Part 4
Attack on the Sharnhorst.
The date is 24th of July 1941
This is a likely sequence of events, up to the point where the attack took place…..
The crews of RAF squadrons 35 and 76 are likely to have worked through the night, preparing the aircraft for the mission.
Breaks throughout the night would have filled them up with porridge followed by bacon, egg, sausage and fried bread and chips. Maybe some toast, marmalade and a few cups of hot sweet tea and followed by a few cigarettes. A good chance for a blether and time to discuss any fears or faults that may have arisen.
They would have visited the squadron gunnery section and been briefed on the day`s intended activities. It is my understanding that all inward and outward-bound telephone calls to friends or family was forbidden at this time and indeed, telephone kiosks were under lock and key. Mission secrecy assured.
Next, a visit to the Squadron Armoury to be issued with a set of 8 x .303 Browning machine guns. 4 for the tail gunner and 4 for the upper mid turret gunner. A registry was kept on each and every visit gunners made to the armoury. Gunners were trained and needed to maintain the weapons and carry out stringent checks on all weapons to ensure they were in perfect working condition.
Their lives may depend on it.
Leading up to take off, crews would assemble in the locker room to get dressed for the flight ahead. The standard attire for the day was silk/wool Long Johns, woollen socks, an electric body suit. This suit, which connected to electrical plug points in the aircraft would ultimately be their survival suit. Finally, the standard battle-dress trousers tucked into heavy fleece lined flying boots and topped with a thick jersey and leather flying jacket with fur collar. Last but not least, was the Mae West life jacket and a parachute. The word encumbered springs to mind. However, I understand that the temperature could fall to -30 on some of these missions, especially at night.
(I wore a parachute during training flights when I was a wee lad in the ATC, 13 years old. I remember walking like a duck, bent over, at 45 Degrees from the backside up, over the grass towards the aircraft and 2 airmen lifting me up on to the wing to get me in. I felt like I was wrapped in a Python).
In the very early hours of that morning, Gunner B and his crew boarded Aircraft No L. 9531 at RAF Middleton St George and flew South to RAF Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire to take on extra fuel. Their target lay a farther 200 miles away more than the Halifax normal fuel load could carry them. The crew that day was Sgt Drummond, Sgt Hutchin, Sgt Dawson, Sgt Fraser, Sgt Barret, Sgt Wood, and Flight Sgt Begbie. He would have made his way along the narrow fuselage towards the rear of the aircraft and into the tail gunner turret. He would have felt isolated and a long way from the rest of his crew.
Once settled in, he would carry out a series of important checks on the equipment. He would plug in the intercom connection, oxygen and power supply to his electric suit. He would then confirm communications open with the pilot and the rest of the crew. (Interestingly, Gunners and Pilots only, were on full oxygen from take off to landing. Crew didn`t need to until they reached a ceiling of 10,000 feet).
The 4 Rolls Royce Merlin engines came to life, one by one with a roar and the whole aircraft vibrated with a life of its own. This must have been a foreboding experience for a lad that had been guiding a couple of Clydesdale horses, pulling a large wooden, two wheeled cart along Scottish dirt paths in order to go to work, not that long before.
Gunner B could now test the hydraulics that allowed him to swivel the turret to port and starboard. Gun sights would be set, and the guns would be swung up and down, as far as they could go before the turret was locked down again, ready for take-off.
This small, isolated, cold and exposed space, which had open apertures for the guns to be raised and lowered, would be his domain for the next seven and a half hours. Gunner B settled into his seat and tried not to think about his new wife, Nell and his baby daughter, Helen.
The sudden roar of all 4 Merlins must have jolted him back into reality as the huge aircraft began to motor down the runway. Seconds later, he is travelling backwards at over a 100 mph and he can feel his stomach drop as the Halifax lifts herself from the safety of home and onto La Rochelle in France and the Sharnhorst.
This report/excerpt from RAF Operations Record Books recorded that Gunner B`s “Aircraft attacked the German battleship “Sharnhorst” and bursts were seen slightly short of the jetty with the end of stick (bombs dropped) very close alongside and astern. One yellow explosion was seen. The aircraft was damaged by Ack Ack fire and German fighters. One enemy fighter was claimed, destroyed. There was intense damage to own aircraft (the Halifax). Weather over the target was very hazy. Aircraft took off at 10.35am and returned to Stanton Harcourt safely” at 17.45.
Other reports claimed that the two British squadrons that attacked the Sharnhorst had hit her with five armour piercing bombs along her starboard side
Three 1000lb bombs and two 500lb tore through her decks and caused significant damage. Two bombs failed to detonate. The other three exploded and caused major flooding of the ship. She developed an 8-degree list to her starboard and was left sitting a metre farther down in the water. Two German sailors were killed and fifteen injured.
On our side there was one Halifax from 35 Squadron and 3 from 76 Squadron shot down.
Four of the 31 ME109`s that had ferociously attacked our bombers were shot down
The operation was a success but Billy had been hit.
To be continued in Part 5
