No.4572
£1.50
Messerschmitt Bf162
The Bf162 prototype was produced in response to a German Aviation Ministry specification for a fast bomber. Competin g designs included the Junkers Ju88 and the Henschel He127. The plane’s basic design was that of a modified Bf110 with a glazed nose to accommodate a bomb aimer. Armament included a 7.92mm MG15 machine gun in a dorsal position and ten 50kg bombs, and the aircraft had a top speed of 298mph . Though the Ju88 was selected for production, pictures of the Bf162 were circulated as a disinformation tactic – referred to as the fictitious ‘Messerschmitt Jaguar’.
HEN MARTIN ARCHER WAS TOLD HE HAD NOT W BEEN SELECTED TO FLY NAVAL FIGHTERS HE WAS RIGHTLY DISAPPOINTED. HE LITTLE KNEW
STORY BILL STYLES
THAT HIS FLYING SKILLS WOULD BE TESTED TO THE LIMIT AT THE CONTROLS OF A FAIREY BARRACUDA DIVE-BOMBER FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE JUST AS FIERCELY AS ANY FIGHTER JOCKEY.
ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO
4 IN 1941, THE SKIES ABOVE BRITAIN WERE PRETTY DANGEROUS FOR INITIAL FLIGHT TRAINING. MARTIN ARCHER, A YOUNG FLEET AIR ARM SUB-LIEUTENANT, HAD BEEN SENT TO AN AMERICAN AIR BASE IN FLORIDA WHERE HE COULD TRAIN AWAY FROM MARAUDING MESSERSCHMITTS. I’M TO REPORT TO THE FLIGHT TRAINING GROUP.
YOU MUST BE ONE OF THE NEW LIMEY FLIERS. FOLLOW THE SIGNS TO THE MAIN ADMIN BUILDING.
MARTIN WAS PLEASED TO FIND THAT HIS QUARTERS WERE VERY COMFORTABLE. HE ONLY HAD TO SHARE WITH ONE OTHER OFFICER, F.A.A. SUB-LIEUTENANT JAN SKULSKI, WHO WAS POLISH. HE WAS ONE OF MANY MEN FROM COUNTRIES IN OCCUPIED EUROPE WHO HAD ESCAPED TO BRITAIN TO CARRY ON THE FIGHT AGAINST THE NAZIS. PLEASED TO MEET YOU, I’M MARTIN ARCHER.
I AM JAN. SOON I SHALL FIGHT THE DOGS WHO DESTROYED MY HOME! I WILL MAKE THEM PAY, YOU WILL SEE!
5 THE CANDIDATES ON THIS PARTICULAR COURSE WERE ALL FROM THE BRITISH FLEET AIR ARM. THEY ASSEMBLED THE NEXT DAY TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE AMERICAN BASE COMMANDER.
GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE TRAINED MANY PILOTS FOR COMBAT DUTIES. THIS COURSE WILL DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF FLYING YOU WILL BE SELECTED FOR – IF YOU PASS!
THERE IS ONLY ONE PLANE I WANT TO FLY – A NAVAL FIGHTER!
IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE MARTIN WAS READY FOR HIS INITIAL SOLO. HE WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE SLEEK AMERICAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT HE SAW IN THE SKIES AROUND THE BASE, GLANCING UP AT THEM AS HIS INSTRUCTOR GAVE HIM SOME LAST WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. THIS IS YOUR FIRST FLIGHT ON YOUR OWN – REMEMBER ALL I’VE TAUGHT YOU AND YOU’LL BE FINE.
WON’T BE LONG BEFORE I’M FLYING AN AIRCRAFT LIKE THOSE WARHAWKS.
6 MARTIN HAD GAINED HIS PILOT’S WINGS WITH EASE BUT NOW HE HAD TO LEARN FIGHTING SKILLS AND AEROBATICS. AS THE COURSE GOT MORE DIFFICULT, HE BEGAN TO STRUGGLE.
COME ON! YOU HAVE TO REACT QUICKER THAN THIS!
DON’T WANT TO PULL THE WINGS OFF…AND I CAN’T SEE WHERE I’M GOING UPSIDE-DOWN!
IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT HE WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED ENOUGH TO BE SELECTED AS A FIGHTER PILOT. HOWEVER, HIS ACCURATE CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING AND ABILITY TO FLY VERY PRECISELY IMPRESSED HIS INSTRUCTORS HUGELY. THAT WAS THE BEST LANDING OF ANY PUPIL HERE AND YOU CAN STICK TO A HEADING LIKE GLUE. BUT THIS AIN’T AN AIRLINE PILOT COURSE, ARCHER. I’M SORRY BUT YOU’RE TOO STEADY FOR PURSUIT PLANES.
NOT AS SORRY AS I AM, SIR.
7 IN THE END HE WAS RECOMMENDED TO MOVE TO DIVE-BOMBER TRAINING WHERE HIS STEADY FLYING WOULD BE AN ADVANTAGE IN HITTING TARGETS. HIS ROOM MATE JAN, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAD PASSED OUT TOP OF HIS CLASS AS A FIGHTER PILOT. SO YOU DID NOT MAKE A FIGHTER PILOT THEN? YOU’LL NOT BE FLYING SINGLE-SEATERS LIKE ME – THEY’RE THE BEST!
HE’S RIGHT, OF COURSE. BUT ALL THE SAME I’LL BE GLAD NOT TO SEE HIM AGAIN, HE JUST MAKES ME FEEL WORSE.
BACK IN BRITAIN MARTIN WAS POSTED TO 859 SQUADRON WHICH FLEW CARRIER BASED DIVE-BOMBERS. FIRST, HE WOULD HAVE TO CONVERT TO THE AIRCRAFT THEY USED, THE FAIREY BARRACUDA MkII. THERE SHE IS. THREE CREW, FOUR-BLADE PROP, MERLIN THIRTY-TWO, ONE FORWARD HALF-INCH MACHINE GUN, TWO REAR THREE-OH-THREES AND UP TO SIXTEEN HUNDRED POUNDS OF BOMBS OR A TORPEDO.
THEY MAY HAVE MERLIN ENGINES BUT THESE UGLY BRUTES CERTAINLY AREN’T SEAFIRES.
8 ONCE AGAIN MARTIN IMPRESSED HIS INSTRUCTORS, KEEPING THE HEAVY AIRCRAFT IN ORDER DURING PRACTICE BOMB RUNS. YOU’RE DOING WELL, ARCHER. THAT LAST PRACTICE DIVE WAS STRAIGHT AT THE TARGET!
HE WAS PASSED TO FLY THE BARRACUDA OPERATIONALLY. SOON HE WOULD BE POSTED TO FLY THE DIVE-BOMBER IN REAL COMBAT.
WELL, ARCHER, THAT’S YOUR TRAINING OVER – YOU’RE AN AUTHORISED BARRACUDA PILOT NOW!
THANKS, SIR!
THAT’S GREAT NEWS, SIR!
HAVING RECEIVED HIS “TYPE RATING” HE SOON MET THE CREWMEN HE WOULD COMMAND IN COMBAT. SUB LIEUTENANT SIMON NORWOOD, SKIPPER. I’M GOING TO BE YOUR NAVIGATOR AND OBSERVER.
I’M TELEGRAPHIST AIR GUNNER CHARLES BOWEN. I’M YOUR REAR GUNNER, SIR. OH, I’M USUALLY CALLED CHARLIE.
GOOD TO KNOW YOU, LADS. LET’S HOPE WE CAN GIVE THE JERRIES A GOOD HIDING BETWEEN US.
9 THE PAIR TOLD MARTIN WHAT THEY USED TO DO. SIMON HAD BEEN AT UNIVERSITY STUDYING MATHS. CHARLIE HAD BEEN A GARAGE MECHANIC BEFORE JOINING UP AND UNDERSTOOD ENGINES AND MACHINERY VERY WELL.
THE MATHS HELPED ME WITH THE NAVIGATION. I ALSO SPEAK A BIT OF ITALIAN – BUT THAT’S NOT A LOT OF USE IN THE FLEET AIR ARM!
I’M GOOD AT FIXING CARS, SKIPPER – NOT A LOT OF USE IN AN AIRCRAFT EITHER, BUT I’M A GOOD SHOT WITH A PAIR OF VICKERS Ks!
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, MARTIN AND THE OTHER 859 SQUADRON PILOTS WERE MUSTERED TO BE ADDRESSED BY COMMANDER ROY WILKINS, THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER. AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO EMBARK FOR THEIR FIRST OPERATIONAL MISSION, THERE WAS TENSION IN THE AIR. I CAN NOW TELL YOU THE CARRIER YOU’LL BE JOINING IS THE THERSITES. YOU WILL FLY YOUR AIRCRAFT OUT TO HER TOMORROW.
YOU’LL BE STEAMING FOR THE MED AND YOU’LL BE INVOLVED IN SOME PRETTY HEAVY ACTION ONCE YOU’RE THERE SO YOU’LL BE GETTING IN ALL THE FLYING YOU CAN ON THE WAY.
10 THEY FLEW THEIR BARRACUDAS OUT TO JOIN H.M.S. THERSITES IN SMALL GROUPS. MARTIN’S AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN ALLOCATED TO ONE OF THE LAST FLIGHTS, FOLLOWING THE COMMANDING OFFICER’S PLANE. SIMON WAS TESTING HIS NAVIGATION.
THE CARRIER SHOULD BE BELOW US ANY TIME NOW, SKIPPER.
THERE SHE IS! SPOT ON, SIMON!
THE WHOLE SQUADRON LANDED WITHOUT MISHAP. THE CARRIER HAD BEEN CONVERTED FROM A MERCHANTMAN BY ADDING A FLIGHT DECK AND, THOUGH TOUGH, THE OLD SHIP WAS FAR FROM GLAMOROUS. SHE’S A BIT OF AN OLD TUB, EH? STRANGE NAME, WONDER WHAT IT MEANS?
THERSITES IS FROM THE ILIAD, AN OLD STORY ABOUT A WAR BETWEEN GREEK AND TROJAN ARMIES. HE WAS THE UGLIEST MAN IN THE STORY. AN UGLY NAME FOR AN UGLY SHIP, IF YOU ASK ME.
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A
t flying training school, they said Sub-Lieutenant Martin Archer wasn’t good enough to be a fighter pilot. Too steady, they said, not quick enough to react. What they didn’t say was that he lacked nerve. And that was just as well because they gave him a Fairey Barracuda dive-bomber to fly into the teeth of flak and fighters. That took guts of a different kind altogether.
9770262262003
£1.50
05
02-Feb-13
Recall: R07-14-Feb-13
NZ $4.50, AU $3 50
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