Peirse, Air Marshal Sir Richard 73
Peltz, Oberst Dietrich 87, 239–40, 241
Pentony, Flight Lieutenant 59
Pershore, RAF 67
PFF see Pathfinder Force
Philadelphia Story, The (film) 153
Piccadilly Lily 42
PINETREE, Operation 53
Piraeus, Greece 93
Ploesti, Romania 135, 345
Podington, RAF (Bedfordshire) 43, 51, 54
POINTBLANK, Operation 104, 108, 109, 127, 133, 134, 173, 175, 179, 185, 195, 201, 244, 245, 256, 260, 286, 340
Pointon, Flying Sergeant Max 337
Poland 14, 41, 59, 88, 92, 269–70, 271, 281
Polish squadrons, RAF 15
Portal, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles xxvi, 72–3; and Eaker 56, 103, 127; and resurgent German fighter force 104; and Arnold’s demands for a combined aerial offensive 126–8; and invasion of Italy 133–4; coordinates Combined Bomber Offensive 174; objects to creation of new HQ 174; at Cairo Conference 175, 179; and Eaker’s removal 179, 180; and establishment of USSTAF 197; issues change of objective for Bomber Command 245; overruled by Churchill 260; overrules Harris 326
Poznań, Poland 269–70, 271, 281
Prüfening plant see Regensburg
Queen Elizabeth 232
Queen Mary 147
Question Mark (Fokker aircraft) 62
Quonset huts 159
radar systems 95, 96, 109, 111, 112, 143, 165; Freya 76, 91, 95; gun-laying 288–9; Himmelbett 91–2, 95, 132; H2S 75, 109, 138, 140, 198, 265, 326, 327; H2X 135, 198, 200–1, 220, 260, 300; and jamming and detection devices 76, 254, see also ‘Window’; Kammhuber line 91; Lichtenstein 96, 111; Mammut 95; Mannheim 143; Oboe 75, 109, 135, 138, 140, 254, 265; SN2 111; Wassermann 95; Würzburg 143; Ypsilon/Y 111
Raddatz, Hans 247, 248
railway, German see Reichsbahn
Rall, Günther 341–2
Rankin, Lieutenant John 280–81
Rau, navigator William ‘Bill’ 211, 245, 246
Reeves, Les 189, 190, 288
Regensburg, raids on 38, 39, 42, 92, 125, 260, 269, 274, 294, 311, 315, 329–31, 335–6, 340; Prüfening factory 303, 308, 340
Reichsbahn (German railway) 66, 100, 193, 194, 341, 344
Reinhard, Obergefreiter Peter 30
Remer, Otto Ernst 347
Republic P-47 Thunderbolts xi, 1–7, 19, 106, 107–8, 124, 125, 150–51, 163, 168–70, 199, 202, 206, 210, 226–9, 233, 275–6, 281, 282, 293, 294, 297, 303, 323, 334–5
Richards, Lieutenant 226, 227, 228
Ridgewell, RAF (Essex) 55, 182–3, 204, 283–4, 350–51
Robinson, Elizabeth 159
Robinson, Sergeant John ‘Robbie’ xxvi; arrives at Tibenham 159; and James Stewart 165–6, 301–2, 336; missions 186, 197, 293, 304–5, 311, 317, 318, 319–20, 328, 329, 330, 332–4, 336; and death of friends 292–3; postwar 346
Rolls-Royce engines 122, 123, 124n, 125
Roosevelt, President Franklin D. 12, 25, 34, 60, 63, 101, 104, 174
Rostock, Germany 101, 271, 281, 282
Rotterdam, Holland 70
Royal Air Force 57–8, 91, 123, 176; Bomber Command bases, xiii; bombers 13, 25, 35, 53, 64, 65, 66, 68–70, 71–9, 91–2, 98, 100–1, 104, 108, 112, 113, 116, 142–3, 144, 174, 186, 245, 265, 286, 289, 326–7, 336, 340, 344–5; losses 143, 171, 195, 266, 289, 336, 340, 343–4; see also Harris, Air Marshal Sir Arthur and specific bombers; squadrons: 101 Squadron 188–91, 254–5, 259, 263, 265, 266, 286, 287, 288–9; 427 ‘Lion’ Squadron 114; 429 Squadron 113, 114, 116–17, 261; 460 Squadron 171; 466 Squadron 262, 265–6, 337; Eagle Squadrons (US) 17, 19, 20, 21; Fighter Command 13, 56, 58, 103, 120–22, 123, 127–9, see also Battle of Britain, Combined Bomber Offensive, Pathfinders and specific fighters
Royal Canadian Air Force 18, 20, 21, 139
Ruhr region, Germany 77, 85, 305–6, 309
Sale, Squadron Leader Julian 141–2, 186–7, 259, 261–2, 264
Satan’s Sister 291
Saunders, Colonel 41
Schelp, Helmut 84
Schilling, Major David 2, 108, 237
Schmid, Generalmajor Josef ‘Beppo’ xxvii, 95, 130, 131–2, 143, 180, 242, 313–14, 343
Schmued, Edgar 121, 122, 124, 125
Schneider Cup air speed race (1925) 177
Schönert, Major Rudi 111–12
Schräge Musik 112, 264
Schweinfurt, raids on 29, 37, 42–3, 55, 86, 92, 104, 125, 126, 129, 175, 269, 316, 317, 322, 326; Kugel-Fischer ball-bearing factories 29, 37–9, 49–50, 53–4, 101
Scott, Flight Sergeant Jack 262, 263, 265, 266, 327
Second Was First, The 295, 318, 323–4
Seraphine, Lieutenant Henry 279, 283
Serrate radar-detection devices 254
Sharrard, Lieutenant Lloyd 158
Sicherheitsdienst (SD) 315
Sicily 25, 26, 78, 99, 134, 135, 178
Smith, Les 230
Smith, Walter Bedell 197
Snetterton Heath, RAF (Norfolk) 266
SN2 radar 111, 112
Sorensen, Charles 144
Sorko, Leutnant 225
Sorpe Dam 77
Soviet Union 11, 24, 25, 26, 71, 80; and Operation BARBAROSSA 34
Spaatz, Lt-General Carl ‘Tooey’ xxvi, 35, 39; background 62–3; and Eaker 56, 57, 62, 63; takes command of US Eighth Air Force 63–5; at Casablanca Conference (1943) 101; and invasion of Italy 133; suggests Doolittle takes command of Eighth Air Force 176, 178, 199; commands USSTAF 174, 179, 180, 196–8, 214, 220–21; on need for more Pathfinder aircraft 201; prioritizes arrival of aircraft 233; clashes with Doolittle 243–4; takes control of Operation ARGUMENT 245, 255–8, 259–61, 269, 294, 303, 328, 331; and Operation POINTBLANK 260, 340, 343; targets key German oil centres 345
Spanish Civil War 70, 88
Specht, Major 334
Speer, Albert 81, 85, 143, 240, 341
Spence, Dr Magnus 253
Spitfires see Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
Spoden, Leutnant 225
Sprecht, Hauptmann 31
Stabilized Automatic Bomb Sight (SABS) 76
Stacker, Jack 231, 232
Stalingrad (1943) 25, 80
Stanbridge Earls, nr Southampton 54
Stanford-Tuck, Bob 56
Stars & Stripes 313, 339
Stehkämper, Hugo 315
Steinhaurer, Lieutenant Manny 272
Stevens, Lieutenant Don 295
Stewart, Alex 154
Stewart, Major James ‘Jimmy’ xxvi; background 152–4; commands 703rd Squadron 152, 154, 158; gives press conference 165; impresses his crew 165–6; missions 186, 197, 205, 206–8, 211, 270, 271–2, 280–81, 328–9, 330, 333, 336, 345–6; gives Wright a tongue-lashing 293; uncovers some stolen beer 301–2; postwar 346
Steyr, Austria 318, 323
Stirling bombers 110, 112, 139, 254
Stockton, Norman 171
Strand, Larry 167
Strüning, Heini 110
Stumpff, General Hans-Jürgen 143, 242
Stuttgart, raids on 66, 101, 260, 286, 287, 288–90
Sullivan, Lieutenant Robert ‘Sully’ xxvi, 274, 294, 299, 308, 310, 329, 331, 347
Sullivan, Lieutenant T. Michael xxvi, 135–7, 294–5, 299, 303, 311, 318, 323–4, 329, 347
Sunflower Sue 158
Suntrop, Heribert 316
Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX xi, 18, 88, 90, 114, 12-23, 125, 127–9, 243
Talbot, Lieutenant John 213, 214
Tedder, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur 176
Tehran Conference (1943) 174
Ten Horsepower 290
Tenovus 271, 280–81
Terrill, Lt-Colonel Bob 153
Thelveton, Norfolk 37
Thomas, Flying Officer Tommy 140, 141
Thorpe Abbotts, RAF (Norfolk) 36, 37, 46, 54–5, 183, 186, 350
‘Thousand Bomber Raids’ 74, 75, 91–2
Thunderbolts see Republic P-47 Thunderbolts
Tibenham, R
AF (Norfolk) 154, 158–9, 208, 270, 301, 311, 317, 324, 328, 336
Timberlake, Brigadier-General Ed 345–6
‘Transportation Plan’ 344–5
Travis, Brigadier-General Robert F. 305
Trenchard, Marshal of the Air Force Sir Hugh ‘Boom’ 58, 70
Truemper, Lieutenant Walter 290
Tucker, Lieutenant 284
Tunisia 12, 131, 135, 136
Turner, Captain Dick xxvi; on Athlone Castle 118–19; posted to Boxted and P-51Bs 119–20, 129; instructed by Blakeslee 163, 237; first milk run 164–5; missions 183, 210, 211–12, 214–16, 231, 248, 298, 349; postwar 349
Tutow, Germany 271
Twente, Holland 33
Twining, Major-General Nathan 260
Tyler (bomber crew member) 319, 330, 333
U-boats 12, 42, 140, 147, 166, 181, 185, 197; Type XXI 26
Udet, Ernst 88
United States Army Air Corps 59–62, 63, 121, 151
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 13, 63, 64–5, 134, 176, 178, 197, 243; Halveson Provisional Detachment 152; Eighth Air Force 13, 34–5, 39, 43, 45, 52, 53, 54, 57, 63, 64–5, 66, 101, 107, 126, 129, 134, 151, 173, 175, 176, 184, 196, 197, 200–1, 205, 210, 236, 243–4, 246–7, 256, 257, 258, 259, 269–70, 316, 342; bases xiv–xv; headquarters 15; VIII Bomber Command 7, 29, 38, 39, 40, 55, 57, 90, 104, 123, 144–5, 197, 245, 267, 258; losses 7, 39, 54, 59, 101, 104, 148, 175, 197, 218, 268–9, 284, 290, 291–3, 325, 328, 340, 342; 92nd BG 43, 44–5, 50–51, 52; 93rd BG 205, 206; 95th BG 46, 49–50; 100th BG 7, 36, 37, 40, 42–3, 47–9, 52, 183, 186, 242, 291–2; 305th BG 55, 158, 217, 277–80, 282–3, 284–5; 351st BG 290; 379th BG 52, 209–10, 211, 212, 213–14, 217–18, 245–6, 274–5, 283, 303–4, 305–6, 308–10, 316, 322, 324; 381st BG 55, 182–3, 204–5, 311, 350; 384th BG 52; 388th BG 147, 148, 269, 271, 281, 285, 298, 317–18, 325, 329, 335–6; 389th BG 205, 206–7, 208, 270, 296, 317, 320–21, 325; 390th BG 46; 401st BG 217, 219; 445th BG 157, 158, 165–6, 205, 206–8, 211, 270, 271–2, 280–1, 301, 304, 311, 317, 319–20, 324, 328, 329, 330, see also 703rd BS; 453rd BG 270; 326th BS 43; 341st BS 42; 364th BS 158; 524th BS 148–51; 563rd BS 145; 566th BS 296, 317, 318–19, 321–2; 703rd BS 152, 153–4, 159, 292–3, 304–5, 311, 317, 319–20, 328, 329, 332–4, 336; VIII Fighter Command 13, 15, 22–3, 103, 122, 125, 183–4, 219, 230, 236–7, 268, 301; losses 231, 342; 4th Fighter Group 17, 18, 19, 20, 107–8, 163, 184, 225–9, 236, 281, 293, 297, 331–2, 350; 56th Fighter Group (61st, 62nd, 63rd Fighter Squadrons) 1–7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 31, 107, 150, 166–70, 184, 202–3, 205–6, 230, 231, 237–8, 275–6, 307–8; 354th FG 118–20, 129, 163–5, 166, 210, 211, 214–16, 231, 233, 236, 248–9; 357th FG 231, 233–6, 273, 276–7, 298, 300, 301; 334th FS 227, 281, 293–4, 297, 315, 332; 336th FS (133 Squadron) 18–19, 22, 226–9, 322–3, 332; 356th FS 183, 215, 216–17, 218–19; 363rd FS 232, 233; Ninth Air Force 120, 126, 129, 134, 173, 175, 225, 233, 256, 257, 259, 344; Twelfth Air Force 133, 134, 178, 260; Fifteenth Air Force 134, 135, 137, 173, 174, 196, 201, 260, 268, 273, 294, 303, 311, 323, 330; 2nd BG 135–6, 294–5, 303, 311, 318, 323–4, 330; 97th BG 318; 301st BG 274, 294, 308, 310, 318, 329–30; 32nd BS 331; 419th BS 331; 429th BS 136–7, 311, 318, 323–4, 329
United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) 173, 174, 197, 214, 259, 268, 290
Upper Street, Norfolk 36–7
V1s and V2s 26, 86, 241
Van Horn, Sergeant 48
Walker, Kenneth 59
‘Wanganui flares’ 265 and n
Warsaw, Poland 70
Washington Conference (1943) 102
Wassermann radar 95
Waterman, Lieutenant 107–8
Waughman, Flight Lt Russell ‘Rusty’ xxvi, 187–91, 254–5, 259, 263, 265, 266, 286, 287, 288–9
Weigel, William ‘Bill’ 213
Weise, Generaloberst Hubert 92, 130, 131
Wendt, Sergeant Alfred 278–9
Wenneckers (pilot) 335
Westby, Norman 189
Wiener Neustadt, Austria 136, 137
Wilde Sau (‘Wild Boar’) night-fighters 92, 93–5, 132, 143, 144, 190, 191, 193, 195, 254
Wilhelmshaven, Germany 107
Willow Run, Michigan: aircraft factory 144–5
Wilson, General Henry Maitland 273
Wilson, Sergeant (radio) 272
‘Window’ (radar jamming strips) 76, 78, 95, 109, 111, 132, 333, 334
Winning Your Wings (recruitment film) 153
Wittering, RAF (Cambridgeshire) 15
Wittmann, Lieutenant 333
Wolfert, Ira 350
Wood, Captain 321
World War, First 27, 34, 62, 67, 135, 153, 154
Worry Wart 148, 202, 186, 247, 271, 282, 285, 298, 300, 317–18, 335
Wright, Lieutenant George 159, 292, 293, 301, 302, 304, 305, 311, 317, 319–20, 324, 328, 329, 332, 333, 336
Wunstorf, Germany 306
Würzburg radar 91, 95, 143
Wycombe Abbey, Buckinghamshire 53, 197, 198
‘Yoxford Boys’ 233
Ypsilon/Y navigation system 111
Z for Zebra 113, 115–16
Zahme Sau (‘Tame Boar’) 95, 111, 116, 132, 195, 223
Zankey, Paul 188, 189
Zara, Yugoslavia 329
Zemke, Colonel Hubert ‘Hub’ 2, 15, 107, 184, 237
Zemke’s 56th Fighter Group 2, 7, 184
ZITADELLE, Operation 25, 26
About the Author
James Holland is a historian, writer and broadcaster. The author of the bestselling Fortress Malta, Battle of Britain and Dam Busters, he has also written nine works of historical fiction, five of which feature Jack Tanner, a soldier of the Second World War.
Also a TV historian, he features on programmes shown around the world and has presented and written a large number of documentaries, both series and stand-alone films. With Dan Snow, he has co-founded the online WWII oral-history project WarGen.org, and is also Chairman and Programme Director of the Chalk Valley History Festival. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Many of his own WWII interviews can be found at www.griffonmerlin.com. On Twitter he is @james1940
Holland is currently writing Normandy ’44, to be published in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Also by James Holland
Non-fiction
FORTRESS MALTA
TOGETHER WE STAND
HEROES
ITALY’S SORROW
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
DAM BUSTERS
AN ENGLISHMAN AT WAR
BURMA ’44
THE WAR IN THE WEST
Volume I: Germany Ascendant 1939–1941
THE WAR IN THE WEST
Volume II: The Allies Fight Back 1941–1943
RAF100: THE OFFICIAL STORY
Ladybird Experts
BLITZKRIEG
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
THE DESERT WAR
Fiction
THE BURNING BLUE
A PAIR OF SILVER WINGS
THE ODIN MISSION
DARKEST HOUR
BLOOD OF HONOUR
HELLFIRE
DEVIL’S PACT
For more information on James Holland and his books, see his website at www.griffonmerlin.com
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Bantam Press
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Copyright © James Holland 2018
Maps © Lovell Johns Ltd 2018
Cover photographs © Imperial War Museum
Design by Rhys Willson/TW
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ISBN 9780593077979
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1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
9 Mustang
fn1 The Merlin III was the British name for the Rolls-Royce Merlin 61-powered P-51. The P-51B was equipped with the Packard-built version of the Merlin 61, the V-1650-3. In effect, they were the same aircraft.
fn2 In fact, later models of Spitfire were capable of carrying as much as 500 gallons: 85- + 75- + 20- + 106-gallon internal fuel tanks and a 90-gallon slipper tank and 2 × 62-gallon drop tanks. This gave it a theoretical range of 2,700 miles, compared with the 434-mile range of an ordinary Spitfire.
19 Saturday, 19 February 1944
fn1 Wanganui was the first town in New Zealand to begin the custom of lighting a giant Christmas tree in the town square. New Zealander crews began calling Christmas tree flares ‘Wanganui flares’ and the name soon stuck.
Big Week Page 47