sent out an SOS. The remainder of
the crew waited calmly.
Without circling Thorney Island,
Barron prepared to land immediately.
The Stirling’s four engines were still
roaring when the giant tyres touched
the runway and spurted blue smoke.
But before the aircraft was halfway
across the field, three of the four cut
out abruptly. The flight had lasted
9hrs 10mins – Barron’s longest yet.
PERILS OF ICING
On July 28/29, 1942, Barron took
off on his 44th ‘op’, a major raid on
Hamburg, the second against the
city in just three nights. The force
comprised 256 aircraft, 71 of which
were Stirlings.
Barron’s aircraft R9304, U for
Uncle, suffered severe icing, forcing
him to abandon the operation
near Hamburg. Lacking de-icing
equipment, the Stirling did not have
the power to climb above the bad
weather.
His was one of 34 crews that turned
back. Most crews experienced icing,
with only 68 aircraft claiming to hit
the target area. The raid produced
poor results and losses were heavy –
30 bombers did not return.
Barron wrote: “We were in the
air for five hours and didn’t see the
ground from the time we took off
until we got back, as we were in
cloud all the time. We were very
disappointed at having to turn back
as we had nearly reached the target,
but our aircraft was icing up so badly
that all our windows were iced over,
and one chunk of ice broke our
astrodome. It was the worst night I
have ever been out in.”
After a spell as an instructor at 1651
Conversion Unit, Waterbeach. near
Cambridge, Barron was determined
to return to ‘ops’. He joined 7
Squadron, also on Stirlings, at nearby
Oakington.
Barron’s target was Turin on his
55th ‘op’, on December 11/12, 1942,
when 82 aircraft were dispatched.
However, because severe icing
conditions prevented many of them
from gaining altitude over France,
more than half turned back before
attempting to cross the Alps. Cloud
tops were reported at 25,000ft
(7,620m).
Just three 7 Squadron Stirlings set
off from Oakington: only Barron’s
and one other crew made it to Turin.
Barron: “It was a filthy night. We
decided to fly below the weather as
long as we could, and then to climb
quickly to get over the Alps and to
rely on Coldwell’s navigation.
“Everything worked well, and we
waited until Coldwell said, ‘All right- come down.’ We came down, all
the crew holding their breath and
praying that we weren’t going to hit
a mountain, and then suddenly we
saw that we were just 20 miles north
of Turin.”
It was exceptional navigation by Flt
Sgt Bob Coldwell. Barron’s logbook
entry stated: “Very bad weather
throughout. Also icing. Crossed
Alps blind. Broke cloud at target and
identified town.”
In an interview at the time, Barron
remarked: “We were surprised by the
stiff opposition that we encountered,
and hearing flak exploding
uncomfortably near us. We flew right
across the town and then circled
and returned to drop our flares and
bombs.”
Just then, eight searchlights caught
Barron’s Stirling in a cone for five
minutes. However, it was their lucky
night and they managed to get away.
The other 7 Squadron Stirling that
made it to Turin was spotted by
Barron’s crew over the target before
it was shot down. [This was Flt Lt W
T Christie’s BF379 – he was killed,
but the rest of the crew were taken
prisoner - ED.]EVASIVE ACTION
For his 56th ‘op’, December 21/22,
1942, Barron’s target was the distant
Munich, a flight of 7hrs 50mins.
Twelve aircraft were lost out of 137.
About 110 crews claimed to have hit
Munich and started fires, but their
photographs showed that all or most
of the bombs fell in open country,
possibly fooled by a decoy.
Barron wrote: “10/10 cloud at
target. Load dropped on DR [dead-
reckoning] from pinpoint.”
The raid was an unforgettable one
for Barron and his crew, as they were
pounced on by enemy fighters soon
after leaving the target.
A newspaper reported: “The rear
gunner sighted a Messerschmitt off
to the port side and gave it a burst.
Then [an hour later] the second“We were surprised by the stiff opposition that we encountered,
and hearing fl ak exploding uncomfortably near us. We fl ew right
across the town and then circled and returned to drop our fl ares
and bombs”Above left
A Stirling being bombed
up. The bomb bay
was split into three
narrow compartments
making it unsuitable
for larger bombs such
as the 4,000-pounder.
The wing root cells
are being loaded with
250-pounders.Above
Barron and his crew
alongside Stirling N6044.
Left to right: Larry, rear
gunner; Fraser, skipper;
Shep, 2nd pilot; Jacko,
engineer; Bill, wireless
operator; Vie, navigator.
Absent: Jack, mid-upper
gunner and Sam, front
gunner. Larry is holding
up his lucky rabbit’s foot,
which he claimed brought
them home from each
raid.February 2018 FLYPAST 31