by Griff Hosker
“Thank you for that. What you need to know is that I was an observer and gunner before I became a pilot. I flew the Gunbus. So, I know the problems that both pilots and gunners will have. What I have little experience of is using bombs. I have used them but not enough to be confident about them. Nor have I any experience in landing or taking off from a ship. I will need advice from the three of you for that.”
Harry Greaves asked, “When will we be operating in the air then sir? We have just been sat around since we arrived in the Baltic.”
“As soon as possible. One advantage we have of using a carrier is that we might be able to take off and land while the Bolsheviks are grounded. So long as the sea is calm and the deck clear of ice then we can take off. I intend to use every advantage we have. My Camel is the only one which is superior to the kites the Bolsheviks are using. However, as my bus is still being built and rigged, that is a moot point. Speaking of which, who is in charge of the fitters and riggers?”
Air Observer Hunt said, lazily, “We call them Air Mechanics sir.”
I smiled but it was a cold smile intended to worry the arrogant young man. “And I call them whatever I choose. I have been flying for four years now.” I allowed a silence to fall and waited until his head dropped. “Lieutenant Nash, who is in charge of the fitters and riggers?”
“That would be Chief Petty Officer Banks sir. He is in sick bay at the moment.”
“Oh, and why is that? Is he ill?”
“No sir, he was injured when the ship was sabotaged. He has a broken arm.”
I saw now why there was such heightened security. “I shall visit him then. He is vital. We need well maintained aeroplanes. The Baltic appears to be a very inhospitable place as it is.” My pipe had gone out and so I laid it down. “What I intend for the next hour or so is to take you through the German aeroplanes and their abilities. After we have had some lunch we will go through tactics. When we do begin operations, we will all be of one mind.”
With the exception of Hunt, they were all attentive and interested. I would have to speak with him before the afternoon session. I went through the aeroplanes that we would be fighting. I knew all of their characteristics. While on the freighter, I had had time to make notes on them to refresh my memory. I spoke of how we might defeat them in the air using the Sopwiths’ strengths. Once again, five of them were attentive and scribbling notes while Air Observer Hunt appeared to be doodling. I even saw Sub-Lieutenant Nash frowning. As the time for lunch drew closer I wound up my talk.
“Well done chaps. That was a good session. Of course, it was only theory and the real thing will be just that, real. You will have to make instant decisions in the air. That is why you need this knowledge in your heads. I must cram into them what it has taken me four years to learn. We shall head for lunch.” They all rose. “Air Observer Hunt, I would like a word, if you please.” Sub-Lieutenant Nash and Lieutenant Newton both hesitated. “No, gentlemen, go with the others. I am certain that Air Observer Hunt will escort me safely to the mess.”
When they had gone, he faced me, truculently, “I haven’t done anything wrong sir!”
“I haven’t said, yet, that you have. However, I do not like your tone for a start. I am a senior officer and you will to speak to me as such. If you do not then I will have you on charges. I think I need to explain a few facts of life to you. How long is it since you joined up?”
“Six months sir.”
“You worked before you joined?”
He shook his head, “I was at University sir. I left.”
“Do you mind me asking you why?”
“My business, sir.”
“Of course.” I would not let that lie and I intended to return to it later. “You wanted to be a gunner and observer?”
He shook his head, “I wanted to be a pilot.”
“But…” I allowed an uncomfortable silence to fill the room. I watched him squirm.
“But I was not good enough. I failed the entrance and they put me in the course for observers.”
“Which you resent. Well let me tell you, young man, that there is nothing wrong with being a gunner. It is how I started out. But I think there is more to it than that. I think you left University because it didn’t suit. It was not what you expected. You look to me like the kind of young man who sailed through school without having to stretch yourself and you were found out when you were expected to do some real work. I am guessing that they asked you to leave. You probably made up some story for your parents and they felt sorry for you.” He coloured and I knew that my bullets had gone home. “You are an only child and your mother was quite old when she had you.” I said it as a statement and not a question.
He suddenly looked at me accusingly, “How did you know sir?”
“Simple, you are spoiled. You are used to getting your own way. When you don’t then the toys come out of the pram. Now, all things being equal I would have you sent back to England with a report to have you dismissed from the service.” He looked shocked. “But I can’t as that would leave us one aeroplane short and I need every aeroplane I can get. So, starting now, you change your attitude. You will be attentive and you will make as many notes as the others. You will speak to officers with respect. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
“And one more thing; you will show Mr. Newton, in particular, more respect. If you do not, then I will have you on a charge! Believe me, Hunt, I am your worst nightmare. I know every wrinkle and dodge in the book. I served with some of the finest soldiers in the British Empire but I have met enough of your type to know how to deal with them. Now let’s get to lunch and you had better hope that you have not spoiled my appetite!”
Lunch was pleasant. I recognised the food. Hunt was subdued but the others were full of questions about my time on the Western Front. I realised that these must have all been in training in the last year of the war. The end, when it had come, had been quicker than people had thought. The Germans seemed to collapse. These boys would have expected to fight in France and, instead, they had been sent to this frozen wilderness at the edge of the world.
I called in at the hangar to see how the work was going. They had done well. Sergeant Hepplewhite seemed quite happy with the progress and with his new colleagues. He was actually smiling. “Had a nice bit of lunch sir. Proper stuff. Not like the muck they have been serving us!”
“Sergeant, the food was adequate.”
“Perhaps.” He did not seem convinced. “The young Russian gentleman stayed for a while sir but the sentries wouldn’t let him aboard and so he left to find Mr. Rees.”
“That was my fault, Sergeant, I should have made arrangements myself. You have quarters?”
“Yes sir. There is a whole mess for air mechanics. With just four aeroplanes we are rattling around in it but what will happen when the other aeroplanes get here is anyone’s guess.”
“Well let me know when she is ready to fly. Oh, and we shall be setting sail as soon as we have taken on coal.”
“I reckon we got our sea legs on the freighter sir. We’ll be alright.”
The air crew were waiting for me in the operations room. I sat on the edge of the table once more. I would need the blackboard to illustrate my points. “I will need to assess each pilot and discover what their strongest qualities are. We do not have the luxury of large numbers. Until I have seen you all in combat we will have to use a set plan and keep to it. I intend to use a four finger flight.”
“Four fingers sir?”
“Yes, Mr. Greaves,” I held up my hand. “You see how the fingers are. One sticks up more than the rest and one is tucked at the back. That is our system. I will be the longest finger. Mr. Greaves will fly to my right. Mr. Newton to my left and Mr. Rogers will be behind Mr. Newton to the left, the shortest finger. This means that when we attack we will bring five guns to bear. More importantly we will have the rear protected by three Lewis guns.”
“But how will we maintain that formation in combat, si
r?”
“Not easy, Mr. Rogers, in fact, downright impossible. Unless we manage to shoot them all down in our first pass then we will have to turn. In such a situation, I will bank right with Mr. Greaves watching my back and Mr. Newton will turn left with Mr. Rogers protecting his back. Your aeroplanes can turn inside the enemy. The one which can turn inside you is the Fokker Triplane. It is small and it is nippy.”
“The Red Baron flew one.”
“He did.”
Lieutenant Rogers said, quietly, “You shot him down once, didn’t you sir?”
I nodded, “Yes but that was some months before he was killed. How did you know?”
“I am a great reader, sir, and my great uncle is Colonel Pemberton-Smythe.”
“My old commander!”
“Yes sir. He told me all about you. If I am honest I wanted to be like you. The war ended too soon for that.”
“There are thousands of soldiers who would disagree with you on that!”
“Quite sir, I apologise that was a glib and thoughtless comment.”
“Let’s get back to the matter at hand. Air combat. The secret of winning is to use short bursts and at the closest range possible. The Vickers is the most reliable machine gun I have ever used. You might think that two hundred and fifty rounds are ample. They are not. The Lewis gun has less ammunition. You gunners need to be even more sparing.” I tapped my service revolver. “I have used this in the air before now as well as a Lee Enfield. I have flown with Mills Bombs which I have dropped on aeroplanes as well as on the ground. As I recall I have managed to destroy an enemy in the air with one.” They all laughed. “The point is you never have enough weaponry and when you are heading towards each other at a combined speed of over two hundred miles an hour then life and death are measured in seconds and inches.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the minutiae of flying combat. Even Air Observer Hunt paid attention and made notes. Perhaps my words had got through to him. I hoped so. The ship began to move away from the quay as I was finishing my talk.
“Well gentlemen, I think I will end there. I am fairly tired and I think I have filled you with enough information to start with. As soon as my aeroplane has been assembled and checked I intend to practise some take off and landings. Once I have mastered that then we begin to practise manoeuvres. Study the notes I gave you. If you fail this test, then I fear that the result might be more serious than failing a test at school. This one could cost you your life. Air combat is unforgiving!”
After they had gone out Sub-Lieutenant Nash said, “You shot down the Red Baron?”
“I forced him to land yes. And I met him!”
“Really sir. Do tell me more.”
“Can we save that for after dinner one night? I was not joking about being tired.”
“Of course, sir. I forgot about your journey here. Oh, and before I forget, to welcome you tonight, it is number 1s that we will be wearing.”
“Thank you for that Subbie! I owe you one.”
I went to my cabin first and unpacked. This was where I missed Bates. He would have done this for me. My Number 1 uniform would have been sponged and pressed. Then I took my shaving gear and, grabbing a towel, I headed down for the showers. Number 1s meant I had to be dressed and groomed as an officer and a gentleman. At the squadron, we had just reserved our best for the King’s birthday and special occasions. I did not think that my arrival merited such attention.
Before I left for the mess I scribbled a few lines to Beattie. She and Tom would have had Christmas without me. I wondered if she had gone to Burscough? Lady Mary and my family would have welcomed her. On the other hand, she was very close to Alice, my little sister. London might be an attractive prospect. As I put the letter away I knew with total certainty what Beattie would have done. She would have gone with Alice and Tom to Burscough. Christmas was for families. She would have taken Tom to see his grandparents and they would have loved it. For some reason that made me happy. I might have missed Christmas but they would have had a wonderful one and I knew that they would have all spoken of me and my omission. It was as I entered the mess that I realised the date. It was New Year’s Eve. I had been guilty of arrogance. The Number 1s were nothing to do with me. It was to celebrate the New Year. That too made me feel better and I entered the mess feeling hopeful for the first time in many days.
The next morning, I had a relatively clear head. My pilots and Lieutenant Nash would be suffering. They had over indulged. It would do no harm. We would not be flying for a day or so. I allowed them time to recover with a coffee in the briefing room and I went to visit the Chief Petty Officer in the sick bay. Petty Officer George Banks was in his forties. He had one arm in plaster but the other hand, I could see, had the tell-tale oil and grime that marked a true mechanic.
He tried to stand and salute, “Petty Officer, as you were. This is just a courtesy visit. I have taken over the squadron temporarily and I want to introduce myself. Squadron Leader Harsker.”
“It is a privilege, sir. I have heard of you. I was in the Corps before I transferred. I never thought I would get to meet you.” He held up his broken wing. “I am sorry about this.”
“Can’t be helped. Sabotage wasn’t it?”
“Yes sir. They wanted the aeroplanes disabling. I was checking over the hangar and I tripped one of their booby traps. It could have been worse. I just broke my arm. If it had been the next day we might have lost a bus sir. As we had no aeroplanes flying that wasn’t a problem. Then you arrived, sir and I was stuck here.”
“I have two good fitters and riggers with me, Petty Officer. I would rather you got well.”
“Can you have a word with the M.O. sir? I might not be able to work but I can keep an eye on those who like to slope off for a tab when they can.”
It was like listening to Flight Sergeant Lowery. “Of course. Now you know that we will have to fly soon?”
“Yes sir. Don’t worry. We have anti-freeze and oil which operates at low temperatures. The problem might be the Vickers.”
“The water freezing, you mean?” The Vickers was water cooled.
“Yes sir.”
“I have thought about that. We need to rig blankets over them. Even if we have to discard them once we start firing it will be worth it.”
His face beamed, “Good idea, sir!”
“I began my life as a mechanic and gunner. I think about these things.”
“Well sir, the young gentlemen are all fine fliers but they are gentlemen. They have not got the first clue what keeps them in the air. And they do not like to get their hands dirty.”
“I will go and see the M.O. now but promise me you will not overdo things.”
“I will, sir. If I stay here much longer sir I shall need a padded cell!”
“Right.”
The Medical Officer was quite happy to oblige and I had a spring in my step as I went to the hangar. The Camel was taking shape. Sergeant Hepplewhite grinned, “Tomorrow sir, we will fill her up with go-go juice and turn her over.”
“Then I will take her up in the afternoon, Sergeant.”
His face fell, “But suppose she isn’t ready, sir?”
“Then it will be the morning after, Sergeant, but, one way or another, I will have to take her up and fly her.”
“Sir.” He turned to his men. “Right you horrible shower. I want to see you working like Trojans! Get to it!” The sergeant had a colourful turn of phrase but I saw them nod and grin. He had their measure.
When the air crew finally made the operations room, I was ready to begin going through what we had learned. We were interrupted by a messenger from the Captain. “The Captain would like to see you sir, now.”
“Righto. If you chaps would like to talk about what we have learned. Tomorrow I fly and the day after we all fly. Test time!” I used those words deliberately for they had all recently been at school and knew the value of a test.
The Captain smiled when I entered, “I hear you have shaken
the fliers up a little.”
“Sir?”
“Lieutenant Nash was impressed with your approach and told me of your methods. I approve. Now this evening we are off to the flagship. The Rear Admiral wishes to meet you. Count Fydorervich has also requested the meeting. He and Mr. Rees will be in attendance.” My face must have shown my feelings. “Is there a problem, old chap?”
“It is the Count. I fear he will make demands on the Rear Admiral. He seems to think that this will be easy; send over our aeroplanes, destroy the enemy and then he takes Petrograd.”
“But the Bolshevik Fleet?”
“Exactly sir. Still it does not affect what I have to do. I intend to fly from the ship tomorrow. Will that be possible, sir?”
“Should be. We are coaled and all we need to do is to turn into the wind. What time?”
“Better make it early afternoon.”
“I will check with the navigator and see what the weather will be like. My launch will take us over at 1800 hours. Number 1s again I am afraid.”
“No problem sir, although we will all be overshadowed by the Count. His tailor must work for Gilbert and Sullivan.”
“As bad as that?”
“Worse sir. If he has earned all the medals he has worn then we are talking about Hercules reborn and he has more gold braid than… let us just leave it at that eh sir?”
“I am looking forward to meeting this man. You and the Rear Admiral appear to share a common opinion of him.”
The flagship, H.M.S. Cardiff, was the same class of cruiser, the Hawkins C class, as the Vindictive. It meant I would be familiar with the layout. The difference was the lack of 7.5 inch guns. The Captain and I were the first to arrive. Captain Parr was anxious that we speak with the Rear Admiral before the others arrived. His Flag Lieutenant ushered us into the ward room.
The Rear Admiral had led the cruisers which had first encountered the Germans at Jutland. He had also led the surrendered German fleet into Scapa Flow in 1918. He was no-one’s fool. He shook my hand. “I have heard a great deal about you. You had a good war.”