Intentionally
left blank
|
Later in the afternoon another recce went out to hunt in the same area; before it
had gone far, however, a heavy fog descended upon Eindhoven and control recalled the formation. Unable to land at base, the eight pilots set down at Volkel, some miles to the north. They had to leave their aircraft there and come home to Eindhoven by truck the next day
"a frigid looking
lot". Early on the 31st
they returned to Volkel and completed their interrupted mission of two days previously. No movement whatever was seen on the ground until near Dorsten they came upon a stationary train composed of a few box cars and some flat cars carrying 88 mm. guns. The locomotive, a gun and several cars were well strafed, to the usual accompaniment of light and heavy flak. The pilots then returned to
Eindhoven and two hours later S/L Crosby led another formation eastward to Munster.
Heavy flak welcomed the Typhoons as they crossed the Reichswald area between the Maas and the Rhine and
once again for the third time in five days FS Propas
intercepted a burst. As the aircraft appeared to be all right
except for some rents in the starboard wing, the pilot pressed on with the formation. A little later F/O Lyal Shaver received a couple of hits in the nose tank and starboard aileron. And a third aircraft was made temporarily u/s on return to base when F/O Mickey Harrison had difficulty getting his
undercarriage down. By the time he worked the wheels into position his fuel ran out just as he was on the cross wind leg of his circuit. Forced landing with wheels down in a field near the aerodrome, Mickey had the
undercarriage torn by a row of trees but pulled off a successful landing on the Tiffie's belly.
|
|
To compensate for three aircraft made unserviceable on one sortie the pilots could claim two damaged locomotives, one of which was pulling a troop train; no estimate could be made of the casualties inflicted on the soldiers, other
than a cautious "numerous shot
up" . Back home at the airfield the last day of 1944 was marked by more buzzbombs and a V.2 (rocket bomb). The latter exploded not far from the
'drome while the airmen were having breakfast and caused a wild scramble for shelter under the tables. Whether there were any other activities, of the more traditional kind, to mark the passing of the Old Year the squadron diarist did not record. Nevertheless the New Year of 1945 was one that the personnel based at B.78 Eindhoven will never forget.
  
Copyright
©1998-2016 Michael T. Melnick. All rights reserved
the
unofficial homepage of  Tiger
Squadron
.
.
|
