FlyPast 01.2018

74 FLYPAST January 2018

later ‘Red’ section came across a lone

He 111 near Lowestoft and so began

a cat-and-mouse chase in and out of

cloud. The German bomber was last

seen heading out over the North Sea

with one engine smoking.

The squadron played no part in the

action of the famous September 15,

being based within 12 Group’s area of

operations. Local skirmishing was all

well and good but many of the pilots

were disappointed not to be involved

in the heavy combats of that pivotal

day. (The 15th is celebrated as Battle

of Britain Day.)

Until the next phase of the battle

began on October 1, contact with

the enemy was limited. During one

such encounter Sgt D H Ayers was

shot down and killed while chasing

a bandit off the coast at Southwold.

He had baled out but had not been

located after a search and it was not

until the 4th that his body washed

ashore.

On another occasion the Tigers

made an intercept off Great Yarmouth

and although an He 111 was attacked,

it turned tail and headed home,

sporting a few more holes in its

fuselage than it had when it took off.

The same happened on October 5,

although this time it was a Do 17 that

left with a blazing engine after Sneezy

had expended all his ammunition on

it. It was claimed as destroyed.

Tragedy occurred on October 9

when Plt Offs Hastings and Buckland

were killed when they collided during

training. Both Spitfires crashed near

Beccles with one hitting hard ground

and disintegrating, while the other

went into a flat spin and landed upside

down more or less intact. Buckland

was discovered hanging in his straps in

the latter. He had been with 74 for less

than two weeks.

BACK TO THE FRONT

The Germans postponed Operation

Sealion – the invasion of Britain – but

continued to apply the pressure with

fighter and fighter-bomber sweeps.

Number 74’s operations book entry

for October 15 recorded: “...squadron

moved from Coltishall to Biggin

Hill... Should get back into our stride

again.”

1918 2018

“As the New Zealander fl oated earthwards

in a semi-conscious state, a German fi ghter

turned towards him and sent a number of

bullets his way”

1630hrs eight of 74’s Spitfires joined

their stablemates and flew an intercept

over London at 20,000ft.

The plan was for both 19 and 611 to

tackle the fighters while 74 went after

the bombers. A formation consisting

of Ju 88s was soon spotted and a plan

devised to tear into them head on.

Before this could be implemented the

Luftwaffe fighter escort was spotted,

so Malan turned the squadron directly

onto the bombers to make some sort

of attack before inevitably mixing it

with the Bf 109s.

After this clash all of 74’s Spitfires

returned to either Coltishall or

Duxford. Freeborn was the only Tiger

to claim a kill, putting a Dornier into

a field at Dungeness.

CAT AND MOUSE

September 14 saw the Tigers heavily

involved in the fighting, mainly with

raids over East Anglia. The first call

was at 1000hrs when Bf 110s were

intercepted and set on fire.

At 1346hrs during another intercept

just off Great Yarmouth, a Ju 88 was

found and Plt Off Bryan Draper half

rolled onto it and blew its starboard

engine off. He did not see it crash due

to dense cloud.

At 1500hrs there was another

scramble to intercept a raid 5 miles

north of Ipswich. They found only a

solitary intruder, which was attacked,

but could not be ‘confirmed’ as it

dived away into cloud. Half an hour

Above

Crew room of 74

Squadron, 1940. From

the left: Fg Off Szczesny,

Flt Lt J C Mungo-

Park, Flt Lt Freeborn.

WWW.2IMAGES.COM

Right

Flt Lt H M Stephens

chatting to Flt Lt

J C Mungo-Park in

his Spitfi re, 1940.

WWW.2IMAGES.COM

Right centre

A staged view of

74 Squadron pilots

relaxing in their

dispersal hut during in

1940. WWW.2IMAGES.COM