exit the aircraft. I was rescued by
an Allied torpedo boat which had
picked up another Spitfire pilot
who had been shot down.”
Lt Col Frank A Hill of the 309th,
call sign Snack Bar recalled they:
“took off from Kenley [Surrey] at
0700 and arrived over the target area
at 10,000ft at our scheduled time.
We, Blue Flight, had split off from
the squadron into a four-ship flight
and took up our patrolling mission
over the Dieppe port and city.
“There were many other friendly
aircraft in the air at all altitudes,
from those just above the invasion
fleet to those well above us with
plenty of flak bursting all around.
In just a few minutes, Mickey
Control [a nearby Allied radar
station] reported a flight of German
fighters coming in from the
Abbeville area a few miles to the
west. The yellow-nosed Fw 190 of
Herman Goring’s elite unit were
high above us.
“They immediately rolled over
and down on us from our rearexit the aircraft. I was rescued by
an Allied torpedo boat which hadAbove left
Pilots of the 31st FG
inspect a newly arrived
Merlin engine in Italy,
during 1944. BILL SKINNERAbove
S/Sgt Vaughn pulls the
booster plug on Lt John
Fawcett’s 309th FS Spitfi re
‘Eleanor’. FLOYD RODMYRELeft
An Italian Macchi MC.202
shot down by a 309th FS
pilot. FLOYD RODMYREBelow
An Fw 190 abandoned at
an Italian base in 1944.
BILL SKINNER“...we made a rapid dive and hit the deck to get away from the battle “...we made a rapid dive and hit the deck to get away from the battle
area. After a few minutes on the deck crossing the Channel we made
“...we made a rapid dive and hit the deck to get away from the battle
area. After a few minutes on the deck crossing the Channel we made
“...we made a rapid dive and hit the deck to get away from the battle
it back to Kenley... It was a rough day in and around Dieppe...”
area. After a few minutes on the deck crossing the Channel we made
it back to Kenley... It was a rough day in and around Dieppe...”
area. After a few minutes on the deck crossing the Channel we made
September 2018 FLYPAST 107