Mosquito: Menacing the Reich: Combat Action in the Twin-engine Wooden Wonder of World War II by Martin Bowman
Authors: Martin Bowman
Tags: Bisac Code 1: HIS027140
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was roast pork with gooseberry jam! Next morning our T-Tommy came up with a very bad mag drop so we were taken by jeep to Philip’s home at Brundall for lunch and the weather closed in so we stayed the night. Next morning Philip’s father took us by car to Norwich where we were picked up by American transport for a run-up of the now serviceable T-Tommy but we were at Hethel for another night due to continuing bad weather. On 1 February we woke to a sunny morning and after a good breakfast at Hethel, we were back at Graveley by 09.40 to find ourselves on the Battle Order for Berlin that night. Because of the problems at Hethel, T-Tommy had to be checked so we were in K-King, Burbidge and Ramage’s aircraft, which had an indifferent reputation put about by them, I suspect, to keep it out of other hands!
The trip was fairly routine until we lost an engine near Hanover and again the weather was u/s with low cloud and snowstorms over East Anglia and the 8 Group area, so once more it was a matter of getting down where we could. The Mossie flew very well on one engine but it could be tricky to land especially at night and in the poor weather conditions, so we proceeded with care losing height gradually knowing we were over East Anglia. Eventually we saw a rocket come up through the low cloud and, losing more height, spotted a runway [Rougham near Bury St. Edmunds and home to the 94th Bomb Group] very well illuminated by wartime standards. Phil was quickly into the approach only to find a Fortress being landed; hence all the illumination. However, short of fuel, on one engine and in a snowstorm it was no place for the faint hearted. So Phil went in over the Fortress with rather too much height and speed so that we hit the runway past halfway but with hardly a bump. We shot off the end over a wide grassed area and ditch, to be brought to a halt at the perimeter by a row a tree stumps, one of which impacted with the starboard wing and slewed us around by 90°. Apart from two small cuts on my forehead neither of us were hurt. So we were very smartly out and taking off at speed in case of fire, only to be halted by the sound of voices behind us. We returned to find the aircraft was across a road with an Armstrong Siddeley car between the port engine and drop tank. We found four very lucky occupants, badly shocked but not too badly hurt, although one did need hospital treatment for a head wound requiring forty stitches. Then, almost immediately, we found ourselves surrounded by GIs brandishing rifles as they thought us to be a Messerschmitt 410 intruder. On this occasion we did not receive the usual American hospitality probably due to our unannounced arrival and were left to make our own way back to Cambridge by train to await being picked up by car. Of course we were lugging our flying gear and received some odd glances from other passengers. However, we made our way to the University Air Squadron and were lavished with their hospitality. Of course, we were not very popular with Burbidge and Ramage but everyone was pleased to see us in one piece, especially the Wing CO who put us in the Battle Order for the next two nights! However, they were Wiesbaden and Dortmund, rather easier than the six to Berlin up to that ending up at Rougham. This latter Philip described as being due to the bad judgement of a single engine approach. Many Mossie aircrew did not survive to tell the tale of single-engine landings. So in my view, as the only witness, to land from a steep approach at night in a snowstorm and to be able to walk away was a small miracle aided by airmanship of the highest order. 161
In February the FNSF flew 1,662 sorties. The 1/2 February attack on Berlin was the largest Mosquito bombing attack on the Reich capital since the formation of the LNSF. In total 122 aircraft were dispatched in two waves to bomb Berlin. No aircraft were lost. On the night of 2/3 February while two other forces bombed Wiesbaden and Wanne-Eickel 250
The trip was fairly routine until we lost an engine near Hanover and again the weather was u/s with low cloud and snowstorms over East Anglia and the 8 Group area, so once more it was a matter of getting down where we could. The Mossie flew very well on one engine but it could be tricky to land especially at night and in the poor weather conditions, so we proceeded with care losing height gradually knowing we were over East Anglia. Eventually we saw a rocket come up through the low cloud and, losing more height, spotted a runway [Rougham near Bury St. Edmunds and home to the 94th Bomb Group] very well illuminated by wartime standards. Phil was quickly into the approach only to find a Fortress being landed; hence all the illumination. However, short of fuel, on one engine and in a snowstorm it was no place for the faint hearted. So Phil went in over the Fortress with rather too much height and speed so that we hit the runway past halfway but with hardly a bump. We shot off the end over a wide grassed area and ditch, to be brought to a halt at the perimeter by a row a tree stumps, one of which impacted with the starboard wing and slewed us around by 90°. Apart from two small cuts on my forehead neither of us were hurt. So we were very smartly out and taking off at speed in case of fire, only to be halted by the sound of voices behind us. We returned to find the aircraft was across a road with an Armstrong Siddeley car between the port engine and drop tank. We found four very lucky occupants, badly shocked but not too badly hurt, although one did need hospital treatment for a head wound requiring forty stitches. Then, almost immediately, we found ourselves surrounded by GIs brandishing rifles as they thought us to be a Messerschmitt 410 intruder. On this occasion we did not receive the usual American hospitality probably due to our unannounced arrival and were left to make our own way back to Cambridge by train to await being picked up by car. Of course we were lugging our flying gear and received some odd glances from other passengers. However, we made our way to the University Air Squadron and were lavished with their hospitality. Of course, we were not very popular with Burbidge and Ramage but everyone was pleased to see us in one piece, especially the Wing CO who put us in the Battle Order for the next two nights! However, they were Wiesbaden and Dortmund, rather easier than the six to Berlin up to that ending up at Rougham. This latter Philip described as being due to the bad judgement of a single engine approach. Many Mossie aircrew did not survive to tell the tale of single-engine landings. So in my view, as the only witness, to land from a steep approach at night in a snowstorm and to be able to walk away was a small miracle aided by airmanship of the highest order. 161
In February the FNSF flew 1,662 sorties. The 1/2 February attack on Berlin was the largest Mosquito bombing attack on the Reich capital since the formation of the LNSF. In total 122 aircraft were dispatched in two waves to bomb Berlin. No aircraft were lost. On the night of 2/3 February while two other forces bombed Wiesbaden and Wanne-Eickel 250
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