IV


Formation Training

Diary Entry: Tuesday, June 4th 1940, 1440 hours:
I knew it was coming,.. I knew it as we returned to Tangmere yesterday from our initial checkout flight as Red Section with Flt Lt Payne, …. it was just a matter of when. The reason I was sure of it is thanks to our debriefing. It went something along this account on June 3rd. After each of the three of us finished the required paperwork for our fitters and riggers, Payne walked to the Squadron's Intelligence Officer's office followed by Lacey and myself. As he entered, Payne preceded to ask Sgt Hughes if he knew the proper lay out for 'A' flight Red Section's aircraft when in the air? Hughes affirmed that he did. Payne turned his glance to Lacey and I and said, “SIT!” He inquired if Hughes possessed the training pictures for the different formations which were standard for all RAF Fighter Squadrons training syllabuses. Hughes pulled out a rather large picture of 'A' Flight with each section in 'Vic' Formation. “Would this be the one you are looking for Sir?” asked Sgt Hughes with a subtle amount of sarcasm about his tone. Payne nodded affirmatively and snatched the large picture rather briskly and taped it to the grand sized chalkboard which the Sargent used for debriefings. He then asked Hughes , “would you care to label 'A' flight Red Section with our names beneath the appropriate planes depicted in the picture Sgt. Hughes.” As Sgt Hughes went about writing each of our names under the proper crate using a grease pencil, Lacey and I looked at one another as each of us knew we were about to receive a rather stern barking at. As Hughes accomplished the task, Payne said, “that will be all Sargent, would you lend me your office for the next few minutes?” “Of course Sir,” Hughes countered. As he stepped out quietly he gave Lacey and I a notice of sympathy while closing the door behind himself. Hughes also perceived what was looming, and I am quite positive he and the Adjutant were enjoying quite a chuckle just about now. Payne stepped up to the chalkboard and drew three large 'X's over the aircraft in Yellow Section. “Forget Yellow Section! They don't exist,.... yet! Do You Blokes Understand?” We both responded affirmatively. “Good!” Payne said. He then proceeded to bark at us,...... “Learn It!,.... Memorize It!,...... DO NOT FORGET IT!” Then he wrote on the picture, Learn it or I will send you to fly for the Huns! He marked heavily over each letter several times in the name 'Huns' to cause each of them to appear bold and then underlined the word to emphasize his message to us. “Do You Blokes Understand That?” Payne said. Again Lacey and I both acknowledged affirmatively. “Good,.... Because If I Ever Again See Either Of You Fly As Poorly Or As Dangerously As You Did Today,..... IT'S OFF TO FRANCE WITH YOU BOTH! Formation Training at sparrow chirp tomorrow!!! Remove yourselves from my sight and be at the ready in the morning!” Lacey and I stood to our feet at attention, saluted, turned about face together and proceeded to paraded out of the office. As we did, neither Sgt Hughes nor the Adjutant would look us in the eye and each appeared to be attempting to cover their smirks, but this was a serious matter for Lacey and I! I found positively nil humor regarding this state of affairs!


June 4th, 0500 hours! Red Section Formation Training initialized for Lacey and I under the Squadron Leader, Flt Lt Payne. Our fitters had each of our Hurricanes on the end of the runway Line Abreast. As dawn broke over Tangmere we each started our engines and fire and smoke rolled over the noses of our aircraft and confused our sight through the canopy glass for a few moments. Roll out was at ten second intervals, throttle at full power, with my Hurricane VK-B presenting everything she could muster to climb and chase down Lacey and Payne.


Once Lacey caught up to Payne, it was my turn to catch up to both of them. We assumed our positions in the 'Vic', and it was jolly hard to hold my distance from Payne and keep an eye on Lacey. Payne cued the R/T, “Red Section this is Red Leader calling, each of you, eyes on me only, hold your distance and maintain altitude accordingly, listening out.” Payne had us practice staying with him and gradually he had us close up the distance from our Hurricanes to his as Lacey and I started to feel a bit less uneasy about the whole business. The sun rising over West Sussex was rather stunning.


Over the coming days during this week Lacey and I found our confidence in flying the tight 'Vic'. Mostly through Payne's insistence and constant R/T instruction were each us to learn that Red Leader was our focus. Nothing Else! Our complete Squadron depended on tight 'Vic' formations to survive. Otherwise each of us might end up some Hun's breakfast! Those stunning sunrises became a dangerous distraction and Payne flew Red Section directly into them purposely on each session to train us to engage the blinding glare and fight through it to do our job. “Hold the 'Vic'! out”, as Payne would bellow over the R/T. Payne confided that while fighting over France he had come to realize that the Huns loved to attack from out of the sun. It was imperative that Lacey and I must remain vigilant to this Jerry tactic as this situation would assuredly present itself as a threat to our very survival as RAF pilots in the near future.


We had our moments, for instance when Lacey found himself flying directly on top of Payne's position. Honestly it was a rather gusty day and we each had a great deal of difficulty with movement in accordance with that wind. As Payne led us into a rather sharp starboard turn, Lacey had lost sight of both of us under his port wing and I had drifted much to far to the port side of the formation. Payne broke in on the Blower, “Hello Red Two, Red Leader calling,............. Why am I looking at the bottom of Hurricane VK-G, which is positioned merely twenty feet above me? Pilot Officer, get in formation, ...NOW! Red Three tighten up your position, out.” All in all I would venture to say we were getting the feel of it, and a majority of the time our 'Vic' was as tight as one could expect. Payne acknowledged as much but counseled us with, “never take your eyes off of your Section Leader as he is your life chaps!”


As Red Section had been dogging on to perfect the 'Vic', so had Yellow Section under Flt Lt Lenny Alsford Marshall. Marshall's number two was Flg Off Arthur Chandler Chamberlain and his number three was, Plt Off Lloyd Billingsworth Clough. Marshall had flown a Hurricane in No. 1 Squadron in France during the 'Phony War' and was shot down but safely belly landed near Vassincourt. Payne had decided it was time to marry both Red Section with Yellow Section to fly as 'A' Flight. As we fired our engines Payne cut in on the Blower, “Hello Red Section this is Red leader calling, Yellow Section now exists. Keep your focus soley on me Red Section and let Yellow Section handle their own business! Listening Out.” It was a stormy day, but later in the flight as we climbed out towards the Channel the sky cleared off somewhat and all of 'A' Flight joined together and we each flew with great precision. It was all beginning to come together.


It was rather startling to have Yellow Section directly off my Port wing. Yellow section flew quite a tight 'Vic' giving reason for Lacey and I to tighten our positions even more. This took a while to adapt to, but we adjusted soon enough. We flew a fair amount of training over the wetlands of Bosham, Thorney Island and also Hayling Island. We were not allowed to train over Portsmouth and had not ventured down to The Isle of Wight as of yet. Our formation was commencing to aspire each pilot to a high level of confidence in our abilities as RAF Fighter Pilots, yet many of us had not seen any action as of the present day.


Our Training moved to the end of our second week and we were operating efficiently now, moving as a Flight and anticipating each movement of our respective Section Leaders. As formation maneuvers became second nature to my abilities as a pilot I began to realize and take in the beauty of West Sussex and the Southern English coast. The unspoiled wetlands of the islands, the waterways and the sunrises and cloud formations. These were some of the Blessings of the British Island, that which we would fight to preserve and deliver from the plans of invasion that Adolf Hitler looked to recklessly commit the German Military to.


The beauty was astounding, but for England to be on the brink of such a tragedy as war, was unconscionable. We must defend our British Island home at all costs. And that we would with no regret!