transmitter was bad I returned to base and pancaked [landed]."
Flight 2: Beaufighter # 819, with S/Sgt Gonzales, practiced interception from 8:15 pm - 8:50 pm.  "Took off on P.I. [practice interceptions] with playmate to follow.  Bradshaw (Tafaraoui RAF Aerodrome ground control) vectored me out and then my radio transmitter went out and I returned to base and pancaked."
Flight 3: Beaufighter # 911, practice interceptions,  9:30 pm - 11:10 pm.  " PI [practice interception] mission after Bishop 53 pancaked with bad engine.  My radio transmitter seemed weak on take-off but I flew the mission and my radio transmission was weak.  I flew [as the] target on four missions in which Bishop 71 failed to get contacts although my observer got back-blips on each one and attempted interceptions.  My radio transmitter went out during an interception I made on Bishop 71 after he failed to make contact.  I then traded headsets with my observer and Stalecrust [ground control unit] made a very good interception with Bishop 71 as target.  On landing I bounced the first one and pulled an overshot.  Got visual at 1000 ft."

1st Lt. Joseph E. Leonard

Sept. 29, 1943.  Beaufighter #760.  Convoy patrol,  6:50 pm - 8:50pm.  "Convoy Patrol on "Manicure."  Bradshaw [Tafaraoui RAF Aerodrome control] vectored me out and I sighted the convoy at 1903.  The patrol was uneventful.  The weather was perfect.  We came in on "Mother" for about 60 miles.  The plane was in damned good shape."

Oct. 1, 1943.  Beaufighter #743.  Practice interceptions, 1:30 am - 3:45 am.  "Ran PI with Bishop 70 and Fishbone [ground control].  Lt. Palmer pulled a couple good interceptions and then another controller took over and got about two interceptions.  I wrote up the prop pitch control, throttles and damned bolt the keeps sticking in your chest on the Sutton harness."

F/O Raymond Christensen


Oct. 2, 1943.  

Flight 1:  Beaufighter #806.  Formation Flying, G. Gunnery, Night Fighter Training.  1:50 pm - 3:40 pm.   "Formation went ok at 500 yds.  But was spread out too far so we closed in to 150 which was too close.  The slip-stream was too close when turning so we tried 250-300 yds, which was much better.  At the close of the exercise we tried some formation over the salt lake at 500 ft. and then made a run over the field at that altitude.  Bishop 70 and I ran an NFT {night fighter training]and his weapon was bent so I ran two interceptions and then went over to Fishbone [ground control group] for a cockrel and canary check.  I ended up by buzzing them a couple of times.  I came into the circuit cut somebody out and landed.  A 3-point!!!!!"
Flight 2:  Beaufighter #806.  Practice Interceptions.  7:20 pm - 10:50 pm.  "Took off on Vector 280 for a mission with Stalecrust [ground control].  Playmate with Bishop 70.  I climbed to 11,000 ft. and Joe Long took over.  Lt. Long made 14 interceptions in 3 hours and all were good.  The radio transmitter on the stbd set was rather weak.  The landing was lovely but someone dropped the runway about five feet."

Oct. 5, 1943.  Beaufighter #819.   Formation and Night Fighter Training.  2:20 pm - 3:40 pm.  "Got into A/C [air craft] 806 and started the engines but they couldn't close the back hatch so I cut the engines and put my chute in 819 and took off on formation with 53, 59, 70.  The formation was "piss-poor" and when 53 returned to the field we climbed up but didn't run an NFT [night fighter training] because of too many bumpy clouds.  The V. H. F. [very high frequency communications] was very noisy and my transmission was weak.  A/C was in good shape."

Bristol Beaufighters in flight


Oct. 7, 1943.  Beaufighter #834.  Practice Interceptions.  12:15 am - 3:00 am.
"Three interceptions with Stalecrust [ground control], Bishop 65 as playmate.  First visual at 1200 and others at 600 - 900.  AI [airborne intercept radar] was poor and plane and VHF were ok.  Interceptions were good."

To be continued...