WORLD WAR TWOWORLD WAR TWO SUPERMARINE SPITFIRESUPERMARINE SPITFIRE
followed a fortnight later by the
pilots. By June 26 flying had begun
at the 31st’s new base, Atcham
in Shropshire [editor’s note: the
author’s father, who was 17 years
old at the time, was part of the team
that installed the station’s approach
and taxi lights].
The Americans had to familiarise
themselves with a new type, crowded
British skies and the notoriously bad
weather. But training went well – the
syllabus including dogfighting and
perfecting gunnery skills. There was
much positive comment about the
Spitfire, primarily that it was easy
to fly. Taxiing was difficult, though,
largely because pilots were used to
the P-39’s tricycle landing gear. As
part of the initial instruction, six
ranking pilots from the 31st were
detached to gain combat experience
with RAF squadrons. At Atcham
the 307th, 308th and 309th Fighter
Squadrons (FSs) began defensive
patrols shepherding convoys along
the English coast and escorting
medium bombers as well as USAAF
B-17 Flying Fortresses.
Lt Merritt Wolf flew one of the
31st FG’s first sorties of the war,
on August 17: “We were allowed to
be in the first B-17 raid across the
Channel. The target was Rouen,
France, and the mission was heavilyescorted by RAF fighter squadrons.”
Captain Harold Thyng and his
wingman from the 309th FS were on
a routine patrol over the Channel,
when they were directed to intercept
a single, fast-moving intruder. It was
an Fw 190 that had just turned back
to the east to find its base, but its
pilot didn’t realise two Mk.Vs were
closing on him from behind, with a
good altitude advantage.
Just before Thyng got within
range, the enemy pilot spotted him
and pushed full throttle. The gap
widened somewhat but the Spitfire
fired a long burst with many hits
recorded, but it was not enough
to bring him down and the ’190
got away. Thyng became the first
American pilot to enter a damage
claim against the Luftwaffe since the
US entered the war.A ROUGH DAY
On August 19 the Spitfires of the
31st helped to support the disastrous
Allied landings at Dieppe, France.
Lt Samuel Junkin of the 309th FS
described his part: “We took off
from Westhampnett [Sussex] for
a rendezvous with RAF 130 and
131 Squadrons. After crossing the
Channel to the Dieppe beachhead,
we were attacked by Fw 190s.
“During the ensuing dogfight I
was able to get into a fight with an
Fw, which I managed to shoot down
before I was subsequently attacked
by a second ’190. I was wounded
in the shoulder and passed out, but
regained consciousness just above
sea level. I climbed up to 1,000ft
where I planned to bale out.
“My canopy was stuck and I was
down to about 600ft before I couldTop left
Lt Merritt Wolfe’s Spitfi re
at Agrigento, Sicily, in- MERRITT WOLFE
Top right
Pilots of the 31st FG prior
to the move to Gibraltar.
Major Harrison Thyng
is third from the right.
HARRISON THYNGAbove
Lt Frank Hill’s fi rst ‘kill’
of the war was a Ju 87
that crashed in friendly
territory. FRANK HILL106 FLYPAST September 2018