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

  There was little I witnessed in Cyprus during 1956 that impressed me favourably. I found the RAF’s performance hamstrung by staff edicts and its operational achievements negligible. Apart from the problems of the Venom fighter-bombers, who lost one aircraft to ground fire, the night-fighter Meteor squadrons patrolling between Cyprus and Egypt complained of orders that kept the loaded guns uncocked by the armourers. Although there was strong opposition in Britain to the Suez operation, especially from the opposition Labour Party, it was a considerable shock to the RAF when a young pacifist minded Canberra bomber pilot in a formation of Canberras about to take-off from Nicosia to bomb the airfields around Cairo, selected his wheels up on the runway thereby blocking the runway in protest against the British action. Lapses in security enabled a Greek EOKA terrorist to cycle onto the main RAF base at Akrotiri and place an explosive charge disguised as a milk container in a PR Canberra aircraft in a maintenance hanger causing considerable damage. The only organization and formations to impress me were the French Air Force and the two F-84 fighter-bomber squadrons with an FR-84 photo-reconnaissance squadron. The Egyptians flew their Soviet built IL-28 jet bombers 200 miles south of Cairo to Luxor to be out of range of RAF attacks, but the French F-84s flew via Israel to Luxor and destroyed all but two of the bombers parked on the airfield. The French photo-reconnaissance FR-84s following up the attack had their films developed and analysed that evening at Akrotiri and as a result the French F-84 fighter-bombers returned to Luxor the following morning to destroy the remaining IL-28 bombers. This was in marked contrast to the RAF photo reconnaissance Canberras who flew their films back to England for the photographic unit at RAF Benson to assess, before flying the results back to Cyprus. In addition to watching a British military fiasco I also witnessed the Greek EOKA terrorist attacks on the British forces in Cyprus that appeared to have support from some quarters of the British Labour Party. We all carried personal arms while in Cyprus and I rejected the general issue six-shot 0.38 inch service revolver in favour of a 9 mm fifteen-rounds Browning automatic. The main objective if caught in a cross-fire situation was to get off as many shots as possible in the direction of the assailant. To avoid an attack one made sure not to set-up a pattern of movement, and if in a public place to make sure to face the entrance and open area. If any servicemen became involved in a terrorist shoot-out it was unfortunate for them if there were any EOKA survivors because the survivors were brought before the courts, and the British servicemen involved had to be present to give evidence, and thus become a marked target by EOKA. Many service personnel involved in the court proceedings returned to the UK to find that they and their family were targets for letter or parcel bomb attacks. Under the circumstances, although I liked Cyprus very much I was relieved to return to some sanity in Norfolk.

  About one year after my arrival at the Central Fighter Establishment it was decided to form an All-weather Fighter Leader Squadron (AWFLS) operating Meteor NF XII and NF XIV aircraft; and with the Day Fighter Leader Squadron (DFLS) flying Hunter VI aircraft, we became the Fighter Combat Wing (FCW). The two-seat radar-carrying Meteor night-fighters were the current RAF all-weather interceptors and owing to their considerable increase in weight were inferior in performance to the obsolescent Meteor VIII day-fighter. They were nice and comfortable aircraft to fly and if not up to the task of intercepting the current Soviet bomber threat were ideal personal transport at week-ends for flights to the south coast for sailing and crewing during the yachting season. The Meteors were replaced by the RAF’s latest all-weather interceptor fighter, the Gloster Javelin, which although much bigger and heavier than the Hunter had a similar performance. The Javelin two-seat twin-engine all-weather interceptor was the result of Air Ministry Operational Requirement F-4 in 1948 for a transonic all-weather interceptor for the defence of the UK to meet the threat of a Soviet attack at the height of the Cold War.

  Initially, and in a similar manner to the Hunter, the Javelin was plagued by development problems and the aircraft entered RAF service in 1956 to replace the obsolescent Vampire and Meteor all-weather night-fighters. The aircraft was a big leap forward in all-weather interception capability over the subsonic Vampire NF Mk 10, and the Meteor NF XII and NF XIV then flown by the FCW at CFE. The Javelin was a large and heavy aircraft powered initially by two Bristol Siddeley Sapphire turbojets of 8,500 lb.s.t. each; and was the first delta wing fighter in the RAF. The delta wing design was chosen to give stability and low drag at transonic speeds. It allowed the leading edge of the wing to be angled more sharply than a swept wing, thereby reducing drag and delaying the onset of compressibility without sacrificing control surfaces along the trailing edge. However, the modest sweep of 45 degrees and the moderate thickness cord ratio of the large delta wing and delta T-tail restricted the Javelin’s maximum speed to Mach 0.95; comparable to the Hunter. Initially, the aircraft had handling problems at high speed and altitude when the elevator and rudder controls became very heavy. It also inherited the continuing initial problem of British interceptors carrying insufficient internal fuel for its role. The arrival of the Javelin Mk 4 in RAF service in 1957 with an all-moving tailplane, and the power from the Sapphire engines increased to 10,000 lb.s.t. resulted in a much more pleasant aircraft to fly. We now had a more serious contender to meet the Soviet strategic bomber force threat. The Javelin Mk 5 entered service with a modified wing and additional fuel, followed by the Mk 6 with American radar. The armament for these Javelins remained four standard 30 mm Aden cannon.

  The Javelin Mk 7 was the definitive variant of the series with major modifications that included an improved and complicated flight control system incorporating a drooped leading edge wing, pitch autostabiliza-tion, a fully powered hydraulic rudder with yaw stabilization, control dampers, an autopilot for automatic approach and altitude control, in-flight refuelling capability and reheat to the two 11,000 lb.s.t. Sapphire engines. The use of reheat, or after-burning, was standard practice in US fighters from the mid-1950s and normally resulted in an augmentation of thrust by at least 25 per cent, giving the aircraft a considerable increase in performance. In the case of the Javelin Mk 7, Mk 8 and Mk 9 the simplified reheat system on the Sapphire engine increased the thrust by 12 per cent; from 11,000 lb.s.t. to 12,399 lb.s.t. Those of us flying the Javelin at CFE would refer to this augmentation as ‘wee-heat’! Unfortunately, the use of the reheat was restricted in operation to heights above 20,000 feet, otherwise there was a paradoxical loss of thrust from the Sapphire engines. The use of the reheat above 20,000 feet did marginally improve the rate of climb of the Javelin Mk 7 and raised its service ceiling to around 60,000 feet. It also improved the Javelin’s poor high speed and high altitude handling to some extent, but the increased thrust had no effect on the maximum level speed that remained at Mach 0.95. The armament of four 30 mm cannon installed in the wings in previous marks was reduced to two 30 mm cannon built into the fuselage, with the principal armament of four de Havilland Firestreak infra-red heat-seeking air-air missiles mounted under the wings. The Javelin Mk 7 was the first British built interceptor to be re-equipped with air-air homing missiles, and it could now be considered as an effective response to the Soviet bomber threat, allowing an interception out of range of the defensive fire from a Soviet bomber, such as the Tu-16 ‘Badger’. The Javelin Mk 7’s range and endurance capability was further increased by the installation of an extended in-flight refuelling probe.

  By 1959 Fighter Command operated Javelin Mk 8 and Mk 9 aircraft and these aircraft were virtually Mk 7s equipped with either the US built or the British built interception radar respectively. A comparison with the development of the contemporary US Convair F-102 interceptor fighter that also entered service in 1956 in contrast to that of the Javelin is of interest. The Convair F-102 had a 60 degree sweep delta wing with an exceptionally thin cord ratio. It was a single-seat interceptor powered by a single Pratt and Whitney J-57 turbojet of 11,700 lb.s.t. with after-burner, giving the aircraft a true supersonic level maximum sp
eed of Mach 1.25. Three years later, with the later variants of the Javelin entering service, improved developments of the F-102 produced the F-106 powered by a P&W J-75 turbojet of 17,200 lb.s.t. and 24,000 lb.s.t. with after-burner; raising the maximum level speed to Mach 2.3. This aircraft became the principal air defence interceptor of the USAF Air Defence Command. The Javelin equipped fourteen RAF squadrons and remained in service with the RAF until withdrawn from service in 1967. The Gloster company obtained no export orders for the Javelin; and it was the last aircraft to be built by the Gloster Aircraft Company.

  I liked to fly the Javelin in the same way I liked to fly the Canberra; although a big aircraft it was comfortable and easy to fly. From a pilot’s viewpoint the aircraft was entirely what it was intended to be: a weapon carrier for bomber destruction and it would not have fared well in air combat against the current Soviet fighters. The Javelin handled well up to transonic speeds but with its thick delta wing and big delta tail it could not maintain speed through a high G-turn at altitude. During a tight G-turn the induced drag on a delta wing bleeds off energy quickly resulting in a loss of speed. The result of this was that the Javelin acquired the nickname of ‘The Drag Master’. Allied to this was the significant effectiveness of the wing mounted air brakes: these were similar in design but larger than those on the Gloster Meteor, and the Javelin’s air brakes were the most impressive of any aircraft I flew. The Javelin could be rolled on its back at high altitude and pulled through to a vertical dive, and with the air brakes out it stayed vertical under full control without any possibility of exceeding speed limitations. Selecting the air brake out at any speed had the apparent effect of running into a giant sponge, and in this respect the aircraft lived up to its nickname. Unfortunately, the wheel brakes were not as impressive because, for some incomprehensible reason in its development, the aircraft retained the former brake design of its predecessor, the Meteor, with differential wheel braking and no nose-wheel steering; requiring the use of brakes for turning while taxiing.

  My main flying was with the Hunter squadron but in 1958 the wing commander in command of the Fighter Combat Wing left CFE and I took over command of the FCW while awaiting a replacement. As a result my flying on the wing became dependent upon approaching the two squadron commanders to be included in their operations. Despite this I still managed to get some flying on the Javelin Mk 7 before my departure from CFE. My three years spent at CFE were very enjoyable and produced the most variable and interesting flying of my RAF career. There were also ample opportunities for many recreational activities. I did a lot of sailing at week-ends with the RLondonYC at Cowes and the RAFYC at Hamble, and there was some good dinghy sailing to be had near West Raynham along the north Norfolk coast. My interest in shooting continued at CFE with some excellent wildfowl sport on the saltings of The Wash nearby, and some first class pheasant and partridge shooting with a syndicate that had extensive shooting rights in Norfolk.

  There have always been dogs in my life both in my family and the RAF, and my Border Terrier died shortly after my posting to Biggin Hill in 1951. However, a friend stationed in Germany returned to England with a pregnant Long Hair Dachshund and he gave me one of her puppies with the grand Teutonic pedigree of Cassandra von Schleswig-Holstein, and I called her Cassie. This dog formed a closer bond with me than any other dog I have owned and I became aware of her incredible extra sensory perception (ESP). My father had a Border collie that always seemed to know when he was returning home and this dog had this same sense even when I was flying. At Biggin Hill the dog was my constant companion and when I left for Korea my best friend, Douglas Ford, flying with 615 RAuxAF Squadron prevailed upon me to let him keep the dog for me at Biggin Hill. During the year Douglas was promoted and took over command of a squadron in Suffolk. Just before my return to the UK he was killed in a flying accident and his fiancée living in Lancashire took the dog to her home. On my return to the UK I travelled to Lancashire to collect the dog and driving up a long driveway to the house I saw a small brown dog sitting in front of the house. I parked and got out of the car and while still some distance away the dog started to get agitated, then yelping, and as I neared the house it became frenetic. It is known that dogs have remarkable hearing and can differentiate the difference in car engine sounds, but in this particular case I had not seen this dog for a year and my car was unknown to her as it was new.

  During my time at CFE no matter whether I was flying with the Hunter squadron or the Javelin squadron this dachshund demonstrated a degree of ESP that was uncanny. The procedure was always the same: this dog would accompany me from the squadron dispersal across some grass to the edge of the concrete aircraft parking area that she knew was out of bounds to her. Here she would sit and watch as I continued to the aircraft. She remained there until the aircraft taxied out and then she returned to the pilots’ crew room where she occupied her favourite chair on which I had placed an old sheepskin flying jacket of mine, and here she stayed until my imminent return. The duration of the flight was generally about one hour when flying the Hunter and two hours when flying the Javelin. Occasionally, I landed away from base and returned later in the day, however, according to eyewitnesses the dog’s response was the same. She indicated she wished to go out and she returned to where I had left her and waited. This occurred shortly before my aircraft arrived in the circuit. After I landed and parked the aircraft and walked back towards the squadron crew room the dog would recognize my approach from more than normal recognition distance, and start to jump and turn in circles with yelps of joy amounting to almost a dementia of delight as I reached her. This was a regular performance witnessed by the pilots and ground crew on the squadron. Looking for a human explanation, the possibility arises that the dog programmed its memory to the duration of flights based on the aircraft concerned. Such sorties were predictable but not all were routine. Ground crews by their activity could also convey some information to the dog regarding the return of the aircraft, although this would not be significant for a single aircraft flight. Also, there were the occasions when I visited another air base. Any significant engine noise from an individual aircraft although undetectable by human hearing could be distinguished by canine ears. However, I did not always fly the same aircraft which meant that she would have had to memorize the sound of that particular aircraft as I was taking off. On the other hand the dog always appeared to predict my return before it was possible to detect any sound from the aircraft. My only connection with the ground giving a precise indication of my arrival was by radio telephone to the control tower before landing. Whatever the stimulus for this phenomenon the dog’s uncanny accuracy in predicting my return was truly amazing and can only be explained as ESP. Truly, there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

  In 1959 I left Norfolk for France to join the headquarters of Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCENT) under the command of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The headquarters of SHAPE at the time was based in Paris and the respective headquarters of the navy, army and air forces comprising Central Europe were at Fontainebleau 30 miles south of Paris. The commander of AIRCENT at Camp Guynemer was ACM Sir George Mills, ex-CinC RAF Bomber Command, and by an interesting turn of events the general commanding the Operations Division of AIRCENT to which I was attached was General Le Baron Michel Donnet, DFC, Belgian Air Force, who during the war made a famous escape from Belgium by sailing a small boat to England to join the RAF. He was my wing leader on No. 122 Mustang wing at Bentwaters in 1945 when I was with No. 65 Squadron, and he eventually retired as Chief of the Air Staff of the Belgian Air Force. My duties were mainly involved in the Tactical Strike Plan for the targeting and air delivery of tactical nuclear weapons. Fontainebleau was a pleasant small town at the edge of Fontainebleau Forest alongside the River Seine, and famous for its chateau from which Napoleon departed into exile on St. Helena following Waterloo. Living in the BOQ at Camp Guynemer did not appeal to me and I rented a small house
by the river at Samois-sur-Seine, about 5 miles out of Fontainebleau. Samois was an interesting village perched above the river between Melun and Moret, a favoured location of the French Impressionists. With the surrounding forest and overlooking the Seine it was a pleasant place to live. The foundations of the house were very old and consisted of the remains of a Roman bridge crossing the Seine. Because this stretch of the river was shallow the bridge was replaced by locks which allowed large vessels to navigate up river to Dijon.