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The First
Year In Bomber Command
The
fact that 100 Squadron had suffered severely
during late 1941 and early 1942 is not to be
denied. We shall remember those brave souls who
fought heroically against almost insurmountable
odds. 100 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron, true to
its proud traditions “Had kept it going” until
the bitter end, and in so doing had ‘given
birth’ to 100 Squadron Royal Australian Air
Force. The Squadron had stumbled in its
journey, but it was just a stumble, as 100
(Torpedo Bomber) Squadron metamorphosed into 100
(Bomber) Squadron in Bomber Command back in
England at the end of 1942.
On the
15th December 1942, 100 Squadron
re-emerged at RAF Station Waltham, close to
Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, equipped with
Lancaster MkIII aircraft. The squadron received
16 ‘Lancs’ plus 2 in reserve. Wg Cdr JGW Swain
assumed command of the ‘reborn’ Squadron on 26th
December 1942. Earlier, the ground crews were
attached to 101 Squadron at RAF Holme on
Spalding Moor, and 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds
to gain experience on their new aircraft. These
ground crews, who were to play such a vital and
important part during the remainder of the war,
returned to Waltham to greet the new Lancs as
the aircrews flew them in from 1656 Conversion
Unit on 12th January 1943; ED553
being the first to arrive. An affinity quickly
developed between the Squadron erks and aircrews
and the people of Holton le Clay, Cleethorpes,
Grimsby and Waltham, who came to regard 100 as
‘their Squadron’.
The aircrews were a mix of men drawn from many
parts of the world, including Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, Poland, the USA,
Argentina and many Canadians. All of them fought
and died with their British comrades in the
skies over occupied Europe with distinction and
valour. The
first operational sortie for 100 Squadron in
Bomber Command was a mine laying operation
against the U-Boat base at St Nazaire on 4th
March 1943. One Lanc was lost during the raid
with a second crashing in Nottinghamshire on
return to the UK. The second operational sortie
was flown on 8th March when 100
Squadron joined a force of 329 heavy bombers in
a raid on Nuremburg, Wg Cdr Swain led this
sortie, and no losses were suffered.
It
needs to be emphasised that the bomber war was a
war of attrition, the sole aim of which was to
destroy German cities, factories,
infrastructure, ports, communications and the
moral of the German population. This was ‘total
war’. There had been many developments and
improvements in airborne radar, including GEE,
OBOE, G-H and H2S, which, in turn led to
improved tactics and greater accuracy in target
identification and bombing. It is worth noting
that at this particular time, not all of these
aids were actually in use, and that 100 Squadron
never used G-H during WWII. Even so, German
counter measures, including the jamming of GEE
and the location of bombers transmitting on H2S,
resulted in a dilution of Bomber Command
effectiveness. German night fighters and flak
took a heavy toll of bombers with losses of both
aircraft and aircrews over enemy territory.
Additionally, fog and low cloud often hampered
returning aircraft leading to mid air collisions
and numerous crashes when approaching to land
after otherwise successful sorties.
100
Squadron’s first Battle Honour of the air war in
Europe was awarded for the ‘Battle of the Ruhr’
between March and July 1943. During this period,
Battle Orders included operations against
Stettin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart,
Mannheim, Duisberg and Dortmund.
Wg Cdr
RV McIntyre assumed command of 100 Squadron on
24th April 1943. He led an attack
against Bochum during the night of 13th
May in HW-P PETER. The aircraft suffered severe
flak damage over Cologne that put two engines
out of action. Despite this The Boss continued
the attack, bombing on two engines. The WOP/AG,
Flt Sgt Renno, suffered shrapnel wounds, which
he did not disclose during the flight,
continuing to obtain radio fixes to assist in
the homeward navigation. After crash landing
without loss of life at Coltishall, Wg Cdr
McIntyre received an immediate DFC with Flt Sgt
Renno receiving an immediate DFM.
By
June 1943, 100 Squadron were regularly putting
up 25 Lancasters per night. A raid on Dusseldorf
during the night of 11th June
involved 770 heavy bombers and 13 Pathfinder
Mosquitoes caused extensive damage. 100
Squadron participated in many operations.
Between the middle of July and the end of August
1943, the Squadron carried out operations
against Turin, Hamburg, the V2 Rocket Research
Base at Peenemunde, Berlin, Munich, Hannover and
Mannheim. During these raids, the Squadron,
along with the rest of Bomber Command, suffered
heavy losses.
In
October of 1943, 100 Squadron produced an
‘offspring’ when ‘C’ Flight was formed into 550
Squadron to be based at North Killingholme. 550
Squadron was to inherit EE139 HW-R ROGER the
‘Phantom of the Ruhr’, which went on to complete
over 100 missions. We shall meet the ‘Phantom’
again a little later on in our journey.
In
November, during a raid on Leipzig, 100 Squadron
encountered 10/10ths cloud with heavy icing and
electrical storms. One aircraft, piloted by WO
White, suffered an engine fire during the
outbound leg but White pressed home his attack
on three engines bombing some 16 minutes late.
He brought the aircraft home on the three
engines, remaining in the cockpit directing
operations until the fire crews had extinguished
the flames. It was acts such as these that serve
to demonstrate the bravery of the aircrews of
both 100 Squadron and Bomber Command.
So, in
the middle of November 1943, 100 Squadron
prepared to face yet another stern test of its
mettle and the resolve to ‘Keep it Going’ would
be tested to the limit. 100 Squadron had made a
major contribution to the Bomber War during its
first year in Bomber Command.100 had been
‘resurrected’ from the disaster in Singapore,
and was very much ‘alive’ again. 100 Squadron
was about to enter the ‘Battle of Berlin’; a
campaign which would take many 100, and indeed.
Bomber Command lives.
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