had to bale out of L1611; another aircraft,
lown by Plt Off Strang, crash-landed.
Soon after, Vitry became the target of
a devastating attack. As all the available
Hurricanes were taking off, they were
bounced by marauding Bf 109s of II/JG 26.
Two RAF ighters were shot down, although
the pilots survived. Bombing by Dornier Do
17s followed and, as soon as the air cleared,
the surviving Hurricanes – only one from 253- were evacuated to Manston.
By May 19 the Luftwaffe roamed at will
over northern France and, during the morning,
remaining detachments scrambled to defend
Lille/Marcq. Harry Anderson in L1674 led off
B Flight, but as they clawed for height the Bf
109s of I/JG 3 pounced, killing him and Sgt
Gilbert Mackenzie in L1667. The rest escaped
and, in return, Plt Offs Clifton and John
Greenwood both damaged ’109s.
In the mid-afternoon Clifton led an abortive
scramble, and by evening the light had been
reduced to just two serviceable Hurricanes
which, lown by Greenwood and Clifton,
evacuated to Kenley.
Meanwhile, A Flight had mounted patrols
over France from Hawkinge, Kent, during
the afternoon, encountering a large force
of Heinkels near Cambrai. Flt Lt Harris
in N2590 damaged one but was hit and
wounded. He force-landed at Dieppe and
was later evacuated. Plt Off Ratford in L1660
shot down a Heinkel, but was himself then
shot down and killed.
On the 20th, 253 Sqn drew breath,
but on the 21st the Germans reached the
Channel coast. That evening the squadron
sent ive aircraft, led by the OC, Sqn Ldr
Elliott in P3552, on a joint patrol of Arras
with 229 Sqn. Elliott was shot down by Bf
110Cs of II/ZG 26 and became a prisoner of
war. Three days later 253 withdrew to Kirton
in Lindsey, north Lincolnshire, to rebuild and
re-equip. Sqn Ldr David Atcherley became
OC. The squadron had been committed
in France in ‘penny packets’ against
overwhelming odds in a hard and bitter
experience.
Its pilots had nonetheless destroyed
eight enemy aircraft and claimed six
probables – but for the loss of ten
Hurricanes, with three pilots killed, one
wounded and one taken prisoner.BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The squadron’s rebuild continued through
June, during which time Sqn Ldr Tom Gleave
assumed command. On July 21 he led
253 to Turnhouse, near Edinburgh, as part
of 13 Group – which covered the north of
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
There Gleave and his light commanders, Flt
Lts George Brown and William Cambridge,
worked everyone to an operational pitch.
More modern Hurricanes, itted with
variable pitch Rotol propellers, armour and
self-sealing fuel tanks, were now in use. The
unit moved again on August 23 to Prestwick,southwest Scotland, where Sqn Ldr Harold
Starr assumed command, although Tom
Gleave remained with the squadron.
As Luftwaffe attacks on Britain intensiied,
on August 29 Starr led the squadron south
to Kenley and into 11 Group, which faced
the brunt of the attacks in the South East.
The following day a section led by Gleave
scrambled against a large formation of Bf
109s of JG 27. He shot down one near
Faversham, Kent (‘Yellow 12’ of 3 Staffel,
lown by Fw Ernst Arnold), and may have hit
and destroyed three more. But the other three
Hurricanes were shot down near Redhill,
Surrey, with Plt Offs Francis and Jenkins
and Sgt Dickinson killed and George Brown
wounded. It was a brutal introduction to the
Battle of Britain. Dickinson had baled out of
P2946 and was killed by enemy ire while on
his parachute.
On the credit side, Plt Off Greenwood
shot down an He 111 of KG 1 and Plt
Off Wlodzimierz Samolinski – one of an
increasing number of Polish pilots in the RAF,
who was in P3717/SW-P – attacked Bf110C
‘A2+HK’ which crashed at Ponders End, north
London, killing the crew. Samolinski then
attacked a second ’110, killing or injuring the
rear gunner, and Sgt Innes inished it off.
Hurricane P3717 was later converted to a Mk
II as DR348 and shipped to Russia for use on
the Eastern Front. More than 50 years later it
returned to the UK and has been restored to
lying condition.80 Aviation News incorporating Jets December 2018
When irst formed 253 Sqn operated the Battle as interim equipment.
J P B GreenwoodTransferring to ighters in January 1940, 253 Sqn initially lew
Hurricane Mk Is including L1600/SW-P. J P B GreenwoodHurricane Mk I, L1908/SW-B, sits in a dispersal at Northolt in April 1940,
shortly before the squadron was declared operational. D Bell-Salter