BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1943, Page 6

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

DIFFICULTIES RECALLED

LUFTWAFFE’S FATAL ERROR (Rec. 10.50 a.m.~LONDON, Sept. 22. Britain never had more than 25 day fighter squadrons to meet the whole Luftwaffe in any one day deployed along the south coast during the Battle of Britain. The Germans came within sight of whining that battle, but made a fatal mistake. It was when they thought they had smashed the fighter stations and broken the R.A.F.’s fighter strength that they switched against London on September 7, 1940. They switched too soon, since, although the fighter stations in Southern England were badly bombed they were still just operating. These vital aerodromes were given a breathing space in which to reorganise and finally beat the Luftwaffe.

These new facts were explained to me in the only interview on the Battle of Britain so far given by Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, K.8.E., C. 8., M.C., D.F.C., A.O.C. Malta, the famous New Zealander who, when commanding No. 11 Fighter Group, played a decisive part in winning that struggle which turned the whole course of the war. Sir Keith is on leave in England for ten. days after being ior_ two years in Egypt and Malta. He flew to England from Gibraltar, sitting on the floor of a Liberator bomber.

Recalling that vital period three years ago, he said: “Dunkirk was a most exciting time—it was one of the most exciting operations of this war. 1 believed at that time that if we could not get the Army out of Dunkirk, that if it were captured or its shipping sunk it would have a far-reaching effect on the war from the political viewpoint as well as the military. We could never have got the Army out if it had not been for the fighter protection given over Calais, Boulogne, and Cherbourg, as well as Dunkirk. That Battle , of France and Dunkirk gave our fighter squadrons their first real fighting experience. It was invaluable when the Battle of Britain came.. Casualties were relatively low considering we were taking on the bulk of the Luftwaffe, and for every fighter we lost we shot down five enemies—and we were fighting over enemy territory at long range. “It is somewhat difficult to talk about the Battle of Britain. It went on from July to October —four months. My most lasting and most vivid impression of that period was those ENORMOUS RAIDS of 400 to 500 enemy aircraft being plotted on the No. 11 Operatons Group Table, all converging on our aerodromes around London. 1 will never forget that —nor the mgannicent show the fighter pilots put up. They met odds of four or five to one. I think the reason why we all kept up our high morale was because we had done so well at Dunkirk. We felt, confident we could beat him over England if he kept on long enough and that we would smash his morale by sheer weight of casualties inflicted week after week. Another fact which kept us going was that we knew we had to win that battle or bust. Vve knew very well from our reconnaissance that lie had massed barges collected along the coasts of Holland, Belgium, and France, and that if he could land in England there would be nothing to prevent the panzers overrunning Kent in very’ quick time. “The Hun lost the .Battle of Britain when he switched from bombing rny fighter stations to bombing London on September 7. It was rny normal routine' in those days to begin work in the Operations Room at. 7.30 a.m., continue until 5.30 p.rn., then take off in my Hurricane from Northolt and fly around the stations which had. been blitzed that day in order to see bow the squadron’s pilots were standing up to it. Or. September 7, I flew over London. It was a horrid sight, bin I looked down and said: ‘Thank God for that,’ because I knew the Hun had switched his attack from my fighter aerodromes, thinking he had knocked them out. “But they WERE NOT KNOCKED OUT They were very groggy and if he had continued bombing tnem he might have finished them off. But, although he put many essentials out of action, they were still just functioning. He was probably working to a ; set schedule and no doubt his reconi naissance and photos showed there . was little left of my aerodromes. “Thej r must have looked pretty bad—-yet they were not out. That pause gave my fighter stations the breather they required and time for

a comeback. From then on we' heifer looked back, from then on we began to slaughter him, and his bombers began to drop their bombs at the sight of a few fighters. “I do not think it has been tola before, but we had never more than 25 day fighter squadrons in the line to meet the whole German Air Force in any one day deployed along the South Coast during the Battle of Britain, and out of those 25 squadrons some aircraft were being serviced and the pilots had to get a little time off for meals, otherwise they would have been groiinded in a week. It should never be forgotten that men who did almost as much as the fighter pilots were the airmen who serviced the Spitfires and Hurricanes. Those fellows worked 16 hours a day and were often hungry because their kitchens had been bombed. They would be in thenslit trenches sheltering fi;om bombs. “The fighters would return, but out they would come to refuel and rearm the aircraft —and to Hell with the bombs! They stuck to their jobs, and, if they had not, the Battle or Britain would never have been won. “And the W.A.A.F’s!! Those W.A.A.F’s were first class—Telephonists, plotters, switchboard girls —they were magnificent. At some stations they were an example to the men. They carried on their jobs when others—Quite rightly—had gone 1o shelter. Those girls—by God they were stout-hearted girls. Many oi them were decorated for bravery. “Malta from July to October, IJ-K, was like the'Battle of Britain m miniature, except that we were fighting against heavier odds oecause we had only a very _ small fighter force, added to whicii our nien were hungry. We were very short of food, and so short oi petrol that we were unable to carry out engine tests, which meant the pilots had to take off and trust to luck. But the'-e were very few accidents —the airmen had done good work again. They were first-class —magnificent. I used exactly the same tactics m Malta as in the Battle of Britain.