Fighting Irish Forums

Is there a reason for any of this tactically speaking?

I'll have to start practicing level constant flying and constant speed before I go out with the HE crowd again, it sounds like I'm behind the curve again...

On 18th September, 1939, he was posted to No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force, which had been formed on 1st November, 1938, for bombing, with Hinds, Tutors and Avro 504N's. When he arrived, however, the Squadron had Gauntlets, Tutors and Battles. He flew his first Gauntlet, serial K5285, from Doncaster Racecourse (where the Squadron was based) on a local reconnaissance. He also flew Tutors and Battles with the Squadron before being posted to No.12 Group Ferry Pool, where he spent most of his time ferrying Gladiators, and practising Fighter Attacks 1 to 5. These were types of formation attacks against unescorted bombers on which squadron training was then based, and they had been worked out by the Air Fighting Development Unit. For example, Fighter Attack No. 3 was the prescribed drill when two sections of fighters met three bombers; these attacks were complicated and time-wasting and all were based on tight V-shaped formations (vics) opening fire together. They were useless for air fighting, and many good pilots heard as their last words "Fighter Attack Number so-and-so - Go" and were then killed. We eventually adopted the German "schwarme" formation which consisted of two pairs, and called it a "finger four", because the aircraft flew in positions corresponding to the fingertips seen in plan view, and suitably stepped up. This formation was loose and manoeuvrable and completely replaced the Fighter Attacks scheme, with great success.

Albert Lewis also flew Tutors at the Ferry Pool before being posted, on 16th December, 1939, to No.504 "City of Nottingham" Squadron, at Debden. The Squadron was equipped with Hurricanes, and on 17th December, he flew the dual Magister, serial L2468, with one of the famous Beamish brothers, Victor, who was the Squadron Commander. On Boxing Day, he flew his first Hurricane, serial L1944, lettered E, on circuits and bumps, and made more training flights from Duxford and Debden, and then from Martlesham Heath.

On 30th January, 1940, he flew Hurricane L1951, lettered L, on a solo trawler patrol, and L1957, lettered Q, on a shipping patrol with Green Section on 11th February, and made his first contact with the enemy, in the shape of a Blohm und Voss long-range seaplane. Mention of Green Section may call for a word of explanation. In early 1940 the fighter squadron of 12 aircraft was organised into two flights, subdivided for air combat into two sections each. The aerial formations were as follows:

"A" Flight: +++ No. 1 Section - Red
+++ No.2 Section - Yellow
"B" Flight: +++ No.3 Section - Blue
+++ No.4 Section - Green.


The vics were still being flown, as finger four had not yet been adopted, and the formation leader, when he spotted the enemy bombers approaching ahead and to a flank ordered the sections astern, and when they fell into two vics, one behind the other, the section leaders then ordered "Line astern, go" and the formation then formed a long line in single file, which was a convenient formation for a turn-in attack. Having turned and got astern of and slightly below the bombers, the leader then brought his squadron into vics astern in readiness for the attack.