My grandads war.

[A H]

Heres a spit from the same place covered in snow. I think this is a great picture

spit 1.jpg

[A H]

I have a good few more pictures to add just waiting for my mum to find them. The others that I will put on tommrrow are of germany in 1945 46 and 47. Some are of the german pows who worked with the Airmen. Just got this from Tom not so long ago his air force papers.Thats it for tonight I will post more in the next few days.

cert.jpg

[A H]

Very nice pictures, I havent seen anything like it in a while, it is very fun looking at the pictures that your grandfather took, because you are basically seeing things he saw, and things through his point of view. It is very fun.

BTW, I wouldve brought that buzzbomb back if I were him.

Think I might have been a bit heavey to carry. Plus they were too busy getting screamed at for what they did the night before.

Regards Adam

[PZIV]

That's really neat. I like how the story goes along with the photos. Great lot!

[Chet Sowersby]

Nice story and pictures. I find it very intesting as my father was an armouer also. His unit was the 359th Fighter Group and was based at East Wretham located near Thetford in East Anglia. His group was orginally equipped with P-47's but converted to P-51's in early 1944. I've many pictures of the type you've shared but with US aircraft. Thanks for sharing.

Chet

[Josh Beckett]

Think I might have been a bit heavey to carry. Plus they were too busy getting screamed at for what they did the night before.

Regards Adam

Where was the buzzbomb at?

[A H]

Nice story and pictures. I find it very intesting as my father was an armouer also. His unit was the 359th Fighter Group and was based at East Wretham located near Thetford in East Anglia. His group was orginally equipped with P-47's but converted to P-51's in early 1944. I've many pictures of the type you've shared but with US aircraft. Thanks for sharing.

Chet

I would love to see those Chet

Regards Adam

[A H]

That's really neat. I like how the story goes along with the photos. Great lot!

Thanks Mansel, there a alot more pictures but he is getting old now and doesnt really remember where they were taken if he has not written on the back of them. I will have to sit with him and go through them because if I dont when he goes so will all the history and storys

Regards Adam

[A H]

Where was the buzzbomb at?

Hey josh it was at Grinbergen? Near Brussels in belguim

Regards Adam

[A H]

On January 1 1945, the Polish Wing took off for a morning mission to bomb various targets. Nearly an hour later, over 50 German fighters attacked their airfield St. Denijs. This was a part of the Operation “Bodenplatte”, the last major effort made by fading Luftwaffe. Low flying Fw190s and Me109s strafed many aircraft amassed at the airfield, including Polish, American and British. They in returned where caught red-handed by Polish 308 and 317 squadrons returning from their respective operations. In the fierce fight that broke out over and around the airfield the 317 squadron’s pilots shot down six confirmed, one probable and damaged four. The unit suffered one loss, F/Lt Powierza, shot down and killed. On the ground, Poles lost 18 Spitfires, and several soldiers killed by German bullets. These scores were the last the squadron recorded, as afterwards the German planes were seen only sporadically.

Tom was very nearly killed during this attack. He just managed to get into a slit trench. He then sat and hoped!.


The unit relocated few more times before the war ended, following the front. The last months the 317 filled with less frequent but more diverse missions. During one of the last operational flights during the war, the 317 pilots were directed against three German ships off shore. Poles unsuccessfully bombed then strafed the ships. In a result of a major explosion on one of them, the Spitfire piloted by F/Lt Szczerbinski was damaged and crashed at sea. This was the last loss suffered by the squadron, including the post war service in the Allied Occupational Force in Germany.

The 317 squadron’s war effort: 10251 sorties in 14352 flying hours; 48 1/3 enemy’s aircraft shot down, 10 probable, and 26 damaged; 3 a/c destroyed and 3 damaged on the ground; one 500 tons ship sunk; 595 motor vehicles, 13 locomotives, 111 railway cars, 17 self propelled guns, 30 barges and tugs, 17 military buildings destroyed. On the losses side: 25 pilots lost, 2 missing and 5 POW; 59 aircraft lost and 25 damaged as a result of the wartime activities.

Tom Picked this piece of Propeller blade up from one one of the spitfire wrecks

Blade 1.jpg

[A H]

This cap badge was given to Tom after the attack by one of the Polish Pilots.

Polish wings.jpg

[A H]

Toms medals. These are not his originals. His mum went a bit strange in her old age and gave them away. She also gave away his brothers medals. I got these for him as a new years present a few years back.


Toms medals.jpg

[A H]

Tom has forgotten a lot of his service now, can’t really blame him as it was over 60 years ago.
Sometimes when he has a few whiskeys he will sit and talk about things he saw and did. He likes telling the V1 story and the polish Vodka (ie) petrol! .
He sometimes talks of a polish man named Gutt. When Poland was invaded Gutt instead of trying to get to England to fight with us joined with the Germans. Gutt was made a Pow by the Americans sometime in early 1944. He then volunteered to fight along side his country men and ended up being posted to 317 Squadron where Tom met him. Tom said the strange thing was that the other poles didnt really dislike him. He was quite surprised as he had seen what the Polish ground crew would do to most Germans they came across. They would not take them prisoner.
Gutt fitted in to a degree but most of the British lad’s didn’t like him much. When they got into Germany and had the chance of sleeping in the nice comfortable German barracks they had to be careful. Tom said they would run a ruler or a stick very slowly and carefully around a very slightly opened door to check for traps. Which where sometimes present. On one occasion Tom and Gutt had checked the door of one barracks and went inside. On the table were wine and a Luger. Tom had brass knuckles a few Berettas but always wanted a luger. He felt it may be a trap so told Gutt not to pick it up and went to get his friend Paddy Rankin the only Irish member of 317 Squadron for some advice. Gutt picked the pistol up as soon as Tom walked out of the room and that as he says was the end of Gutt

[A H]

When it came to the Germans, the poles didn’t like them at all. Tom didn’t like them, then or to this day after seeing some displaced persons and forced Labour workers when he moved round Germany.
Any excuse to get at the Germans the poles took it. Not just the pilots the ground crew. On one occasion the squadron made a make shift airfield in France. In the forest areas around it there were still small pockets of SS resistance. The Co had told the ground crews to carry rifles but not to go looking for trouble. As soon as the polish lads heard of this they were straight into Forest looking for the Germans. Tom said he heard machine gun fire from maybe an mg42 he knew it wasn’t a mp40. He thought that the 5 or 6 poles that had gone into the forest would all be dead as they only had pistols and 303 rifles, no grenades or sub machine guns.
Any way about 40 mins later the polish lads “all of them”, came walking out fine, laughing and joking. Just showed there fighting sprit and hatred of the enemy. Tom knew they had been SS as the poles had said “SS” to him when they walked past him. It may have been only 2 SS or 20 SS but to take on a heavy machine gun not knowing the odds takes some guts!

[A H]

Here he is with my mum last year in garda Italy. The flight to Italy was his first in over 60 years!. His last flight was in an Avro Anson in 1942 sat on the floor!. Saying that probarly more comfortable than with Easy Jet This time it was me taking the pictures!

adams 003.jpg