FlyPast 01.2018

72 FLYPAST January 2018

I could not care about the R/T,

always off, only looking in the

sky when airborne for Hitler’s

swastikas.”

If Szczesny’s narrative seems a

little familiar, it may be that this

mentality from the Polish pilots was

nicely highlighted with a touch of

humour in the 1969 film Battle of

Britain.

NEW BOSS

On August 8, the CO, Sqn Ldr

Laurie White, was posted to HQ

Fighter Command and Malan was

promoted to lead the squadron. It was

not long before he was put to the test.

Three days later there was a change

in the Luftwaffe’s tactics with attacks

switched from Channel shipping to

the airfields of 11 Group.

At 0749hrs the Tigers were

scrambled from Manston on the first

of at least four combat sorties that day.

1918 2018

Above

Recovering Fred Eley’s

body from Folkestone

harbour. VIA AUTHOR

Right

Sgt Fred Eley, killed in

Spitfi re P9398 on July

31, 1940. VIA AUTHOR

Below, left to right

Flt Sgt Tony Mould

perches on the trailing

edge of 74 Squadron

Spitfi re IIA P8388 ‘Black

Vanities’ at Gravesend

in 1941. VIA AUTHOR

Sqn Ldr ‘Droguer’

White, 74’s CO up until

August 1940. VIA AUTHOR

‘Sailor’ Malan with his

dog, Peter, and Plt Off

Harbourne Stephen

behind. VIA AUTHOR

Twelve Spitfires rushed to climb

to the designated 20,000ft over

Dover where they surprised eight

’109s.

Malan’s combat report takes up

the story: “I was Dysoe Leader,

[Dysoe was the squadron

callsign] when we set off to

intercept ‘bandits’ approaching

Dover at a reported height of

13,000ft. I climbed to 20,000ft

and then turned down sun

towards Dover. I ordered the

squadron to attack.

“Some of the enemy adopted the

usual German fighter evasive tactics,

i.e. a quick half roll and dive. On this

occasion, as the air seemed clear, I

followed one down and overtook him

after he had dived 2,000ft, opening

fire at 200 yards range with some

deflection.

“He levelled out at about 12,000ft

when I gave him a two-second

“Some of the enemy adopted the

burst when he suddenly burst into

flames and was obscured by heavy

smoke. This was now at 4,000ft one

mile north of Cap Gris Nez. I did

not watch him go in but flew back

as quickly as I could. I did not see

the engagements of the rest of the

squadron.

“I have strongly advised pilots in

the squadron not to follow ’109s on

the half roll and dive because in most

cases we are outnumbered and there

is generally at least one layer of enemy

fighters some thousands of feet above.

It was found that even at high altitude

there was no difficulty in overtaking

an enemy on the dive apart from the

physical strain imposed on the human

body when pulling out.”

Not only was the strain on the pilot

hard but the strain on the aircraft was

also very evident. After one particular