Our fuel state showed it was time to go home. The course took us over Lingen where considerable light flak came up from the town and from other isolated gun posts on the outskirts. Over the Zuider Zee, then across the Dutch coast at Ijmuiden and then it was down on the deck all the way across the North Sea. We made landfall at Great Yarmouth some thirty minutes later and touched down on Coltishall’s runway at 01.15. Despite attention from the German flak, my Mossie sustained no hits nor, for that matter, did any of the other Ranger aircraft that night. Thus ended my first taste of the real action. There was no great feeling of elation, just relief that it had gone off well and being pleased at having a crack at the Hun on his home ground. The four 20mm cannon in our Mosquitoes were each loaded with 250 rounds of a mixture of HE [High Explosive], incendiary, ball and armour-piercing rounds. Although, of course, the four. 303in Browning machine guns were also available, I had used only the cannon on this sortie as they were the more effective for these strafing runs. The two trains we attacked had been given a combined dose of 340 rounds.
Later that day it was back to Church Fenton and a routine of NFTs and defensive night patrols for the next three weeks but Jerry didn’t bother us much. Then the moon and weather became ideal for more Ranger activity so we could get to grips with the enemy once again.
On May 15th the defensive patrols were still having no luck, although both friendly and hostile contacts were being chased. Meanwhile, Mike and I were destined to be in the thick of the action again when we took off from our forward base at Coltishall at 23.10 to seek out more transportation targets on what was designated Long Ranger Route No 1.
A large convoy of ships was seen off Vlieland and I overflew them in a diving turn without stirring up a nasty greeting, before crossing the Dutch coast a few minutes later. We reached the familiar pin point at Makkum then headed for the Diepholtz area where I orbited the airfield looking for trade. After stooging around for ten minutes without any sign of life, Mike spotted a train entering the town from the south. I peeled off into a shallow dive from abeam and raked it with a three-second burst of cannon fire, breaking off at 500 feet with strikes being seen all over the coaches. It was essential for Mike to keep calling out the altitude during the diving attacks as it was quite impossible to concentrate on the gunsight and the target and watch our height all at the same time, for one could become quite mesmerised by the kaleidoscope of dials, flashes and explosions.
Turning away now towards Steinhuder Lake, lights could be seen at Lengenhagen aerodrome on the outskirts of Hanover but we were out of luck, for no aeroplane activity could be detected there. Two searchlights probed the sky from Burgdorf aerodrome in an effort to catch us but they did not illuminate our aircraft. Shortly after this, two trains were sighted near Gifhorn and I hammered both these one after the other in beam attacks using raking three-second bursts from the cannon only. Several strikes were observed on both locomotives and after the second pass, the sky was lit up by a satisfying red glow as we left them behind.
We pressed on towards Gardelegen airfield, only seventy miles short of Berlin and en route, surprised another train west of Fallersleben. I made two runs on this one, firing a short burst on the first pass from astern then whipping hard round and pouring a longer burst from all eight guns along the whole length of the train, watching the cannon shells hitting the coaches and loco on each pass. During the second attack there was moderate but accurate light flak coming at us from the nearby town, so we sheered off and set course for Salzwedel airfield. A few minutes later, yet another train was spotted near Wieren and I made two head-on attacks with the cannon, producing strikes on the locomotive both times.
Now we turned north in the general direction of Hamburg. A couple of minutes after passing over Ulzen a train hove into view at outside Unterlutz. I made a run in from astern this time, giving it a three-second burst from the machine guns only and I hung on so long in the dive that the Mossie was almost skimming the rear end of the train by the time I hauled the nose up. Good hits were seen on the leading coaches and the loco.
After this last attack the windscreen of the Mosquito misted over on the outside, which made navigation difficult so, since our ammo was just about finished, Mike gave me a course for base via the Zuider Zee at Aarderwijk and the Dutch coast at Ijmuiden. The return was uneventful and we touched down at Coltishall at 03.20 to claim in our four-hour sortie five locomotives and an unknown quantity of coaches on which I had expended 700 rounds of 20mm and 1,000 rounds of. 303in ammo. Two other Ranger crews also claimed a further four trains between them but No 25 Squadron’s two Intruder sorties to the Soesterberg and Deelen airfield areas each drew a blank. On the whole it had been a productive night though and I slept the sleep of the exhausted.
Four nights later Mike and I were off again, this time allocated to Ranger Route No 19. We were second away, after Fg Off Davies who went to the Drentewede area. Keeping low over the North Sea, then climbing to 4,500 feet to cross the coast at Terschelling at midnight, Mike gave me a course for Assen, Aschendorf, Syke and Drackenburg and skirting round the hot spot of Bremen. Searching in a north-east direction we sighted a train a few miles east of Visselhovede and I immediately dived at it head-on, letting go with a three-second burst of cannon. This hit the locomotive which promptly rolled to a stop emitting lovely dense clouds of smoke and steam. One down! We turned away for Soltau then headed east to Ulzen, attacking a southbound train near Bevensen. This loco was hammered with cannon fire and it, too, was left stationary, in clouds of steam lit up by a dull red glow.
We took time now to patrol up and down the Ulzen to Hannover railway line looking for ‘trade’. Our luck was in since, before long, we were rewarded by the sight of no fewer than three trains near Celle. No time to dither. I hit the first loco with cannon fire in a head-on attack and the second, a few miles behind it and travelling in the same direction, was given the same treatment. Quickly hauling the Mossie round in a tight turn I overtook the third train from astern and raked its whole length with a four-second burst from the combined fire power of the cannon and Brownings. This loco was hit and ground to a halt, erupting in large clouds of steam and smoke.
This area was proving very fruitful as yet another train was observed five miles away puffing serenely towards Celle. I dived on this one from head-on, firing at it with machine guns only and hits seemed to pepper the loco and set fire to some of the coaches, which were burning furiously as the train came to a halt.
Having stirred up a hornet’s nest Mike, always on top of our position, gave me a course to steer for base. As we flew over Steinhuder Lake, sadly low on fuel and ammunition, some ten miles or so to the north could be seen what appeared to be an aerodrome with signs of a visual Lorenz lighting system. However, keeping on track we came across another train on the outskirts of Lemforde and with some ammunition to spare it was too good a target to overlook. I dived straight at it and let fly a concentrated burst with the remaining Browning ammo, which produced the usual clouds of steam and a satisfying red glow. Time to go home.
The rest of the flight back had to be by dead reckoning as the compass packed up after the last attack. We must have wandered off course a bit near Utrecht because the aircraft was suddenly coned by about twelve searchlights. They held us for a couple of minutes before I could throw them off with violent evasive action. The lights were followed up by a barrage of intense and pretty accurate light flak but we emerged unscathed. Ten minutes later, as we crossed the Dutch coast, we were picked up by two more searchlights on the island of Overflakee. They held us for about a minute and it was only by more violent manoeuvres and then diving full pelt to the deck that they were shaken off. I kept down low over the North Sea and we landed at Coltishall at 03.35 after another four hours of working up quite a sweat. This time our claim was for seven locomotives and an unknown number of coaches set on fire. [Seven locos by one crew in one night sortie was a squadron record and remained unbeaten by any squadron.]
Wing Comm
ander Simon Maude – squadron CO since March – was one of the other Ranger crews that night. He had been busy in the Bremen area, claiming one train and starting fires in a factory and rail yard during his sortie. In contrast, Sqn Ldr Brinsden saw no activity whatsoever and his description of his own sortie was highly original, in that he became the first pilot to complain of boredom on a Ranger operation!
During the next few days the weather remained warm and although visibility decreased and Ranger operations were cancelled, the full night defensive programme was still flown every night and Mike and I were detailed to do our share of this. We actually got a bit of excitement on the 23rd when, flying DZ655, we were vectored onto a contact and pursued a retreating Hun two thirds of the way to Holland but sadly were unable to bring him into range.
Things remained quiet until June 4th when orders were received for three crews and aircraft to be despatched for special duties at RAF Predannack in Cornwall. This mysterious project captured everyone’s imagination and the crews selected were mine, Flt Lt Joe Singleton with Fg Off Geoff Haslam (Nav) and Fg Off Jimmy Wootton with Plt Off John Dymock (Nav). That same day was spent in preparing ourselves and our aircraft to leave but rain and low cloud prevented departure.
Much of the following day was spent swinging the compasses and re-harmonising the guns of DZ688, DZ685 and DD757 (my aircraft), the Mosquitoes assigned to the Predannack operation. These aircraft were from among those employed on the Ranger operations so they had had the AI equipment removed and a Gee navigation aid installed. By teatime on the 5th the wind had freshened somewhat and the clouds had lifted sufficiently to allow us to embark on our detachment to No 264 Squadron’s base.
It was made clear on our arrival at Predannack that the main task of these composite squadron operations, code-named Instep, is to patrol the Bay of Biscay in an attempt to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft – notably Junkers Ju 88s – that were interfering with Coastal Command’s anti-submarine patrols. No time was lost and we began operations immediately. At 18.00 in the evening of June 7th Joe Singleton with his navigator Geoff Haslam and me with Mike, took off in company with two other Mossies from the Australian No 456 Squadron and headed south across the wide open spaces of the Bay of Biscay.
It was strange flying over an expanse of sea, out of sight of land for so long, heading ever further south towards the north coast of Spain. After an uneventful flight in loose formation we turned at the end of the patrol line at latitude 46.00N, longitude 04.15W. Coming round onto the northerly heading I spotted a smudge of smoke to starboard and reported it to Joe who was formation leader. Course was altered and our formation came up with a fishing vessel that was identified as a French trawler named Tadorne. We had been briefed to watch out for such ships, as they were suspected of passing on information about Coastal Command aircraft to the Ju 88 squadrons. Since all fishing vessels had been warned by leaflet drops to keep out of the area Joe had no hesitation in going in to attack.
DH Mosquito NFII, DD739, of No 456 Squadron as used on Instep patrols in 1943 with AI Mk V radar removed from the nose, but wing antennae retained. (J. Cheney Collection)
Ordering me and one of the 456 boys to orbit as top cover, Joe told Plt Off John Newell (with Nav Flt Sgt Allen Keating) of 456 to go line astern and follow him down to attack. They each carried out two strafing runs on the vessel and hits were registered all over the centre of the target, which stopped dead in the water, on fire and with clouds of smoke and steam billowing from it. We reformed on Joe’s aircraft and returned to Predannack without further incident. [Research later revealed that the Vichy vessel Tadorne operated from La Rochelle and was pressed into German navy service as UJ–2218 in the role of an armed auxiliary sub-hunter. The attack took place 110 nautical miles west of La Pallice, during which the trawler was badly damaged with casualties of three dead and five injured, but despite this damage the vessel managed to return to La Rochelle.]
There was yet more excitement a couple of days later when I was part of a patrol that made contact with five Ju 88 long-range fighters over the Bay. In the ensuing fracas, one Ju 88 was destroyed by Joe Singleton: the first ‘kill’ by a No 25 Squadron Mosquito.
Our patrol of six Mosquitoes, led by Joe, took off from Predannack during the afternoon of June 11th. Jimmy Wootton was flying as No 2; I was No 3 and three of the 456 crews made up the second section. Shortly after takeoff, Flt Lt Gordon Panitz (with Nav Fg Off Richard Williams) of 456 had to break away and return to base with engine trouble, while the rest of us continued on our way in a loose vic formation at sea level. When nearing the end of the outward leg, about 130 miles off the north-west tip of Spain, Jimmy spotted a formation of five Ju 88s through the broken cloud. They were flying in loose echelon at 5,000 feet almost directly above us. Well, this was what we had come for!
Immediately, Joe ordered our formation to close up and started a climb up-sun of the enemy. He called for Jimmy Wootton (25) and John Newell (456) to stay with him and for me to take Flt Sgt Richardson (456) and operate as a separate section and keep an eye out for the Ju 88s’ top cover element. However, at this point my radio decided to pack up so, although Richardson closed up on me, we were unable to make contact with the enemy before the Ju 88s broke off the engagement. When we reached base again, Joe told me what happened.
He said his section was seen by the enemy early in the climb to get up-sun. The 88s started a climbing orbit in loose line astern, firing off a burst of red star flares as they did so. Joe replied by firing off his own Very pistol in the hope of adding to the confusion and gain time to claw more height. Both formations tried to turn up-sun of each other and when the enemy aircraft were about 2,000 feet above, he gave the order to break formation and for everyone to choose their own target. Several of the enemy opened fire and Joe, selecting the rearmost, turned inside it and opened fire with a full deflection shot from 800 yards range. The burst hit the Ju’s port engine and thick smoke poured out. Further bursts of cannon brought even more flames and smoke and the enemy aircraft turned slowly over onto its back and dived into the sea, where a large oil patch marked its entry. Jimmy Wootton and John Newell between them claimed three more as damaged before they hightailed it off home.
The next day, officialdom caught up with Joe Singleton. He was declared ‘tour expired’ and returned with Geoff Haslam in DD757 to Church Fenton where they received a great welcome as a result of their success. They were replaced at Predannack by ‘B’ flight commander, Flt Lt Baillie and his navigator, Plt Off Burrow in Mosquito DD738.
Map of the Biscay area in which Instep patrols, involving Jack Cheney, were flown, June 1943. (Author)
It was on 13 June 1943 that disaster overtook Jack Cheney and the following entry from No 25 Squadron Operations Record Book (Form 540) reveals what happened:
Late today unpleasant news was received from Predannack. Two crews, Fg Off J.E. Wootton with his navigator Plt Off J.M. Dymock and Fg Off J. Cheney with his navigator Plt Off J.K. Mycock, are reported missing following an engagement while patrolling over the Bay of Biscay. Four Mosquitoes, piloted by Flt Lt Baillie, Fg Offs Wootton and Cheney and Fg Off Reg Harris from the Canadian No 410 Squadron were airborne at 12.59 on a composite Instep patrol.
During the patrol four Ju 88s were sighted at 7,000 feet. There was patchy cloud at 5,000 feet and a thin continuous layer at 8,000 feet and when spotted, the enemy aircraft broke formation and climbed into the higher cloud. Flt Lt Baillie followed but lost sight of the enemy. On coming down out of the higher cloud he saw one of his section below and soon afterwards saw the other two at sea level. Some little time later he saw all three Mosquitoes well ahead of him but was unable to catch up. He did not want to break radio silence for them to rejoin and he soon lost them from sight. Flt Lt Baillie returned to Predannack, landing at 17.50.
Between 17.10 and 17.25, Fg Off Jimmy Wootton was heard calling for an emergency homing to Predannack and a further transmission from one of the missing aircraft stated they were being chas
ed by Focke Wulf Fw 190s.
These three aircraft, DZ688, ‘V’ [Cheney – in which Jack had made his first Mosquito flight]; DZ685, ‘J’ [Wootton] and DZ753 [Fg Off Reg Harris and Sgt Edward Skeel of 410 Squadron], failed to return and no other details are known of their fate. It would seem that there is little hope of their survival and that the squadron must necessarily face the loss of two very capable crews and four officers for whom we hold a high regard.
Postscript
It is believed that the enemy aircraft first encountered were Ju 88C–6s of FlFu Atlantik (a German naval Luftflotte), V/KG40, commanded by Major Alfred Hemm. Gruppe HQ was at Kerlin near Lorient and Staffeln were dispersed at Mérignac and Cognac airfields, regularly carrying out sweeps over the Bay of Biscay out to longitude 10W and occasionally to 15W. The Ju 88s carried a crew of three and were armed with a battery of three 7.9mm machine guns and three 20mm cannon fixed to fire forward and located under the cockpit. These guns were under the control of the pilot while the navigator and radio operator each had access to 7.9mm machine guns free-mounted to cover attacks on the rear of the aircraft. The Junkers were heavier, slower and less agile than the Mosquito, but the Junkers could out-dive a Mosquito and since the German formations operated with a couple of Ju 88s acting as spotters flying above the main group, the Mosquito crews had to be careful not to get caught by a ‘spotter’ section diving down on them.
The Instep Mosquitoes from Predannack usually took a dogleg course around the Brest peninsula and maintained strict radio silence for as long as possible. It needed only a short transmission for the enemy to gain a fix and alert his own single-seat fighters, who would be waiting to pounce when the Mosquitoes came within range. On this last patrol the outward leg would be made at sea level, flying for economy, but once the enemy had been spotted, precious fuel would be consumed rapidly during combat manoeuvring. After over four and a half hours in the air, low on fuel and apparently unsure of their position after the brush with the Ju 88s, these pilots may have been flying perilously close to the Brest peninsula on that return leg.
They Spread Their Wings Page 8