By the Skin of my Teeth: The Memoirs of an RAF Mustang Pilot in World War II and of Flying Sabres with USAF in Korea

by Colin Downes

  The Spitfire was not comfortable to fly with its cramped cockpit and lack of creature comforts. Many of its superior performance parameters were a function of simplicity and weight, and the Spitfire’s complexity and weight was considerably less than a contemporary US fighter. The US fighters, designed with larger and more comfortable cockpits, had better seats and provided more creature comforts. These fighters had fuller specifications that included full trim controls and good provision for heating and fresh air. In construction, the Spitfire, although strong and robust, was fairly rough and basic when compared with its American or even German counterpart. From a pilot’s point of view, although the Spitfire was noisy, draughty, cold, uncomfortable and more tiring to fly on long distance and high altitude flights, it did not possess the complicated electrical and hydraulic systems of the American fighters. It would be some years before the pilot of a British made fighter concerned himself with panels of circuit breakers.

  When landing a Spitfire a continuous 180 degrees turn from the downwind leg of the circuit was carried out until touchdown. The steeper the descent and the more continuous the turn meant the quicker the whole squadron could land. The Spitfire was not a difficult aircraft to fly but it was not an easy aircraft to land due to its narrow landing gear. This was especially noticeable when landing in cross winds. Many inexperienced Spitfire pilots preferred to fly onto the runway with power to control any swing that might develop, rather than risk a power off approach with a three-point landing. During gusty and strong cross winds ground loops were a problem that contributed to much damage and even the loss of Spitfires during the training phase. Quite a few alternative postings occurred for the pilots who could not cope with landing a Spitfire under adverse conditions. Squadron strength landings under these conditions with the tight approach to the runway and the short intervals between the aircraft on alternate sides of the runway were always fraught with peril for the inexperienced pilot. Untidy and badly spaced approaches and landings were certain to provoke a public rebuke from the CO or flight commander.

  Eshott was a wartime airfield where the accommodation and facilities were very basic. We lived and worked in the ubiquitous Nissen huts. These corrugated-iron sheds were functional but cold, draughty, noisy and cramped; rather like a Spitfire cockpit. We slept several to a hut with one or two small coke-fired stoves that emitted most of the small output of heat up the chimney while filling the hut with noxious coke fumes whenever the wind blew, which it did frequently and hard in the Border country. The huts were certainly basic and frequent nocturnal bombardments of the huts with rocks thrown by merry Canadians returning to their quarters from the mess amply demonstrated their non-insulation. The cold and draughty features of the huts became even more evident when our Canadian instructors returned from celebrating at a local hostelry and fired fusillades from their revolvers at the roofs of the huts. This necessitated the frequent movement of beds to avoid the rain water dripping from the bullet holes and the supply of buckets to catch the rain water. The RAF sensibly only issued a personal sidearm to pilots who were actually participating in operations or stationed overseas.

  After several hours spent on intensive squadron formation flying and mock combat it was with some relief I left Eshott for Boulmer on the Northumberland coast near the Scottish border and joined a work-up fighter-bomber squadron of Spitfire Vs. The Spitfire V had the improved Merlin 45 engine giving 1,440 hp, increasing the maximum speed to 374 mph. The aircraft had a variety of armaments carried in four designated type wings. The ‘A’ type wings carried eight 0.303 in Browning machine-guns with a rate of fire of 1,150 rpm and a muzzle velocity of 2,400 ft/sec. A belt of 300 rounds of ball, armour-piercing, incendiary and tracer ammunition for each gun gave a firing time of 16 seconds. The ‘B’ type wings carried four 0.303 Browning machine-guns and two 20 mm (0.8 in) Hispano cannon with a rate of fire of 700 – 800 rpm and a muzzle velocity of 2,820 ft/sec. The ‘C’ type wings carried four 20 mm Hispano cannon. The early use of the 20 mm cannon using a drum magazine holding 60 rounds, gave a firing time of 5 seconds. Finally, a ‘D’ type wing contained two 0.5 in Browning machine-guns and two 20 mm Hispano cannon. The 0.5 calibre Browning machine-gun had a rate of fire of 850 rpm and a muzzle velocity of 2,790 ft/sec. Of the types of ammunition used, the ball and armour piercing (AP) were the most effective against aircraft, as on impact the energy of the shell produced red heat igniting any flammable object. Sighting the guns required the use of the GM 2 reflector gun sight, in which a circle of light with a central dot was projected on a glass screen in front of the pilot’s line of sight through the windscreen. A broken line running horizontally across the circle with a break in the middle of the line enabled the pilot to adjust the sight to the wingspan of the target aircraft. With the projected display focused at infinity the pilot would then see when he was in firing range. Therefore it was necessary to recognize the target and to know its wingspan. The distance between the sighting dot, or pipper, and the circular ring represented a 50 mph crossing speed to assist assessing the deflection required in a turn while firing the guns against a manoeuvring target. By 1944 the gyro gun sight replaced the GM 2 reflector sight in later models of the Spitfire. The circular ring became a ring of six diamonds, the diameter being adjustable to the wingspan of the target by a twist grip on the throttle. As the pilot tracked the target with the sighting dot the gyroscope moved the display to provide the deflection angle required. Further developments placed a recording camera on top of the sight to record the display when the guns fired enabling the attack to be assessed. As a result of these developments the gun sight became a formidable object over the instrument panel in line with the pilot’s face and field of view through the windscreen. This presented a considerable hazard during a crash-landing resulting in many injuries to the face and head; and many pilots who survived a crash-landing retained a lasting memento on their faces. The crash-landing procedure advised placing one arm on the gun sight before impact to prevent or help reduce facial and head injuries.

  Further modifications to the Spitfire wing resulted in the clipping of the wing tips for better low-level operation. The reduced wingspan improved the rate of roll with a slight increase in speed from the reduced drag, but poorer manoeuvrability resulted at high altitude. The pilots referred to the low-altitude Spitfire V, introduced to cope with the German high-speed tip and run attacks at low-level, as being ‘Clipped, Cropped and Clapped’. ‘Clipped’ referring to the wings; ‘Cropped’ to the supercharger impeller reduced to provide 18 lb boost; and ‘Clapped’ as a result of the reduced engine life. Our Spitfires at Boulmer were Spitfire Vs with the clipped ‘B’ wing armed with four 0.303 in Browning machine-guns and two 20 mm cannon. The wings had additional hard points for carrying bombs. The dive-bombing phase of our training took place with the air-ground firing on a marshy range some miles up the coast. Dive-bombing involved three attack profiles: attacking from 12,000 feet and releasing the bombs at 8,000 feet; from 8,000 feet and releasing at 4,000 feet; and from 4,000 feet releasing the bombs at 2,000 feet. On one occasion while pulling out of a dive after releasing two bombs at 4,000 feet, the aircraft attempted to pitch-up sufficiently violently to stall the aircraft. A very strong forward pressure on the stick enabled me to ease the aircraft out of the stall into a dive before recovering control at low level without the Spitfire stalling into the ground. It was fortunate for me that I was not on a 4,000 feet to 2,000 feet release dive attack. With the elevator trim wound fully forward and the aircraft vibrating near the stall, I was able to fly back to Boulmer and fly the aircraft on to the runway using the whole length of the strip. It may have been possible to bale out, but the altitude was probably too low and there was a distinct possibility of being hit by the aircraft in the process. The Spitfire’s thin wing design with a low thickness cord ratio enabled the aircraft to attain high speeds in a steep dive, as experienced during dive bomb attacks. It was found that the control cables for the ailerons and elevators could stretch under th
e high G-forces involved. This overstressing on the control cables allowed the ailerons and elevators to float up, causing a violent pitch-up of the aircraft. The introduction of metal ailerons helped cure the aileron instability. Shortly after my experience we lost a pilot when his Spitfire dived vertically into the dive-bombing range. The assumption was the aircraft experienced complete elevator failure: a wag suggested painting a dotted line along the suspected area of the tailplane, as it was a well-known scientific fact that paper never separates along the perforation line! The aircraft recovery crew dug down thirty feet into the marsh to recover the Merlin engine but there was little airframe wreckage left with which to identify the failure. While attending the military funeral for the pilot I wondered what the coffin contained as it descended into the grave. This enigma would return on future occasions.

  The air-ground firing involved both the 0.303 machine-guns and 20 mm cannon. However, for purposes of scoring machine-guns were used as they were more accurate and reliable. The Hispano cannon on the Spitfire V were not reliable due to the drum magazine. If the magazine contained a full load of 60 rounds the spring tension would sometimes jam the feed, and for this reason the armourers often loaded fewer rounds. In the Spitfire IX a belt feed of 120 rounds replaced the drum magazine giving a firing time of 11 seconds. To accommodate the various types of armament the firing button on the stick had a three position pressure switch. Full central pressure on the firing button fired all guns; top pressure on the button fired machine-guns only; and bottom pressure on the button fired the cannon. We carried out air-air firing with both machine-gun and cannon on drogue targets towed several miles out to sea. Again, for scoring and assessment purposes we used machine-guns for scoring the attacks on the drogues with the tips of the rounds painted in various colours for individual identification.

  During one armament sortie on the air-air range a newly arrived pilot officer on the squadron reported a complete engine failure. He announced on his radio that he would glide towards the coast hoping to crash-land on the shore. Other members of the flight escorted him while informing sector control at Newcastle-upon-Tyne of the emergency. The sector controller informed the pilot that the RAF Air-Sea Rescue Service had a high-speed rescue launch from Alnmouth, north of Newcastle, in his area. The pilot continued to talk to the controller as WAAF plotters marked his progress on the sector plotting table. His companions offered advice during his glide to the coast, and when the pilot expressed doubts that he could make the coast advised him to prepare to bale out before he got too low and not to attempt to ditch the Spitfire in the sea. Ditching a single-engine fighter, even under the calmest conditions, was likely to result in the aircraft nosing down into the water. The pilot called he could not open his hood and that it would not jettison. The aircraft was now close to the shoreline and the pilot called he was going to ditch. His last call to the controller was to say, ‘Thanks’; asking him to tell his mother he loved her. We heard later that while listening to his last radio call the girls plotting his position in the control room burst into tears. The Spitfire landed comfortably on a moderate sea and immediately nosed in and disappeared. Later, the pilot recalled that as he went down he could see the water around the cockpit as the Spitfire settled on a sand bank, less than fifty feet below the surface. He had released the radio and oxygen plugs before impact and as the cockpit carried down with it a large air bubble he could breathe as he disconnected his seat and parachute harness, remembering also to release the Mae West attachment to the dinghy. He then stood up and pressed against the hood releasing it and he shot up to the surface in a big bubble of air. After inflating his Mae West he saw the RAF launch heading for him, having seen the Spitfire go into the sea. He was only in the water a short time before taken aboard the launch with no apparent injuries or ill effects from his submersion. After an overnight stay in hospital he returned to the squadron the next day. The squadron CO decided he should visit sector headquarters at Newcastle as a morale booster to the controllers and WAAF plotting girls. As the pilot officer was not only very young but also tall and good looking, his visit was very successful and the WAAF plotters made a great fuss of him.

  A not quite so happy ending resulted from another incident that nearly resulted in serious consequences. While carrying out camera-gun dog fighting the procedure was for each aircraft to take a sighter shot from dead astern of the target aircraft, using a separate camera firing button on the control column. This was necessary in order to align the camera film for calibration. Each aircraft having completed the sighting procedure then established a prescribed separation distance before commencing the dogfight. On this occasion an experienced warrant officer pilot positioned himself astern of his opponent to take his sighter shot. For some reason he thought his camera button was not functioning and decided to use the gun firing button, which normally operated the camera when the guns fired. He assumed the guns were either unloaded or not cocked, and the warrant officer placed the sighting pipper on the tail of the Spitfire fifty yards ahead of him and pressed the firing button. The pilot of the target aircraft reported that when the sighting pilot called in position he saw tracer bullets from the guns pass beneath him as the Spitfire’s guns opened up on him. He broke violently away without sustaining any hits and abandoned the exercise. The following morning the squadron commander assembled all the pilots in the squadron briefing room. He recounted the incident in detail in his usual colourful manner ending with the words, ‘. . . and the stupid bastard missed him!’ He continued his briefing complaining that after all our intense gunnery training and his efforts in driving us hard to ensure that we not only survive against the German fighters but acquit ourselves well against the best of the Luftwaffe, here was a pilot who could not hit an aircraft flying straight and level fifty yards in front of him. He did not intend to take a squadron into action that could not shoot down enemy aircraft and was liable to be shot down in the process of trying. He then turned on the unfortunate warrant officer informing him that he was off the squadron immediately as he was no damn good as a fighter pilot. Furthermore, he was going to personally ensure that he would get plenty of experience of knowing what it was like to be shot at as a permanent towing pilot at a gunnery establishment. I never saw the visibly shaken and embarrassed pilot again so I do not know his fate, but it was certainly a salutary lesson to us all and left us wondering what would have been the CO’s reaction had the pilot shot down the Spitfire, and whether his punishment would have been less severe!

  Our squadron commander, an experienced Canadian fighter pilot, was a very extrovert and unconventional commander. After a few pilots started to do a low level approach with a climbing slow roll over the runway when returning to the airfield, he forbid the practice until we had something to celebrate. He claimed the sole rights to a victory roll as not only the CO but the only one with any German claims. His morning routine after breakfast was to air test his aircraft during which he put on an aerobatics display over the airfield, finishing with a half roll onto his back some fifty feet off the runway and continuing to the end before rolling back and landing. One morning following a mess dining-in night with the usual mess games in which he was always the instigator, he carried out his usual routine. However, on this occasion while flying inverted along the runway he dropped down to maybe less than thirty feet. In recovering to level flight, he did not push the nose up sufficiently before rolling out and his wing tip touched the ground spreading the Spitfire down the runway until it finished in a ball of fire on the airfield boundary. While awaiting the arrival of a new commanding officer I found myself posted south to No. 65 Squadron at Matlaske which I expected to be a Spitfire IX squadron. I enjoyed my stay at Boulmer despite the somewhat Spartan conditions. The squadron, despite its eccentric commander, had a good squadron spirit and was quite independent in its operations. We were firing our guns and dropping bombs every day and I learnt a lot about flying a Spitfire in a fighter-bomber role, and I felt reasonably competent in the role. In fact
I now considered myself to be master of my fate. During my time off at Boulmer the Croquet River nearby provided some excellent trout fishing, with an occasional salmon for the mess; and the local farmers generously offered us some good rough shooting. The small fishing port of Boulmer was within walking distance from the mess, and produced some excellent lobsters, together with marvellous oak smoked kippers. So it was with a sense of regret I packed my kit into my car and headed south.

  During the summer of 1944 the RAF started to build up the numbers of Merlin Mustang squadrons. The Mustang IIIs of 122 Wing, consisting of Nos. 19, 65 and 126 Squadrons that formed the original wing of Merlin Mustangs, withdrew from 2nd TAF (Tactical Air Force) in France back to Fighter Command operating from East Anglia; first at Matlaske and then Andrews Field. Arriving at No. 65 ‘East India’ Squadron I found to my surprise and shock it was a Mustang III squadron. Since joining the RAF my one desire was to fly Spitfires and after a period of two years by dint of good luck I had finally achieved this ambition. I was delighted to be flying the Spitfire, although in the fighter-bomber role, and I was confident with the aircraft and considered myself proficient in low level ground attack. Now without any conversion on type or experience in the role, I found myself on Mustangs. This was typical of the ‘P’ staff at command headquarters who, for reasons best known only to themselves, juggled the names in a numbers game. My impression of the Mustang, not having flown it, was that it was not so easy or so nice to fly as the Spitfire and inferior in performance. That being the case the prospect of tangling with the Bf-109s and FW-190s now looked more daunting. I was to find I was wrong in this impression in several respects, but it took a little time and some anxious moments. In the end I grew to like the Mustang very much and to appreciate some of its superior qualities.