蜜芽传媒

These notes relate to the eve of D-Day, not D-Day itself, and my experiences were neither dangerous nor even adventurous. At the time I was a 22 year old Leading Aircraftman in the RAF.

The 5th June 1944 found me at Hurn, an airfield near Bournemouth, with 604 sqdn, a night fighter squadron equipped with mosquito aircraft. With another wireless mechanic I was working on one of the aircraft that morning, installing new wiring for an upgrading of the radio.

Late in the morning our signals sergeant ordered us to report to the squadron office and 鈥渂e ready to fly in half an hour鈥�. No further information was forthcoming and the squadron office could only tell us to wait until the C.O. landed, (he was away at Fighter Command).

The half-hour dragged on into several hours before the C.O. did return and then there was further delay whilst he spoke to the assembled aircrews within the locked crew room. Late in the afternoon two crews, (each of pilot and radio observer), appeared and each took one of us to their aircraft.

The mosquito cockpit was built for just two crew, so I travelled on the cockpit floor, jammed between the R.O.s knees and the radar set. My pilot a flight commander, just before starting the engines leaned over and said 鈥� you are going to do a frequency change鈥�. This was more than a bit worrying, as I had no equipment other than a screwdriver in my pocket!

After about 20 minutes or so we landed at what I was told was Colerne airfield near Bath, and taxied in to join a number of other Mosquitoes parked together near the control tower. I think there were about 12 to 15 but can鈥檛 remember clearly. We wireless mechanics went off to find the signals workshop and get our instructions.

A 鈥渇requency change鈥� meant removing the radio sets from the aircraft, (each Mosquito carried two sets), transporting them to the signals workshop where they would be re-tuned to the required frequencies, then taking them back to the aircraft, installing them and ground testing on each frequency. The sets were nothing like those of today, being quite big (about 18鈥� X 14鈥� X 14鈥� metal boxes). We visiting wireless mechanics (there were 2 or three others), dealt with the aircraft whilst the Colerene staff did the re-tuning in the workshop.

It was quite hard work as it had to be done in time to enable the aircraft to begin taking off in relays before dark and all connections must be made very secure so as not to be loosened by vibration. However the job was finished in time although it was dark before we were free to go for a late meal. Remember we were operating on double summer time then 鈥� 2 hours ahead of B.S.T. so it was light quite late.

During the meal, talking to the Colerne people, we began to realise that this work might be more than just another exercise because they told us that the airfield had been virtually cut off from the outside world. No one was being allowed to leave and no call outs were permitted. Even a concert party that had been performing somewhere on the airfield were prisoners for the night.

Back on the airfield, waiting for the return of the first of our aircraft, we heard the sound of very many planes passing overhead and could tell from the volume of sound that some very big operation was taking place. It was I remember a clear night with bright moonlight shining through thin, high, broken cloud.

As the Mosquito鈥檚 began to return from their patrols and we started another frequency change back to normal settings, we were able to piece together what was happening. Our little force of Mosquito鈥檚 was protecting the airborne troops who were being dropped in many places in Normandy. They provided a nightlong screen against enemy night fighters. The aircraft I had heard passing overhead were those carrying our troops.

Our two 604 sqdn. Aircraft were very late in the flying programme and it was light before they returned. The pilot with whom I flew decided that we should return to Hurn at once and have the sets returned there. So we flew back around 7.30 am.

Once back at Hurn we lost no time in hurrying to our workshop truck to break the news to our colleagues, only to be told that the 蜜芽传媒 had just announced that the invasion had started and they already knew about it. After that there was nothing to do except have breakfast and a welcome clean up, then carry on the job we had left unfinished nearly 24 hours previously.

It was not until July the 12th that we made it over to Normandy, landing somewhere between Gold and Juno beaches. We were supposed to go at the end of June, but the heavy fighting prevented this. During this time I was serving with 609 squadron, part of 123 Wing operating with Typhoon ground attack aircraft.

We moved with the campaign through France and Belgium and ended the war in Germany somewhere near Osnabruck.

John Erik Hill
15th June 2004 age 82

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