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    Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition]
    Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition]
    Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition]
    Ebook351 pages2 hours

    Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition]

    By Squadron Leader B. J. Ellan

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    About this ebook

    Includes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos.

    The title of this book no doubt tells you what it is about. The name “Spitfire” first became a household word during the “Blitz” of last year, but before this these wonderful aircraft had given us valiant service at Dunkirk.

    In this book I have set down the experiences of a pilot in a fighter squadron—myself. I have been with the squadron since the beginning of the war, first as a flight commander and later as C.O., and I never wish to meet a grander bunch of blokes. We went all through Dunkirk and the “Blitz” which followed a couple of months later, and in telling my story I have tried to answer the question of the man in the street: “What is it like up there?” and to give you an idea of what a fighter pilot feels and thinks as he fights up there in the blue.—From Author’s Preface

    The anonymous writer of this excellent memoir of the Battle of Britain was in fact Squadron Leader Brian “Sandy” Lane, an exceptional pilot and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTannenberg Publishing
    Release dateNov 6, 2015
    ISBN9781786257529
    Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition]
    Author

    Squadron Leader B. J. Ellan

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      Book preview

      Spitfire! The Experiences Of A Fighter Pilot [Illustrated Edition] - Squadron Leader B. J. Ellan

      SPITFIRE!:

      THE EXPERIENCES OF A FIGHTER PILOT

      BY

      SQUADRON-LEADER B. J. ELLAN

      This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 1942 under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2015, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 5

      AUTHOR’S NOTE 19

      HOW TO SHOOT A LINE 20

      PUBLISHER’S NOTE 22

      CHAPTER I—LUCK 23

      CHAPTER II—FIRST BLOOD 26

      CHAPTER III—DUNKIRK—FIRST PATROL 29

      CHAPTER IV—MORE PATROLS 33

      CHAPTER V—FIRST WING PATROL 37

      CHAPTER VI—DAWN PATROL 40

      CHAPTER VII—DUNKIRK—THE LAST PATROLS 43

      CHAPTER VIII—NOCTURNE MILITAIRE 47

      CHAPTER IX—A FLIGHT HAS SOME LUCK 52

      CHAPTER X—A QUESTION OF AMMUNITION 55

      CHAPTER XI—SAD PROMOTION 58

      CHAPTER XII—DER TAG! 62

      CHAPTER XIII—OUT OF CONTROL 67

      CHAPTER XIV—QUIET DAYS 70

      CHAPTER XV—THE DAY’S WORK 74

      CHAPTER XVI—IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT 77

      CHAPTER XVII—MORE MOONLIGHT 81

      CHAPTER XVIII—ALMOST LIKE OLD TIMES 84

      CONCLUSION 87

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 88

      AERIAL WARFARE IN EUROPE DURING WORLD WAR II 89

      The Battle of Britain 89

      Three of the Few - Flt. Lt. D. M. Crook, Sqd.-Ldr. Brian Lane, Pilot Officer Arthur G. Donahue 117

      The Luftwaffe 159

      Air War Over The Reich 168

      The American Army Air Force in Europe 224

      The Air War At Sea 252

      Airpower over Nazi Dominated Europe 278

      LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

      The Author—Photo: Howard Coster, F.R.S.A.

      Spitfire amongst the clouds—Photo: Charles E. Brown

      Spitfire in flight over coast—Photo: Charles E. Brown

      *My trusty steed

      *At the time of Munich

      *A and B Flight

      A Heinkel 111 / A Messerschmitt 109E—Photos The Aeroplane

      Junkers (dive-bomber) 87 / Junkers 88—Photos: The Aeroplane

      A Dornier 215—Photo: Wide World

      German fighter planes over France, photographed from the Squadron-Commander’s plane—Photo: The Aeroplane

      *Part of a large formation of Heinkel 111’s, photographed with a fighter’s camera gun

      German plane crashing in aerial combat round coastal balloon barrage—Photo: Planet News Ltd.

      A parachute descent—Photo: Sport and General

      *Hurricanes followed by Spitfires climbing to intercept Condensation trails from hundreds of German planes in a daylight raid—Photo: Topical Press

      *A Dornier taken at close range in combat

      *Five Heinkel 111’ s. That on right has its port engine on fire

      Spitfire fly—Photo: Charles E. Brown

      *Flight-Sergeant S.—, Author, Wilf and Dolly

      *Sgt. J——, Author, Flash, Grumpy, F/Lt. Mac., Rangy, S/L. B——, Frankie (on wing), and Uncle Sam

      *Spitfires on night patrol

      *British Official Photograph. Crown Copyright Reserved.

      AUTHOR’S NOTE

      THE title of this book no doubt tells you what it is about. The name Spitfire first became a household word during the Blitz of last year, but before this these wonderful aircraft had given us valiant service at Dunkirk.

      In this book I have set down the experiences of a pilot in a fighter squadron—myself. I have been with the squadron since the beginning of the war, first as a flight commander and later as C.O., and I never wish to meet a grander bunch of blokes. We went all through Dunkirk and the Blitz which followed a couple of months later, and in telling my story I have tried to answer the question of the man in the street: What is it like up there? and to give you an idea of what a fighter pilot feels and thinks as he fights up there in the blue.

      To any members of the squadron who may read this book, I hope I have not left out any of their pet exploits, but if I have I hope they will bear with me and remember that I have had to write in odd moments after release, etc., and under the difficulty of carrying on with the job in hand at the same time.

      So few, Mr. Churchill said—but no debt here as he would have you believe; rather few so lucky to be able to get on with the job whilst less fortunate folk looked on and awaited their chance. I think he was really referring to our mess bills, anyway!

      In conclusion, I should like to pay tribute to the men who design and build our fighting aircraft. Our successes are their successes, for it is they who have placed in our hands the finest aircraft and equipment in the world. To them we owe a special debt of gratitude.

      HOW TO SHOOT A LINE

      SHOOTING a line doesn’t necessarily refer to shooting Huns, although sometimes it is much the same thing! By writing this book I am shooting a line, in other words; talking about myself, and what I have done. Usually, however, a line is a semi-deliberate exaggeration of a humorous nature—a tall story about yourself; if you like. If you write a book or get your name in the paper that is a ginormous line, the strange word being evolved from gigantic and enormous.

      Some people shoot lines unconsciously all the time, that is, they swank, and everybody soon becomes browned off with them, i.e., fed up. The lad who swanks is looked upon as a poor type, whilst a popular chap is a good type. There is a lot more general slang, but I won’t trouble you with it since you won’t find it in the chapters which follow. Instead, I’ll deal with the technical terms which may prove difficult to understand.

      First take the aerodrome. This is occasionally referred to as the drome, but more usually as the deck. Deck also means terra firma in general. As opposed to dry land, the sea is called the drink.

      The correct term for an aeroplane is an aircraft, or in slang a kite. To run over the kite, first let’s take the undercarriage, invariably referred to as the undercart. Then there are the flaps, which are hinged portions of the wing near the trailing (rear) edge, which act as air brakes and reduce the landing speed of the aircraft.

      An aircraft stalls when it has insufficient forward speed for the wings to maintain their lift. If you skim a flat stone over the water, it skims until its speed drops and then sinks or stalls. It is very much the same with an aircraft. The flaps reduce the stalling speed. For instance, a Spitfire stalls with flaps up at 69 m.p.h., and with flaps down at 63 m.p.h. Not an awful lot of difference, you may think, but it makes a world of difference in landing, and you would never get into a small aerodrome if you didn’t use the flaps.

      I have used the word wings several times above, but the technical term is mainplanes, as opposed to the tailplane. The cockpit is called the office, and the control column just the stick. Rudder bias refers to the trimming tab on the rudder. By winding the bias control one way or the other moves the tab and gives port or starboard bias. The elevators on the tailplane have a similar device on them. These are necessary, as the trim of an aircraft varies with its speed and altitude. The trimmers relieve the pilot of the strain of pressing on the stick or rudder bar all the time.

      Another thing you’ll find in the office is the R/ T control. R/ T is the wireless equipment, consisting of a transmitter and receiver with a three-way switch control, Transmit—Off—Receive.

      Now let’s take off. Once airborne, i.e., off the ground, you retract the undercart, shut the lid, i.e., close the hood, and put the prop or fan into coarse pitch, which on an aircraft is much the same thing as changing gear on a car. (By the way, the prop is never called a propeller. The correct term is airscrew if you don’t use the slang words.)

      Now supposing you meet some Huns and manage to get on the tail of one of them. If he isn’t a very experienced pilot, or if the machine is not very manoeuvrable or well-armed, he is easy meat or cold meat. You press the firing button and give him a squirt.-

      If you are unlucky enough to get shot down yourself, you bate out, step out, or take to the silk. If you land in the drink you are wearing a Mae West, which is a lifesaving waistcoat which gives you curves in the right places! A parachute is called a brolly or a jumpsack.

      Well, now you know, and if I were to say that I nearly lost my prop today, I wouldn’t mean that it fell off, but that I nearly stalled (stopped) the engine, which would have been a bad show, wouldn’t it?

      PUBLISHER’S NOTE

      The proofs of this book had to be passed for press subsequent to the Author’s departure for service Overseas.

      CHAPTER I—LUCK

      I AM told that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, which they say is a sign of luck. I have certainly been lucky all my life.

      When the Hun was plagued with his vile disease a generation ago I could not lend a hand to cure him, my sole activity in this direction being when my nurse showed me what she called a Zeppelin and I blew a very immature raspberry at it. It was probably just one of our own blimps, at that.

      In 1939, when the plague seized Europe again, I had another tale to tell. My luck was in.

      But first of all I must go back a bit to the year 1935, when my story really begins. I was then employed by a big electrical firm, my job being to supervise a dozen or so girls turning out hundreds of electric bulbs. Quite a responsible position for an eighteen-year-old. It was always rather a mystery to me how I got it! However, the experience stood me in good stead. I learned a lot about human nature (and

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