D
uring the halcyon years that
comprised the last part of the
1930s, Croydon Aerodrome outside
of London was an area of bustling
activity as the
popularity of air
travel began to grow
among those that
could afford it. A
variety of airliners
from lumbering
biplanes to
sleek Douglas
transports
could be
foundon the ramp in front of the Art
Deco terminal building as well-
dressed passengers arrived in sleek
automobiles to begin journeys to
the capitals of Europe and areas well
beyond.
All that had changed by the dark
days of August 1942. Britain had been
at war for nearly three years and the
once glamorous terminal building was
now drably camouflaged. In fact, all of
Britain had taken on a somber tone as
industry turned to full war production
and draconian rationing meant the
civil population barely had enough to
eat.
Instead of gleaming
airliners, thefield was now occupied by a variety
of drab warplanes including the new
Mustangs of No. 414 RCAF “Black
Knight” Squadron. The squadron had
gotten their first Mustangs just two
months earlier and had been spending
time transitioning from Curtiss
Tomahawks and Westland Lysanders.
The squadron commanding officer
had given a small group of pilots a
very thorough pre-dawn briefing on
the morning of 19 August regarding
an upcoming mission. The
squadron was to become part
of Operation Jubilee —
a massive raid on the
German-occupied port
of Dieppe in northern
France.70 AIR CLASSICS/August 2022
WHEN THE MUSTANG
WENT TO WAR
THE MUSTANG RECORDS ITS FIRST VICTORY — AND ITS FIRST LOSS - PART FIVE
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
COLOR PROFILES COURTESY OSPREY PUBLICATIONS