IN MEMORY: VIC VINNELL & JACK FISHER; 192 SQUADRON, RAF 100 GROUP

Mosquito night intruder equipped with airborne Radar

On the night of 26/27 November 1944, two airmen were preparing for an Intruder Operation over Germany. Nothing would have suggested this was different to any other, except these were experienced men who knew every operation depended, not just on their flying and navigational skills, but also the cunning cat-and-mouse games of the enemy. It was well known that Mosquitoes were both hated and envied by the Germans with their speed and agility. Small wooden crafts, yet with such extraordinary powers! Shooting one down was worth two points instead of one ... as long as the German who did the shooting lived to tell the tale!

Official Records show this Mosquito and its crew were accompanying bombers on a raid to Munich, with instructions to call at RAF Ford on its return journey home. They would therefore have been flying high above the bombers, acting as their Guardian Angels, tasked with identifying and jamming enemy Radar. The Mosquito had a two-man crew. The Pilot sitting to the left, his seat slightly forward of his companion's; would focus on keeping a steady course through the darkness. The Navigator was also a Special Operator and in the tight cramped space next to his Pilot would be using on-board vital and very secret equipment to confuse the Germans.

This was one of many Operations they had flown together. They were at ease in one another's company, although for the duration of this night mission they would be on high alert, tense, focused, eager for it to be over. 

Job Done! 

Both airmen were based at RAF Foulshan, Norfolk, England, and part of the lead 192 Squadron of RAF 100 Group under Bomber Command. As such, they flew in all weathers, with information gained being given direct to Bletchley Park on their return.

Canadian Pilot Jack Glen Millan Fisher

Jack Fisher was a Pilot Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Born on 30 August 1923 on a farm homestead in Canada, Jack was eldest and the only boy of seven children. His father had served in World War One in France and Belgium. His youngest sister recalls:

'Jack was a good son, the apple of his Mum's eye; with a bit of an adventurous streak, like trying to ride a bull as soon as our parents were gone, or attempting to ride the unbroken stallions. And of course, with six younger sisters, he was a big tease!'

Jack was always scribbling little rhymes and verses in his school notebook and liked to read. Determined to finish High School, he took several jobs to qualify. His first job after Graduation was with the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act, a Government Agency to improve farming methods and ways. He joined the RCAF as soon as he could in 1940 in Regina, Saskatchewan; the same day his father rejoined the Army. Jack loved every minute of his Air Force training in Ontario

'I remember Jack coming home on Leave when I was about ten years old and he would come to school with me in his Pilot's uniform, holding my hand'

remembers sister Audrey.

Jack joined 192 Squadron, RAF 100 Group, under Bomber Command, in August 1944, based at RAF Foulsham, Norfolk. He was just 21 years old.

Navigator/Special Operator: Henry Victor Alexander Vinnell

'Vic' as he was known was a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves.

In October 1943, as a Navigator, he moved to the RAF Base at Wheaton Aston, pending a further posting; and there met and fell in love with Nina Chessall at the Christmas Eve dance that year. Nina was a WAAF and worked as Secretary to Group Captain Browning, fondly known as 'Brownie'.

In the Spring of 1944, Vic was posted to 192 Squadron at RAF Foulsham, Norfolk, where he became part of RAF 100 Group - a Special Operations Unit aimed at seeking out and jamming enemy Radar and radio signals, flying above the bombers to mask their approach,

Every spare moment, Vic would write to his beloved Nina. He had met and stayed with her family, having none of his own, and there was huge excitement as they became engaged, looking forward to a wedding in Cheshire later that year, with Jack Fisher, his Pilot, taking the role of Best Man.

Vic was twenty-two years old.

Their Mosquito, numbered DK292, was known as 'N for Nina', which brought Vic great comfort in knowing that Nina was close to him, surrounding him with her love. 

WAAF: Nina Chessall

Nina was born in Cheshire on 9 April 1918. Her parents were both firm Christian believers, and known as local Speakers who openly shared their faith. Nina was just six years old when her father unexpectedly died, leaving her bereft. They had been particularly close. Yet somehow, amidst her grief, she needed to find the strength to look after her mother who was ill, and also her two younger brothers. She was taken out of school for a year to spend time at home, her father's death continuing to deeply affect her. This became the first of what she referred to as her 'Desert Experiences' where she sought God as a solace and strength, feeling very desperate and alone. At such a tender age, it is understandable that death became her breaking point.

God was a living breathing entity, the core of family life. Prayer times were important. Grace was said before every meal. While her mother would play on the family organ, singing out the words:

'Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee ...'

Her mother never married again, a firm believer that there was only one love meant in this life, and she went on to spend thirty-nine years as a widow. However, despite her grief and loneliness after losing her soulmate, she became a renowned Speaker, sharing her own experiences of faith.

During the year away from school, Nina read the Bible several times over, thirsting after the strength and love that would see her through this most difficult of times.

In 1939/40, Nina's two brothers went away to war. Their home was bombed. Living in rented accommodation, her mother's health rapidly deteriorated. Nina became her Carer, her one constant, until, in 1940, she joined the WAAFs and was posted away from home to RAF Wheaton Aston, Little Onn, Staffordshire, where she met Vic.

It was on Nina's 21st birthday in 1944, that she and Vic exchanged wedding vows at Blymhill Church, a small wayside chapel where they would often cycle, enjoying the daffodils splayed among the graves. As they stood alone in the darkness this particular evening, making their promises to one another, the clock outside chimed the hour ... 9 pm. Thereafter, that time became their trysting hour, a time when each would stand for moments, thinking of the other, praying to God to keep their loved one safe.

On 27 November 1944, Vic and Jack in Mosquito DK292 failed to return. 

Nothing was heard from them since taking off from their base at Foulsham. Their names were up on the blackboard, and everyone was thinking of them, wondering what might have happened, dreading the worst.

On the day Mosquito DK292 and its occupants disappeared, Nina was unexpectedly posted to RAF Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire, another Station under Bomber Command. She had been asking for a transfer, hoping to reach RAF Foulsham. But this place was something else, and not at all what she had imagined. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, there were no telephones for her to ring Foulsham as had become the custom. She had to walk miles in the moonlight ... but then walk back, miserably wondering why no-one was saying why she couldn't speak to her fiance Vic.

This became the second 'Desert Experience' of Nina's life.

For weeks, time stood still.

She would gaze up at the moon when the clock turned to their trysting hour, wondering if he was looking at the same moon ... where he was, when he might return. He never spoke to her of his work. He had signed the Official Secrets Act. It made it impossible to share any of his operations and the work in which he was involved. She had no idea what RAF 100 Group was involved in, nor what made their work so special, so secret. Her mother had been rushed to hospital, and the post mounting on the front doormat underneath the letterbox included telegrams not yet read.

One week on from the date of that fateful Operation, Vic and Jack's names were scrubbed from the blackboard. No-one knew what had happened. There was still hope. But hope was fading fast. Their Squadron had the highest number of fatalities due to the extreme dangers of their work, especially in a Mosquito. It was a fast and agile machine. 

But it was not infallible!

Official Document dated 1 December 1944

On the night of 26/27 November 2019, 75 years on, I wonder what Vic might have been thinking during those final moments of his life. Given they landed on a mined beach, it might have been so sudden that there was no time for reason or thought. I hope that is true! Vic had a morbid fear of death by fire ... But I have no doubt, in the event that there were precious moments, he would have been visualising his beloved Nina. Their wedding had been postponed from July 1944 because of her mother's illness. So they were both eager for their Big Day to arrive. It had been tricky, planning it for when both were on Leave, including Jack his Best Man. But the plans were in place. All it needed were for the two of them to make their dream a reality.

However, that final fateful mission on 26/27 November meant it could never be!

Nina wrote her feelings, her thoughts, on page after page after page. She had no idea whether Vic would ever read these pages, but it was all she could do. They needed an outlet, a release.

On the 60th Anniversary of Vic and Jack's deaths, I had my book published: 

'Nina & Vic: A World War II Love Story'. 

To mark their 75th Anniversary, in August this year my 30th book was published entitled: 

'A Wing & A Prayer'. 

This latest edition sheds new light, and the words of others, such as Phil James MBE who was there, serving in 192 Squadron with Vic and Jack at the time ... now Lifetime President of the RAF 100 Group Association.

It was a book which brought me so much peace in the writing of it I didn't want it to end ... but then, something very new and unexpected happened.

Jan, a Dutch researcher I'd written to previously, came through with a document dated 1946, which shows with absolute certainty the place where they landed on a mined beach on the coast of France: 

1946 Document relating to Mosquito DK292 crash

Courtesy: Jan (The Netherlands)

They would have had some reason, probably engine trouble as had happened previously that year, definitely something wrong with the plane; to have landed on the coast of France. The one thing they wouldn't have known was that the beach was mined!

I am still convinced that someone must have heard the explosion. Perhaps a witness actually saw what happened from the window of their home? At least finally, after all these years, it provides an ending to the story of Vic and Jack ... and despite offering little comfort, ultimately shows where the two Merlin Mosquito engines might still lie, visible only at low tide:

Map showing location of crash-site as per 1946 document

Nina was my mother. She believed 'Love is Eternal'. There is no end. Finally, she is at peace, at rest, with all her questions answered. She knows the truth of what happened ... and in time, so will I when I join her in that 'Land of Far Beyond'.

Meanwhile, I needed to mark the 75th Anniversary to show these brave men are still remembered, sharing their story with a wider audience, speaking their names aloud that they are never ever forgotten.

Henry Victor Alexander Vinnell

Jack Glen Millan Fisher

Rest In Peace

WE WILL REMEMBER!

LIVING WITH CANCER

Copyright: Janine Harrington

A new day struggles into wakefulness. I wonder what it will bring as I step through the gateway to embrace the dawn. My mind wanders. But it can't go far these days. Yesterday is but a memory ... and not even that, given the dark velvet covering, with twinklets of stars the only source of light, reminding me that once upon a daydream there were good times shared. Tomorrow presents a fog of uncertainty. A nothingness stretching beyond. I have no idea how long I have left in this life. A dis-quietening thought, not because I have any kind of Bucket List or challenges I still need to achieve, nor have I a 'To Do' List requiring urgent attention. It's simply the way it is ... a certainty yet to be realised.

I have only Today. 

This hour. 

This moment. 

And it is living in this moment that provides the key, unlocking the essence of that Inner Peace.

My Faith remains the strongest part about me. I am not afraid of Death. However, it is while I still 'walk in the valley of the shadow of ...' which gives me endless cause for concern.

I was diagnosed with Cancer over two years ago. From the start, I made it clear I wanted no treatment. I believe in Quality not Quantity of Life. When my time comes God will take me Home. Just as I am. And through the journey which has evolved through these past two years and more, it is that thought alone, that belief, that certainty within that brings such Peace ... together with an almost desperate longing for ... My Time To Come.

I am ready.

My soul has already lived through too much. I have only two regrets if I am to be completely open and honest:

1. I will never know a lifetime of living with a Soulmate, feeling the true empathy, understanding, support and Love that comes in knowing and loving another so completely we become One.

2. I miss children, young children, holding and cuddling them, looking into their eyes, seeing the innocence and trust, playing with them, being a part of their lives. I will never be a grandmother, and feel again that sense of motherhood, pride and overwhelming Love which comes in watching and learning, seeing the world through a Child's eyes, being part of who they become. Always, it is a unique and privileged position ... a Gift.

I am reminded of how cruelly my own innocence was taken as a child, which is the reason I have lived with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress) since the age of four years old when a Specialist at the hospital where I was being treated for my disabilities sexually abused me. I had no words to explain, to share the secret which slowly crept like a living, breathing entity, consuming me from within, taking over every aspect of my life. Yet at six years old, my mother thought enough of what I was saying to note in her diary of the day: 'After our hospital visit today, Janine told me 'he hurts me''. Abuse was never spoken of then. Authorities were people to be respected, even revered. They could do no wrong. No-one spoke out against them, as we do today. I had been taught never to say 'No' to an adult. Only when I reached the age of 14 did I finally take action, the only action I could, and went on strike, refusing to return ever again to that place of madness and nightmares. But nightmares didn't stop, they didn't diminish, nor did they go away as further nightmares fused with them as life struggled on. More and more I had gaps in my days I couldn't fill. Hours passed. I had no idea what was happening to me. No idea that everyday happenings triggered feelings and memories, which in turn re-opened that black box of bad memories in my mind, taking me in with them, returning me to that state of childhood, repeating over and over again what happened. I had gone through five experimental operations. None were successful. I wore calipers on both legs and feet until the age of nine, then hospital shoes. It set me apart from other children. Abuse and bullying became a way of life.

Today, going through the doors of a hospital returns me to that child state of confusion and dread. I wandering corridors, lost somewhere deep within myself, unable to find a way out, or return to the present. In technical terms it's called a 'Fugue' or 'Disassociative State', breaking from the present, living in the past. There is nothing I can do to take back control until it runs its course.

This is one reason I refused treatment for Cancer.

It has nothing at all to do with imagination, or responding to 'snapping out of it' as some people suggest. PTSD is a recognised condition following a trauma. However, I am fortunate now to have a wonderful Counsellor who surprisingly understands enough about PTSD to work on strategies to help me cope. We use Visualisation techniques ... and remarkably, after all these years, I can finally find my Peace, overlaying painful memories of abuse with a country scene of which I become a part, and which ultimately brings sleep.

Mum died of Cancer in 1996. I recall that January when she phoned to say she was bleeding, and it wouldn't stop. I drove straight over to be with her, to talk, to share. Initially, she was diagnosed with a prolapse of the womb. But she deteriorated quickly. I drove almost daily, accompanying her to hospital appointments for Radiation treatment, assessments, etc. As with many of her generation, she was a very private woman. She hated intrusive investigations, having catheters inserted. Once she was in hospital, in a bed next to a young girl with Cancer, she spent more time supporting and talking to her than anything else. She was an incredibly caring, compassionate lady. It hurt her to see someone so young struggling through Cancer, with a young child to care for. At night, she phoned, talking about how much the treatment hurt, saying the treatment was worse than the Cancer. But she didn't feel she could say 'No' or stop the procedures which, for her, became an interminable dread. Almost six months down the line, I went in search of her doctor in the hospital. They didn't want to talk about 'Death'. They couldn't even say the word. However, they had drawn the curtains around my mother's bed, effectively isolating her, making her feel cut off from the world, and particularly from the young girl she had befriended. I asked if she was dying. If so, how long did she have, persisting that she would want to know? Finally, a lady doctor took me into her room, and told me she didn't have long ... days rather than weeks. I insisted she needed someone in authority to tell her and my father who was making plans for when she returned home. When I was back at Mum's beside, she looked at me, and nodded. I knew she knew. She died 22 July 1996 in a Sue Ryder Hospice to which she was moved.

My second reason for refusing treatment therefore is related to Mum. She wasn't afraid of death. Her father taught her that as he died when she was six years old. But like me today, she became afraid of the time leading up to her death ... because of the treatment. She simply wanted to go home, and be in familiar surroundings when came her Time.

In a life where someone else has always taken control, for me, I need to know that, although I can't have control over when I die or how, I can at least have a voice.

When first diagnosed, I asked what choices I had, and to have them fully explained. Initially I accepted Letrozole tablets. Taken with my cocktail of other tablets for a range of disabilities stemming from birth, they seemed so small in comparison. Yet the side-effects were massive, immediate and devastating. I was so sick I could do nothing at all. I took them for three months, all over that first Christmas until, at the end of January, when I next saw the Specialist, not having tasted a Christmas Dinner, or been able to share in any of the festivities; I said if this was the way the rest of my life would pan out, then I would just let the Cancer take its course. And that's the way it's been ever since. But then, I wasn't prepared for simply being unexpectedly discharged from hospital, spending most of the next two years feeling abandoned, isolated, alone.

Perhaps I was being punished for saying 'NO!'

That was my first thought ... which in turn, brought memories of the Specialist treating me at the age of four years old. But then, yes, I'd wanted him to leave me alone. In later years, when I became an Abuse Consultant, supporting families in abuse, working one-to-one with paedophiles in and out of prison, I learned from them just how devious and manipulative this first Specialist in my life had been. Always, he'd spoken to my doll, never directly to me. Matron would take my mother out of the consulting room with her when she became pregnant with my sister, as she was so ill. I was left alone with my abuser. It's how Mum and I worked out when the abuse began, when finally I shared my experiences with her when I was forty years old. Always, he'd nod towards the cubicle, drawing the dark green curtains. I knew by then what was expected of me. I was a good girl. What I couldn't work out was, if I was a good girl, why did all these bad things keep happening to me? Why did I have to undress when all he was meant to do was measure one leg against the other as if the shorter one would somehow catch up? My legs were five inches different in length ... leading in later years to chronic arthritis in my spine, hips, knees and legs. I took to wearing dungarees. Five pairs of pants. My mother couldn't work out what was going on with me, as, even at school, I continued wearing layers of protection. My trust was betrayed at an early age. Innocence was no more. I didn't know what he was doing, or why, but I felt the pain, the burning sensation he caused. All the time his back was turned towards me I very reluctantly lay back on the couch, gazing at the awful aging green curtains surrounding us, withdrawing to a place deep inside, disassociating from what was going on.

Even today, almost 63 years on, it is still that shade of green that brings back painful distressing images of that consulting room, making me physically sick.

I see the Cancer as a slow train chugging along its track through my body, stopping at stations before proceeding on its way. The original growth is much bigger. Another growth is now on my lymph gland. Only a scan will show exactly how far the Cancer has spread.

I'm on a high dosage of Morphine per day, together with the same cocktail of pills I've been on for years for other disabilities. Chronic Fatigue kicks in around midday, although there are days which I need to write off altogether, so exhausted I can't even raise my arms, or walk on jelly legs outside the door. I have the challenge of a new book written as a legacy for a Veteran who recently died, offering a challenge for the New Year. And my worldwide Family of Kindred Spirits remains in daily contact ... Veterans of RAF 100 Group and their families. I thank them all for giving so much, and for who they are, what they've done, the inspiration and strength they continue to offer me.

My gift for Christmas is that Jo, my daughter, will be sharing it with me. It fills my heart to overflowing with Love.

I'm battling finance, with Disability Living Allowance having been dissolved, applying for Personal Independence Payment which has taken its place. I had thought this to be an easy changeover. However, having been on the High Level for Mobility, given I have no transport, and it's impossible to walk at all without chronic pain; unexpectedly PIP has taken away completely any Mobility payment I was receiving, leaving me only with a level of Standard Care. I appealed the decision, but that went back to the person who originally visited me and wrote a Report in which there were glaring errors, despite having an Advocate with me. So I'm now waiting for it to be heard at a Tribunal. Meanwhile, getting anywhere is impossible, unless someone is kind enough to offer a lift. Attending appointments at the Hospice means paying out a hefty sum of money to a taxi driver.

I should say that it's a Postcode Lottery as to what is available in terms of help and support. I am a great believer in self-help groups. But where I live there is nothing, not even on a one-to-one basis where people make home visits. I wish there was a group where I could meet others with Cancer to talk and share. Yes, there are Forums online. Macmillan has an excellent one. But it isn't the same as seeing someone in person. And it's the lack of seeing and touching and sharing that makes this awful sense of Aloneness all the more difficult to bear. Sometimes, all it takes is a hug. Often, there's no need for words. Just knowing that someone listens, understands and cares can be valued.



Over these past two years, I have done more writing than ever before in my life. Words and emotion pour out of me, with a growing sense of urgency to be shared. It is draining, yet at the same time immensely rewarding, offering gifts of Healing and Peace. Without the ability to write, my life would be over. So I continue on, spending time at the Hospice when I can with the Counsellor and Specialist, knowing there will come a point when I've gone as far as I'm able, but happy I will have done ALL that I can for as long as possible, hoping to have made a positive difference to the lives of people around me in some small way. 

My heart goes out to people living with Cancer. Accept it as a Journey. Live in the moment. Small steps only. I've said it before, but it's worth saying again - out of every negative must come a positive. The greater the negative ... the more that positive must be.

Copyright: Janine Harrington

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

RAF 100 GROUP - 'A WING & A PRAYER'

'My promise, Dearest Nina, is that one day I shall write a book about the most beautiful love story that ever was - our story, the story of Nina and Vic.'

Vic believed he had the rest of his life to fulfill his dream - to marry his wartime fiancee Nina and become an author. He yearned for peace and a family where love prevailed - something he had waited a lifetime to experience. Meanwhile, caught up in the Second World War, he had an active and dangerous role as Navigator/Special Operator in 192 Squadron, based at RAF Foulsham, Norfolk; lead Squadron of the very secret RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group under Bomber Command. He regularly flew deep into the heart of Germany in Mosquito DK292, named 'N for Nina', involved in covert operations, including identifying and jamming enemy Radar, flying above the bombers as their Guardian Angels. His Canadian friend and Pilot Jack Fisher was to be Best Man at his wedding taking place at the end of the year during their next Leave.

It wasn't until the early 1980s that I shared my mother's wartime story. Together, we began fulfilling Vic's promise, and in doing so, re-ignited the flame of a wartime love, giving Mum an inner glow of warmth and hope which had lain dormant for too long. For the first time in 50 years, she spoke Vic's name aloud, reminded of his words: 'Love is Eternal'. This took nothing away from the love Mum shared with my father, who also served in the RAF. But it was a different love to that shared with Vic five years before. Theirs had been a love born in wartime, when every moment was precious, because every moment could be their last.

Together, we became founding members of what was to become the worldwide RAF 100 Group Association of which it remains my privilege and joy to be Secretary today, and Editor of our Association magazine: 'Confound & Destroy'. Mum and I wrote and talked to Vic and Jack's former friends and colleagues, as I continue to do today. Sadly, Mum never got to meet them in person before she died of Cancer a short while before our first Reunion. While for me, it remains a humbling and privileged experience to know these people and be part of this Family of Kindred Spirits.

Mum, Vic and Jack were my inspiration. I remain passionate about preserving the history of RAF 100 Group in which they were so proud to serve, and voices such as theirs with a story to share. Too many have taken their secrets to the grave, but I will continue to write, to share words they can no longer say, for as long as I am able. Living with Cancer as I am, I feel it is the most I can do for those who have become firm friends to ensure they never become 'forgotten heroes' ... but are remembered with Love.

In the 75th Anniversary Year of their death, this book is written as a Memorial to Vic and Jack. It tells their fascinating and powerfully emotive story, with a Foreword written by their best friend Phil James MBE with whom I continue to share a close bond, as I have for over twenty years.

PUBLISHED: FeedARead, August 2019

ISBN No: 9781788769570

Available through Amazon, price: £10.99.

GUARDIANS of D-Day: 75th ANNIVERSARY

Normandy Invasion, June 1944

Landing ships put cargo ashore on one of the invasion beaches at low tide during first days of operation. Among identifiable ships present are USS LST-532 (centre); USS LST-262 (3^rd LST right); USS LST-310 (part visible far right); USS LST-524. Barrage balloons overhead. 

Army ‘half-track’ convoy forming up on beach. 

Source: Archives Normandie 1939-1945, Ref: P012623. Copyright expired.

Troops landing on the Normandy beaches came from the United Kingdom, Canada and the US, with many other countries also participating—Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

To support these troops there were 11,590 aircraft. In support of the Invasion, Bomber Command committed 82 Squadrons—consisting of 1,681 serviceable aircraft. During the invasion period, virtually all Bomber Command’s operations were occupied in supporting the assault and beachhead. On 6 June the order came through from the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower:

‘Halcyon Y plus five finally and definitely confirmed’. 

‘Halcyon Y’ meant ‘1 June’; this coded message indicated D-Day would fall on 1 June plus five, meaning 6 June 1944.

75 years on, we read of Anniversary Events taking place in Normandy and elsewhere, watching and listening to the many Memorial Services and Acts of Remembrance on the TV. Yet still there is one Group never mentioned - a Group covered in layers of secrets, like an impenetrable fog, hiding truths that can never be known. And worse, the hundreds of people who made up this Group, who were there, both in the days and weeks leading up to D-Day, as well as on the day itself, preparing and putting in place safeguards for a battle which would ultimately turn the war around ... cannot be remembered. Their names are not spoken, and by the majority they remain faceless and unknown. Yet their work was crucial to the success of D-Day and all that followed.

   

RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group, serving under Bomber Command; remain in the shadows, yet played such a vital role in the Battle of Normandy that, without their assistance in the planning and preparation of the assault, it could never have taken place at all.

 Operation Halcyon showing 5 Normandy Beaches

courtesy: www.junobeach.info

Diagram showing Radar Countermeasures for 5/6 June 1944

National Archives: DEFE 2/502

During April and May the weather was settled and calm. It allowed bombing to intensify as Allied Forces focused on all routes linking to Normandy. Bomber Command flew a wide variety of operations, attacking rail and road communications to slow down the Germans as they advanced towards Normandy to defend themselves against the Allies. German troop and gun positions were attacked, together with ammunition and fuel dumps and French ports, where German Navy fast-attack E-boats and other coastal vessels were concentrated. Bomber Command aircraft dropped personnel and supplies to support Special Operations Executive (SOE), Resistance, and Special Intelligence Service (SIS) operations in connection with the invasion.

Key railway targets in Malines and Chambly were hit, with both raids incurring significant losses—at Malines a total of 132 aircraft were lost, 110 of these being Halifaxes. At Chambly, 120 aircraft went down, including 96 Lancasters. However, by dropping 500 high explosives on the railway area, they caused damage throughout, putting the depot out of order for ten days.

Other, smaller raids proved successful — an attack on Berliet Motor Works involving 75 Lancasters from 1 Group, none of which were lost. The factory received significant damage, as did a nearby railway and factories. At Tours, 46 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes from 5 Group completely destroyed aircraft-repair workshops.

German Military Camps and airfields also made up a number of important targets, as on 3 and 4 May, when 346 Lancasters, with 14 Mosquitoes from 1 and 5 Group, set out to bomb a German Military Camp near the French village of Mailly. On this occasion the raid failed to go according to plan. While Marker Leader Wing Commander Cheshire ordered the main force in, the Main Force Controller, Wing Commander L. C. Dean, was unable to transmit the order because his incorrectly-tuned radio was drowned out by an American Forces broadcast. As a result, German bombers had time to arrive on the scene; the ensuing battle resulted in heavy casualties. The battle culminated in 1,500 bombs being dropped on 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds, and ammunition buildings. In total, 102 vehicles were destroyed, including 37 tanks. However, 42 Lancasters were shot down in the confusion; the most significant losses were suffered by 1 Group, who made up the majority of the second wave of bombers.

A further raid on an airfield at Montdidier—involving 84 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes—caused further damage to buildings and installations on the north of the airfield. Only 4 Lancasters were lost during this bombing.

In order for the Battle of Normandy to be successful, it was crucial that Radar Stations along the coast of France were neutralised to prevent them picking up on the invasion. 39 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes from 8 Group attacked a Radar Station at Monte Couple on 19 and 20 May, when one Lancaster was lost.

The night of 27–28 May, Bomber Command committed over 1,111 aircraft to the Campaign, bombing a range of targets including military camps, airfields and railway yards; 162 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes from 1, 3 and 8 Groups attacked the Rothe Erde railway yard, causing severe damage and significantly affecting all through traffic, which had to be halted. 12 Lancasters were lost during this raid.

However, it wasn’t just the British taking casualties that night—German night fighters suffered huge losses at the hands of gunners defending the bombers. A Me110 attacked ‘F-Freddie’, piloted by FS Coole of 166 Squadron, as they returned from the raid. With the aircraft damaged and rear gunner Sergeant Ashworth hit in the leg by cannon fire, the mid-upper gunner fired several rounds into the underbelly of the attacking aircraft as it flew overhead, causing it to dive vertically. The crew of the Lancaster crash-landed at Woodbridge with minor injuries.

Actions described above were all obvious actions, which people could see happening all around them. It was a nightmare in the making of which everyone there became an intrinsic part. Yet there were hidden layers of which few were aware.

Operation Halcyon marked the first application of airborne radio countermeasures (RCM). These were what RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group were all about. It was their forte. With so many aspects of the German war machine needing to be attacked—by land, sea, and air—RAF 100 Group’s specialist and top-secret equipment became the only means by which all links in the chain could be effectively disrupted. To cover all eventualities, three specific countermeasures had been developed: 

1. a 'Mandrel' screen to cut down enemy early warnings; 

2. communication Jammers;

3. Airborne Interception (AI) Jammers.

Stirlings from 214 and 199 Squadron (both under RAF 100 Group) were converted from bombers into mobile Radar-jamming units using the 'Mandrel' device, while other Squadrons practised precision manoeuvres—accustoming to new and often bizarre equipment. Most of RAF 100 Group’s heavy aircraft were also equipped with chutes to enable the use of 'Window', whereby strips of tin foil were pushed down the chutes, out into the air. The effect was staggering as, on German Radar screens, many hundreds of aircraft could clearly be seen, rather than the few which was the reality.

RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group were living up to their motto admirably: 'Confound & Destroy'. 

As final orders were given that the Normandy Invasion would take place the following day, specialist RCM aircraft from RAF 100 Group — Lancasters and Halifaxes, including USAAF B-17 Fortresses of 803 Squadron, which was attached to 100 Group, working together flying combined operations — prepared to set up a Radar-jamming 'Mandrel' screen to cover the invasion fleet from the ‘eyes’ of German Radars that had survived earlier attacks by Allied fighter-bombers.

RAF 100 Group aircraft were first in the air, taking off at dusk on 5 June 1944. They took up their stations along the south coast of England, from Dorset to Dover, at intervals of 15,000 feet. Flying at precisely determined intervals, heights, and bearings, they effectively jammed German Radar across the entire central and eastern English Channel, masking the invasion fleet. Throughout the month they flew a number of nights, working also as ‘Spoofs’. However, with a lack of aircraft, only a small screen could be put up; this meant RAF aircraft flew in pairs to give full coverage. The U.S. aircraft flew singly, but did not cover as wide a frequency band. Despite early misgivings, the RCM proved to be a success, working far better than theoreticians had dared hope. Its success at diverting German defences also meant that, in July, 192 and 199 Squadrons were converted into the so-called ‘Special Window Force’ (SWF) within 100 Group. Their mission was to divert attention away from the main bomber force by pretending to be a second major force and raid a different target. Crews referred to this task as ‘Spoofing’.

Meanwhile, 214 Squadron—operating 'Airborne Cigar' (ABC) — headed east to fly over Calais and along the Somme Valley, depositing specially designed 'Window'. This set up a false echo on German Radar sets, simulating a mass of bomber aircraft heading for targets that would be chosen if the invasion were taking place near Calais. To add to this illusion, the 'Serrate' anti-night-fighter Mosquitoes of 141, 160 and 239 Squadrons were present over the Somme, attacking any night fighters they could locate. Simultaneously, 85, 157 and 515 Squadrons attacked Luftwaffe bases as far east as Holland, again to give the impression that Calais, not Normandy, was the invasion target. 

All these Squadrons were part of RAF 100 Group, which again, lived up to their motto ‘Confound and Destroy’.

On the night of 5–6 June, a few short hours before the D-Day assault on Normandy, five of 100 Group’s B-17 Fortresses, together with a similar force of Lancasters, were given the unusual task of flying back and forth across the Channel, penetrating 80 miles into France before turning around. On each inward journey, bundles of 'Window' were tossed out as quickly as possible. Just ten aircraft managed to create a bomber stream of hundreds of non-existent raiders on German Radar; this was again designed to confuse and distract the Nazis’ attentions from Normandy. The decoy bombers also jammed German radio using on-board transmitters. An electronic wall that blocked all German communications was successfully established for several hours over northern France, masking the presence of 1,000 Allied transport aircraft.

Joseph Charles ‘Joe’ McCarthy DSO DFC and Bar, the RACF’s American Dambuster, flew with the Squadrons as they followed racetrack-shaped circuits with three-minute turns, 800 feet off Calais, dropping 'Window'. This duped the German coastal Radar into thinking a large surface fleet was approaching Pas de Calais, while the real force was approaching Normandy, far to the west.

Many different ‘mini’ operations were flown under the umbrella of the larger one, each aimed at deflecting German attention away from the intended target. The hope was that the enemy would believe an invasion was happening elsewhere. Time was of the essence. Given the weather conditions, everything had to happen during this window of opportunity.

At around midnight, 149 Squadron went into action with the task of dropping ‘Ruperts’—half-sized dummy parachutists armed with fireworks, which would explode as the dummy landed to simulate machine-gun fire. They were dropped at various locations to confuse German defenders as to where real parachute troops were landing. It proved a resounding success.

The dangerous, yet secretive nature of RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group's work was reflected in medals awarded in the aftermath. On 27 June, for example, Sergeant Harvey Allin of 192 Squadron was awarded a DFM for unspecified acts of ‘cool courage and ardour whilst engaged on special duties’. Even in the awards given, secrecy remained.

Back on the night of 5–6 June, again as part of the air cover for invasion forces, Sqn Ldr R. G. Woodman of 169 Squadron (100 Group) was flying a Mosquito, patrolling over France, hunting for enemy night fighters that might spot invasion forces crossing the Channel. Ironically, he described the evening as ‘the quietest night of the year’, which made the sight of the invasion fleet from the air all the more astounding. It marked the prelude of what was to come.

Apart from RAF 100 Group’s ongoing secret work, additional deception sorties were flown by Bomber Command, each with their own code and modus operandi ... as illustrated in the diagram showing Radar Countermeasures above.

Operation Taxable

Sixteen Lancasters of 617 Squadron dropped precise 'Window' patterns at low level, in conjunction with a Royal Navy deception operation, to simulate the incoming convoy approaching the coast at Cap d’Antifer.

Operation Glimmer

Six Stirlings from 218 Squadron conducted a similar 'Window'-dropping operation to 617 Squadron’s, simulating an invasion convoy approaching Boulogne.

Operation Titanic

A force of 40 Hudsons, Halifaxes, and Stirlings dropped dummy parachutists, rifle-fire simulators, 'Window', and two SAS teams to simulate airborne landings away from the invasion area. 200 dummy parachutists dropped near to the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, with 50 more east of the River Dives and 50 to the south-west of Caen. 200 dummy parachutists and SAS teams were dropped at Yvetot, 30 miles south-west of Dieppe. The SAS had orders to allow some of the enemy to escape and spread alarm by reporting landings of hundreds of parachutists. Two Stirlings were lost in this operation. Dummy parachutists were crude cloth representations of a human figure — a simple series of cloth bags and strips connected in a roughly cross-like shape, giving the impression of a parachutist; they were certainly not the accurate rubber figures suggested in some accounts. Equipped with a device to prevent the enemy discovering they were a deception, an explosive charge destroyed the cloth figure, setting it on fire, suggesting the supposed man had burnt his parachute and lay hidden, ready for action or sabotage.

The Somme Estuary

Over the Somme Estuary, 24 Lancasters from 101 Squadron and five B-17 Flying Fortresses of 214 Squadron established an ‘Airborne Cigar’ (ABC) ground-air radio-jamming and 'Window' barrage along the line. They sought to distract enemy night fighters away from transport aircraft carrying airborne troops. One Lancaster was lost.

Littlehampton

Over Littlehampton, 16 Stirlings from 199 Squadron and four 8th Air Force B-24 Liberators established a jamming screen using ‘Mandrel’ Electronic Warfare Radar Jammers. The screen was established between Littlehampton and Portland Bill to hide the real invasion fleet from German EW Radar.

Success

Less than one week after the first RAF 100 Group flight, on 11 June the beaches were fully secured. Over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles, and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.

The Germans had taken comfort from the poor conditions — which were worse in northern France than over the English Channel — believing that no invasion would be possible for several days. Some troops stood down, and many senior Officers went away for the weekend. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel took a few days of leave to celebrate his wife’s birthday. Dozens of Division, Regimental and Battalion Commanders were away from their posts, conducting war games prior to the invasion. It left the Germans in confusion and disarray, especially with the absence of celebrated Commander Rommel, who was away on leave.

Hitler initially believed the invasion was a feint, designed to distract the Germans from an attack north of the Seine. He refused to release nearby Divisions to join the counter-attack. Reinforcements had to be called in from further afield, causing delays. Hitler also hesitated in calling for armoured Divisions to help in the defence. Moreover, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to make long detours; this was in addition to efficient Allied Naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.

Over ensuing weeks, the Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside—including a dense landscape of marshes and hedgerows — in the face of determined German resistance. By the end of June, the Allies had seized the vital port of Cherbourg and had landed approximately 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy. They were now poised to continue their march across France. By the end of August 1944, the Allies had reached the Seine. Paris was liberated, and the Germans were removed from north-western France; the battle for Normandy was at an end.

RAF 100 Group had been the secret eyes in the skies, identifying and jamming enemy Radar, equipping and working with the U.S. 8th Air Force as well as the Resistance, SOE, and SOD, creating a hidden layer of defence. They were the Guardian Angels of those on the Front Line, and their work was key to this turning point of the war.

Working with these Veterans over the past 25 years, it has been both a privilege and pleasure, as well as a humbling experience. They share their stories with one another, while there are many who still say nothing at all, replaying the secret role they played throughout the Second World War silently in their heads. Too many have taken their secrets to the grave. And till my final breath I continue to campaign on their behalf, passionate that their history and voices should be heard. They do not call themselves 'Heroes', simply saying they had a job to do, and they did it to the best of their ability. However, given their work was so secret yet so crucial to the success of the Second World War, they need to know their legacy will live on into the future ... and yearn to receive the respect and recognition due to them.

We WILL Remember Them!

One Final Note

There are many many books written about The Second World War. However, my books focus on RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group ... Guardian Angels of the Skies. To understand more about the role they played during D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, working with the U.S. 8th Air Force, as well as other operations in which they played a key role; you can read:

Published by Fonthill Media
Available from AMAZON, price currently: £8.34 (hardback)

I would also make the point that it was the publishers, Fonthill Media, who omitted all photographs, maps and diagrams which originally went with the writings. I have had many complaints about this issue as well as Reviews which express the same, saying that including these would have enhanced the book greatly in illustrating its writings.

I totally agree!

However, the book does tell in great depth the story of RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group operations, and includes the personal writings of Veterans. In sharing their story it shows their remarkable achievements, and how electronic warfare won the day.

BOOK REVIEWS

A REMINDER THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL

This book was published in January this year, and Major Rosemary Dawson has written a personal Review after reading it, which appeared in The Salvationist magazine, 11 May 2019:

'Some people seem to encounter more than their fair share of life's trials and tribulations. Janine Harrington is certainly one of them.

Describing herself as having 'a PhD in Life', for the past 30 years she has chosen, through her work as a Christian Counsellor and Abuse Consultant, to use her own roller-coaster experiences as a survivor of physical and sexual abuse to help children and adults come to terms with similar situations.

People who have suffered abuse often blame themselves, rather than the abuser. Janine seeks to explain that the only way to deal with such experiences is to work through them - to let them out in the open and share with others. 'Forgiveness isn't forgetting, it's about remembering ... and letting go', she says.

Now she invites Readers to share her personal journey, asking them what they might do in similar situations. She explores the age-old question: 'Why do bad things happen for no apparent reason?' - whether a betrayal of trust, a broken marriage or a life destroyed by the actions of another. She recounts how a ten-year period of daily domestic violence stripped her of self-esteem and left her frail, vulnerable, afraid and alone.

So, where does God fit into the picture? The answer, she says, may surprise you!

Throughout her struggles and ensuing health problems, there remained the seed of Christian faith, the heritage of her Christian upbringing. With courage and determination, this ultimately helped bring her back to 'a mindset where God is in control of my life' and gave her a renewed purpose for living. With God's help, she has found the inner peace that had deserted her, and can accept herself as the person she has become. Janine is now a Lay Preacher and an Adherent Member of Filey Salvation Army.

This inspirational and candid book, which contains some helpful and thought-provoking meditations, represents the positive outlook which comes through her present battle with Cancer: 'Out of every negative must come a positive - the greater the negative, the more than positive must be.'

My grateful thanks to Major Rosemary Dawson

'Always Believe - A Personal Journey of Faith' is available from Amazon, priced £7.99.

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WRITTEN WITH LOVE

This book was the fulfillment of a promise to Veterans and their families who served in RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group, under Bomber Command. It brings together the many airfields in Norfolk which became their home in wartime, and offers a voice to those brave yet humble heroes, willing to sacrifice their lives to bring the kind of peace we enjoy today. Next year, 2020, marks VE Day when people flooded into the streets, sharing their joy and happiness that finally war was at an end, yet knowing at the same time that life could never return to what it had been, with so many who had been killed and families mourning the loss of loved ones. This weighty volume shares stories of the few who lived to tell their tale, while I remain passionate about preserving both the history and stories of RAF 100 Group and those who served with them.

Joe May's Review is one of many from Readers who have read this book:   

'This is clearly a labour of love by the Author. I couldn't put it down. The work of 100 Group RAF has never been widely known, but here are so many memories in one book. It may never be known how many lives they saved, but the RAF would have faced much higher losses without the 100 Group's talented crews and ingenious equipment addressing various ground-based and airborne Luftwaffe threats. Even 100 Group sadly lost aircraft and crews.

RAF 100 Group was a hyper-secret and superbly successful Unit in Bomber Command. Janine has produced a unique book about a unique Unit in the RAF during World War Two who were tasked with confusing as well as raiding against the Luftwaffe using electronic warfare - to confound and destroy. Although electronic warfare is common-place today, it was new at the time and 100 Group were its pioneers. Janine writes concisely and completely about each phase of the evolution 100 Group experienced as well as a comprehensive mention of equipment utilised (most books mention two or three when there were over a dozen). She has also assembled first-hand accounts from 100 Group members living today, as well as accounts from family members which provide insight and much required context to better understand the times.

In 'RAF 100 Group - Kindred Spirits' book, Janine has the Reader learning vital, though little known, details of electronic warfare's infancy as well as its tactics. Handfuls of aircraft flying distraction raids appearing on German Radar as hundreds, and aircraft forming an electromagnetic line over the Channel during the prelude to D-Day so that German Radar would be none the wiser, are just two examples for the Reader to be amazed by 100 Group's almost nightly exploits.

RAF 100 Group - Kindred Spirits book fills a void in many libraries.

But why is there such a void, and who is the Author?

The void is grandfathered in for two primary reasons. The first is that the Group's activities were hyper-secret with its aircraft specially marked so that each was under continuous guard when not flying. Any Military Service person will identify with the stories of Special Operators whose aircraft landed at a diverted airfield. The second is due to the fact that Bomber Command personnel went from hero to zero at war's end. Thankfully, that gross error has been corrected, with Janine addressing the issue objectively as well as poignantly. To say that Janine can write about RAF 100 Group is a bit like saying the Queen has poise. Janine was born to her work with her mother's fiance Flt/Lt Vic Vinnell MIA (Missing in Action) over Europe's war-torn skies, never to be recovered while on a mission still held secret today. Since that time, she has served to record the Unit's history and Service Personnel recollections. She is also Secretary of the worldwide RAF 100 Group Association.

Aside from the plethora of gems found within Janine Harrington's writings, personal accounts and images regarding the war, there are certain treasures which stand out. One is the pilot's account of flying his Hawker Hunter beneath Tower Bridge and why (an incredible series of events). Another is the remembrance of walking seven miles to enjoy an egg (such was the need of fresh food as well as a bit of company). One other gem is the Chapter devoted to the USAAF's 36th Bomb Squadron Radar Counter Measure Unit (of the Mighty Eighth Air Force).

Absolutely get this book since it will substantially enhance a World War Two Library Collection as well as Aviation Electronic Warfare specialisation!

My grateful thanks to Joe May for sharing his thoughts and sentiments after reading my book.

RAF 100 Group - Kindred Spirits is available from Amazon, 

priced hardback £20.99, Softback £14.99

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Joe made mention, in his Review, about my mother's wartime fiance Vic Vinnell. Vic, with his Canadian friend and Pilot Jack Fisher, flew with 192 Squadron (lead Squadron of RAF 100 Group), based at RAF Foulsham, Norfolk. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of their deaths in Mosquito DK292. Still it is not known what happened on their final fateful flight during the night of 26/27 November 1944, but we can remember them ... we can ensure that they did not die in vain.

To this end, later this year, I am having re-published the first book I ever wrote about RAF 100 Group, entitled: 'On A Wing & A Prayer'. This will be dedicated to Vic and Jack, and to all who flew dangerous operations under the still very secret RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group ... Guardian Angels of wartime skies!

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!