Night Mission Read online

  Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Gainey noticed a still quiet had settled over the airfield. All he heard was the soft braying of sheep in the fields on the other side of the hedgerow fence. Then, the young lieutenant's face brightened with a mischievous smile.

  "On second thought, maybe there is something we can do."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  LOYALTY IS EARNED

  When dawn came the next morning, the fields of Hampton County were awash in sunshine. An early riser by nature, Mrs. Winslow set about getting breakfast ready in the kitchen. Surprisingly, Harry rolled down the stairs not long after.

  "You're up early today," Mrs. Winslow commented with a raised eyebrow. "Especially after getting in so late."

  Reminded of last night, Harry's head dropped. He felt bad about letting the sheep out of the pen, and even more sorry about disappointing his mother. Hoping to make amends for his mistake, Harry rose early, ready to try his best at gathering the flock before the wool cutters arrived.

  "I'll have all the sheep back in the pen in time for fleecing, Mom. I will," Harry promised, his eyes begging forgiveness.

  Mrs. Winslow stared softly at Harry. It was impossible to stay angry with him for long.

  "You can give it a try, sweetheart," she encouraged. "But you're still grounded, young man."

  Harry swallowed hard at being grounded. Nonetheless, he had a job to do and courageously put the punishment out of his mind.

  Before heading off to shepherd in the flock, Harry reached for something to eat. Helping her son with a basket of muffins, Mrs. Winslow noticed a commotion outside the window. Curious, she headed to the front door. Harry followed her as she stepped out on the porch.

  To their surprise, milling about the fields in front of the Winslow house, was the entire squadron of RAF pilots. Truly a sight, the men were trying to gather the sheep that strayed from the open pen during the night. Sitting comfortably in a lawn chair, the recovering Squadron Leader, Captain Dawson, grinned as he watched his men struggling with the woolly animals.

  "Captain Dawson," Mrs. Winslow demanded, "can you explain what your pilots are doing here?"

  Dawson shifted in his chair and replied, "The word got out that Harry was grounded and needed help. We're here to make things right so Harry can come back to the airfield."

  "What do you mean, the word got out?" Mrs. Winslow asked.

  Dawson cast his glance to the wool shed where Lieutenant Gainey was pulling at a stubborn ewe. Winded from wrestling with the animal, Gainey explained, "Ahh... I'm afraid that was me, mum. I sent word to the pilots that Harry needed our help. I thought if we got here early enough, we could collect the sheep in time for fleecing. Actually, we're almost done. But, if it would get Harry out of the stockade, we could help around the house too."

  "Lieutenant!" Mrs. Winslow scolded. "My son is not in any stockade! He is, however, grounded for not using his time wisely. I'm sure he understands there's a lesson to be learned."

  Harry set his jaw and solemnly nodded his head, even though the sight of the pilots fighting with the sheep was hilarious.

  Harry's mother directed her attention back to Captain Dawson, "Captain, you and your men can't stay here all day. You must go back to the airfield."

  Dawson considered the situation for a moment and replied, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Winslow, but since my concussion I've been removed from active flight status. Currently, the men report to Captain Simms."

  "Captain Simms," Mrs. Winslow shouted. "Take these men back to the airfield at once!"

  Standing by the wool shed, observing the playful chaos caused by the pilots herding the sheep, Simms called back, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Winslow, but I'm afraid I can only take orders from Colonel Harrison. It's RAF regulations. I'm sure you understand."

  "Oh," shrieked Mrs. Winslow, frustrated by the men's refusal to leave without Harry. "I'm going to ring up Colonel Harrison right this minute!"

  Storming back into the house, Mrs. Winslow grabbed the telephone and called Colonel Harrison. Impatiently, she demanded answers, and skeptically listened.

  On the other end of the line, Colonel Harrison tried to explain. "Mrs. Winslow, the men just want to help Harry. They're devoted to him. Most of those pilots have turned down their first holiday in months in order to be there. Loyalty like that is hard earned, and Harry is well deserving of it."

  "But, Colonel," Mrs. Winslow begged, "they're practically finished herding all the sheep. What will I do with them after that? Harry needs to learn a lesson, that's why he's grounded. Can't you order the pilots back to the base?"

  Colonel Harrison thought for a moment, "If I know Harry, the lad is sorry and already learned his lesson. Please give the men a chance to patch things up with you and make it right. After that, perhaps you would reconsider, and let Harry come back to the airfield with them."

  Slowly she hung up the phone, pondering Colonel Harrison's words. Then Harry called from the porch.

  "Mom, the wool cutters are here."

  Mrs. Winslow dashed out to the wool shed, prepared to explain why they weren't ready. But when she got there, the cutters were already shearing wool from the lambs. Not only had the pilots herded all the sheep back to the pen, they were even helping out in the wool shed.

  Joining Mrs. Winslow standing by the fence to the pen, Lieutenant Mathews politely offered, "If you wouldn't mind, I could keep an eye on things and make sure you get a fair price for your wool."

  Harry's mother looked at the kind young pilot. Thinking about her conversation with Colonel Harrison, she replied, "Yes, Lieutenant, I would like that very much."

  Then Captain Simms softly tapped Mrs. Winslow's shoulder and asked, "I see you have a couple shingles loose on your roof. Would it be all right with you if I were to fix them?"

  Looking up at the roof, Mrs. Winslow noticed the gap where several wooden shakes had torn away. "Well certainly, Captain. I would appreciate that," she gratefully replied.

  "Mrs. Winslow," Lieutenant Hyatt shouted to get her attention. "If I may, your post box could use a new coat of paint. It would only take a minute for me to get it finished."

  "Please do," Mrs. Winslow called back, waving at the lieutenant. "I'll send Harry to bring you paint and a brush."

  Mrs. Winslow looked at Harry, his eyes glowing with the desire to help. "Run along, Harry. Help your pilots with their work."

  The eager boy jumped from the porch and raced out to join the men. Happy and determined, Harry was ready to help with every task.

  Walking back to the house, Harry's mother noticed Captain Dawson quietly supervising the bustling activity in the yard. A proud grin beamed from the squadron leader's face while he watched his men quickly settle into fixing things around the Winslow farm. Realizing the pilots were really trying to patch things up with her, Mrs. Winslow couldn't help but smile, too.

  As the day wore on, Harry tirelessly hurried about, happy to help with every job. In time, the roof was repaired, the post box painted, windows washed, and fences mended. On top of that, after the wool cutters left, the pilots burst out laughing when Harry announced that Lieutenant Mathews had negotiated an extra shilling per pound for the wool clip.

  Always ready with a cool glass of water or lemonade, Mrs. Winslow delighted in catering to the hard working men as if they were family. When the moment came for her to inspect their work, the pilots held their breath. Amazed at their speed and craftsmanship, Mrs. Winslow was thrilled with their labor. When she realized Harry and the pilots had already finished every job she would have assigned to her grounded son, she relented. With a kiss on Harry's flushed cheek, Mrs. Winslow ended his punishment, and asked him to escort the pilots back to the airfield.

  Watching Harry march with the playful pilots down the path back to Hampton Airfield, Mrs. Winslow smiled to herself. Ever since the war first disrupted their lives and pulled Mr. Winslow away to London, she worried how Harry would learn the qualities a boy his age needed. Without his father to help, Mrs. Winslow had to work that
much harder to teach her young son about friendship, respect, honor and loyalty. As Harry and the pilots of the 14th squadron passed over the hill, Mrs. Winslow suddenly realized she had more help than she ever imagined.

  Mrs. Winslow...had more help than she ever imagined.

  IN HINDSIGHT

  During the Battle of Britain, Germany's mighty Luftwaffe clashed with England's Royal Air Force. After a series of swift victories over mostly outdated aircraft on the European mainland, Germany was confident their Luftwaffe would quickly overpower the RAF. However, German aircrews faced stiff resistance from the tireless RAF pilots. Swarms of more equally matched British Hurricanes and Spitfires raced to intercept the waves of German aircraft sent to destroy them. Unexpectedly, the Luftwaffe started suffering significant losses of aircraft, especially their slower flying bombers. Trying to stem the mounting loss of planes and crews, Luftwaffe commanders changed strategy and began a campaign of night bombing raids.

  Generally, bomber formations suffered fewer losses at night than by day because darkness provided the best protection from hostile fighters. At night, fighter pilots wrestled just to control their planes, let alone search for an unseen enemy. Typically, fighter squadrons were restricted to daytime combat, when their quarry could be kept in plain view. On the other hand, bomber pilots could fly to the target, release their payload, and return home under the cover of dark.

  In response to the German night offensive, the RAF developed specialized systems for night defense. On the ground, searchlights were combined with antiaircraft guns to defend critical English military and industrial sites from German night raids. When British radar detected incoming enemy aircraft, searchlights would start scouring the night sky. Weather permitting, their beams would illuminate the bomber formations flying above, and provide antiaircraft guns with a clear target.

  In addition, a number of RAF aircraft were specially modified for night combat. Before the introduction of compact airborne radar, Hawker Hurricanes and Boulton Paul Defiants were used as blind-stalking night fighters. Although, the rugged Hurricane was a mainstay of RAF fighter squadrons, speed and performance limitations hindered the Defiant’s use against German fighters by day. However, the Defiant's two man crew and rotating gun turret made it well suited for night operations against slower moving bombers lurking in the darkness.

  Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter

  Several Spitfire fighter squadrons were also trained as night interceptors. The planes were painted matte black and fitted with special exhausts to reduce glare that might hinder the pilot's night vision. Ground based radar guided searchlights were used to direct them to the enemy.

  When the RAF launched a bombing counter-offensive on Germany, they too, quickly learned the hazards of daylight missions. By day, German fighters swarmed on RAF bombers en route to targets and inflicted heavy losses. Ironically similar to the German experience, in order to save aircraft and crews, RAF Bomber Command was forced to switch to night operations, even though daylight missions provided more accurate bombing results.

  Flying in the dark, English bomber pilots faced navigation challenges far beyond their German adversaries. Germany's short range night missions to England were easily directed by radio transmissions from France. However, RAF bomber missions could stretch up to 1000 miles. Navigational radio signals broadcast from England could only guide their bombers for approximately 200 miles of the 600 mile journey to Germany. Out of radio range, the navigator had to rely largely on a compass and charts to reach the target. Trying to compensate for variations in wind speed and direction along the way, the navigator was mostly on his own. Moreover, once he had gathered all the information about wind speed, direction, and even the location of stars, he had to perform a series of complex mathematical calculations to determine his location. One RAF navigator described the exercise, "...it was rather like sitting in a freezing cold stair cupboard with the door shut, the Hoover running, and trying to do calculus."

  Prior to the development of more sophisticated electronic navigation, the only other way to verify position was to search for landmarks, most of which were invisible in the inky darkness. Adding to the difficulty, the Germans had become experts at constructing decoy targets. Some decoys were small brush fires, set to convince RAF navigators that preceeding bombers on the mission had already set the target ablaze. More elaborate decoys included fake cities, built out in the countryside, made of plywood and papier-mache. The deceptions could cover acres of land and even used lights to suggest illuminated buildings and trolleys running in the streets. Facing these obstacles, even in good weather, navigators often missed a target by as much as twenty miles.

  German cities and military sights were also protected by scores of antiaircraft guns and searchlights. The German guns fired shells that exploded into thousands of metal fragments called Fliegerabwehrkanonen, shortened to Flak. The British called it "ack-ack" derived both from the word antiaircraft and from the sound the guns made. A direct hit from a Flak shell could destroy a plane in a fiery explosion, but more often, the RAF bombers were brought down by the metal fragments which damaged engines and wounded aircrews.

  Anti-aircraft Guns

  While British night raids into Germany continued on a steady pace, by late 1941, RAF bombers faced even more problems than navigation and ground fire. Germany had expanded their night defense system to include radar aided night fighters. Conceived by Colonel Josef Kammhuber, the "Kammhuber Line" consisted of zones approximately 20 miles wide that stretched north and south through Holland and Belgium. Each zone was equipped with antiaircraft guns, radar controlled searchlights that automatically locked on approaching bombers, and each was assigned a German Me 110 or Ju 88 night fighter ready to intercept. Equipped with early radar systems, the bulky antennas slowed the planes down, but improved their ability to intercept RAF bombers in the dark. What made the Kammhuber Line even more threatening to British bomber crews was the need to cross it both to and from their targets.

  While both sides used the cover of darkness for protection, they also both developed methods for aerial combat at night. Not only did German and British bomber pilots struggle to accurately navigate through the dark, they also faced danger from ground fire and stealthy night fighters. However, in comparison to daylight operations, the inherent difficulties of night combat continued to generally result in fewer losses of bomber aircraft and aircrews than by day. Advancements in electronic navigation and radar sytems by both sides eventually improved the deadly accuracy of night warfare. But still, the difficulties of night aerial combat remained. One RAF group commander best described night operations as, "a never ending struggle to circumvent the law that we cannot see in the dark."

  GLOSSARY

  Biplanes: Early aircraft with two wings, one fixed above and one below the fuselage. Primarily used in World War I.

  Captain: A military officer ranking below colonel and above lieutenant.

  Chocks: Blocks used to brace airplane wheels to keep the plane from rolling while parked.

  Colonel: A military officer ranking below general and above captain.

  Fleecing: The shearing of sheep.

  Fuselage: The central body of an airplane.

  Hardstand: A hard surfaced area next to an airstrip used for parking planes and ground vehicles.

  Hawker Hurricane: A type of British fighter plane.

  Hedgerow: A row of bushes or small trees that form a fence.

  Intercept: To stop or interrupt the progress of enemy aircraft.

  Junkers Ju 88: A German twin engine fighter-bomber with four man crew (also Ju 88).

  Lieutenant: A military officer ranking below captain.

  Operations Building: The airfield's central administration building.

  Petrol: An English term for gasoline.

  Scramble Alarm: The alarm sounded to start the immediate launch of airplanes from the airfield.

  Stick or Yoke: The control stick of an airplane used for steering.

&nb
sp; Supermarine Spitfire: A type of British fighter plane (also Spit).

  Torch: An English term for a flashlight.

  Wool Clip: The total amount of wool sheared from sheep.

  Wool Cutters: People who shear sheep for hire.