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.
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| 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)
