RAF 624 (Special Duties ) Squadron

We picked up a new Halifax at Pershore, after carrying out endurance test, we flew to St Mawgan in Cornwall, before flying on to Rabat in Morocco. Then carrying on to Maison Blanche near Algiers.The crew was then posted to 624 squadron at Blida. We had no idea of the duties the squadron were to carry out, but assumed that it was a normal bombing squadron as we had trained with 1 Group Bomber Command on High level flying. On arrival at 624 we were very suprisedto find out it was a Special Duties Squadron flying low level at night, so we wondered what training we would be given. It turned out to be very limited in fact almost none. The pilot, navigator and I ( Bomb Aimer ) were sent on one operation with an existing crew to find out what to do. We were then considered capable of operations as a crew on our own. The rest of the crew had no training at all.

When operations were detailed, the pilots names were placed on the board together with briefing times. At the breaifing the navigator and I were given the Latitude and longitude of the drop zone together with the location where we were to cross the French coast at about 5/6000 ft. We were briefed by mainly S.O.E officers, the only RAF officers present were the Commanding Officer and weather man.

The navigator and I would then look at the map of the area of France where the drop zone was located and find a ”Pin Point” ie a feature on the ground I could identify, a river junction, bend in river, railway junction etc. This “Pin Point” would be 15 –25 miles from the drop zone. Then drop zones were usually fields selected by the resistance or S.O.E operators.

We never had any idea what was in the containers we were to drop as they were packed and loaded on the aircraft by army personnel. Once the aircraft had been loaded it was guarded by the army. On occasions crews from the squadron  would drop “Secret Agents” as well as stores, these were know to us as “Joes”, although our crew never did.

Although there could be as many as 10 aircraft from the squadron flying on any one night. It was not unusual for two of more aircraft to be detailed to the same drop zone  although none of the crews knew this before they took off and we all took off alone at different times. In fact none of the crews knew where any other crew was going. After take from North Africa we would fly at altitude to the Baleric Islands where we could check our predicted course with our actual course. This would give us an idea as to how accurate the weather forecast had been and allowed us to make corrections if required. We checked our actual and planned course again when we reached the French coast after which we set course for the “Pin Pont”. My job at this time along with the gunners was to look out “Pin Point”, as well as ensuring that we were not being intercepted by night fighters. After reaching the “Pin Point” we would slowly reduce altitude to around 500 and fly a compass course to the drop zone. When we approach the drop zone I would watch out for a morse signal to be flashed from the ground  and if correct letter was flashed to me we would start to drop the stores. I would drop all the containers from the bomb stations and by switching On/ Off lights at the rear of the aircraft would indicate to the Mid-Upper Gunner / Dispatcher when to push the internally loaded stores through the hole in the aircraft floor, which he had uncovered when we left the “Pin Point”. The dispatcher had to be very careful he did not fall out as the hole was several feet in diameter. When I felt that we were leaving the drop zone I would indicate to the dispatcher to stop pushing stuff out of the aircraft. We would make as many circuits as were need to drop all the stores.

If we did not receive the correct identification letter of no reception at all we would return to the “Pin Pont” and make three runs to ensure that we were in the correct location and in case the reception party on the ground had been delayed for any reason. If no reception after the three runs we would make for a secondary drop zone and carry out the same procedure. If there was no reception at either drop zone we would return to Blida with the stores intact. As a crew we were successful on 70% of our operations, we also on occasions dropped “Nickels” leaflets over towns in Southern France. Theses gave the local population news about the war. The length of an average flight was about eight hours.

 

Due to the very low altitude that we ere operating at, on one or two occasions I was able to see the lorries and carts waiting to take the stores away. On another occasion as we had received no reception at the drop zone we returned to the “Pin Point” to make the third run up, as we passed near to the “Pin Point” at about 300 feet we were attached by light anti aircraft fire, the German did not appear to like us disturbing their sleep, needless to say Stan our rear gunner opened fire with his four machine guns.

 

 

 

Flt Sgt Len Sharp

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