Midnight is Noon for Nighthawks

With more than 600 kills over German nightfighters, the Mosquito intruder squadrons have never really received the credit due to them. Imagine the casualty rate for bomber command had these Mossies not been over the skies of Germany?

One example:

MIDNIGHT IS STILL NOON FOR NIGHTHAWKS
The history of No. 409 Squadron
by FLIGHT LIEUTENANT F. J. HATCH RCAF Air Historical Section
N
o. 409 SQUADRON, formed at Digby, Lincs., on 17 June 1941, was the second of three Canadian night fighter units organized overseas that year (No. 406 came into existence on 10 May and No. 410 on the last day of June). No. 409 adopted the nickname "Nighthawk" and took as its motto the Latin expression MEDIA NOX MERIDIES NOSTER (Midnight is our Noon). The squadron's badge depicts a crossbow against the background of a black cloak symbolizing its operations of fighting at night.
When the squadron came into existence, night fighting was still a new aspect of air warfare. Research on airborne radar (AI) that would enable a fighter to track and locate an aircraft at night had begun several years before the war, but progress had been slow for emphasis had necessarily been given to the development of day fighters that were to play such a valiant and successful role in the Battle of Britain. Moreover, the
Hurricanes and Spitfires were not designed for fighting at night and when the Luftwaffe switched from day to night bombing in the last phase of the Battle of Britain their bombers were getting away almost scot-free. Out of 12,000 night sorties that the Germans flew over the United Kingdom between 7 September and 13 November 1940 only eight were intercepted by allied fighters; 54 were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery.
The best brains in the Air Ministry were put to work on the problem of improving night defences with the result that priority was given to the production of AI. Equipped with this new weapon the airmen of the Commonwealth air forces proved themselves as formidable by night as they were by day and eventually drove the German Air Force from Britain's skies entirely.
UNSEEN BATTLES
Unlike the aerial dog fights that took place over England in the summer of 1940, the battle against the night blitz went on unseen and the public learned of the night fighters' successes only in the newspaper headlines. Many people were unaware that their night's rest depended on the constant vigilance of the night fighter crews. The only witnesses of the combats in the night skies were the ground controllers in the darkened cubicles at the powerful ground interception (GCI) stations where they observed the course of every aircraft that was airborne and directed the night fighters on patrol. As soon as an unidentified plane* appeared the ground controller guided one of the patrolling aircraft onto it. While the pilot steered according to directions coming over the R/T the navigator busied himself with his radar set; when the AI registered a blip he took over from the ground controller and guided the pilot to within visual range. From there on it was the pilot's show.
*IFF apparatus (Identification, Friend or Foe) carried by allied planes made it possible to distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft.
No. 409 Sqn. was formed as part of No. 12 Group of Fighter Command. The first commanding officer was S/L (later W/C) N. B. Petersen, a former flying instructor at RCAF Station Camp Borden and one of the first Canadian pilots to ferry a Lockheed
Hudson aircraft from Canada to the United Kingdom. On reporting to Digby to take up his new appointment he found an advance party at work but as yet the embryo squadron had neither aircraft nor crews so he left immediately for nearby RAF Station Wittering to get checked out on the Boulton Paul Defiant, the aircraft with which the squadron was to be equipped. The two Canadian officers who were to be his flight commanders, F/Os B. A. Handbury and F. S. Watson, were already taking instruction at a night fighter OTU.
FIRST OPS
The first aircraft arrived on 6 July and the next day 409 took to the air. Under Petersen's guidance the squadron quickly took shape as a happy efficient unit. The CO himself had an active part in the initial training program, teaching his pilots how to handle the
Defiant and lecturing them in flying discipline, tactics and R/T procedure. On 25 July the squadron moved to the satellite aerodrome at Coleby Grange to complete their training. The first operational flight was made on 3 August by F/O Hanbury; on 20 August Group Headquarters declared the new unit to be fully operational.
At almost the same time the crews learned that they were going to turn in their
Defiants for twin-engined Bristol Beaufighters. Although this meant a further period of intensive training it was indeed good news because at that time the Beau was the only aircraft with sufficiently high performance to take full advantage of AI radar and those squadrons already using them as night fighters were having great success.
The period of conversion training was marred by 409's first fatal accident which took the life of W/C Petersen. The death of its CO was a hard blow to the fledgling squadron and it was a sad day for all when they laid him to rest in the little country church yard at Scopwick. Fortunately an experienced, capable, and well liked officer was found to succeed W/C Petersen. This was S/L (later W/C) P. Y. Davoud, formerly CO of 410 Sqn., who in time was to become dean of RCAF night fighters. He had been a close friend of Petersen's and was known personally to many 409 crews. His appointment brought a feeling of uplift to an otherwise depressed squadron.
The honour of making the Night-hawks' first kill fell to the new CO. On 1 November, Davoud and his navigator Sgt T. Carpenter (RAF) were flying on night patrol when the ground controller put them into the trail of an unidentified aircraft. Soon a blip appeared on the screen in Carpenter's "little black box", showing the bogey to be well to port and 500 feet below the
Beaufighter. Davoud's combat report describes how they closed in and shot down the German raider:
.... I increased speed and turned to port and obtained a visual at 6000 feet, (silhouetted against the clouds in bright moonlight). I throttled back and lost height until slightly above and 400 yards to rear of enemy aircraft, who dived for cloud cover. I closed to approximately 200 yds., identified bandit as a Dornier 217 and fired a short burst observing hits on starboard main plane. The Dornier returned fire and having closed to about 100 yds, I fired two long bursts, seeing the second burst hit his starboard engine. Just before Dornier entered cloud, a big explosion blew his right engine and wing off. I pulled up to avoid a collision, and the Dornier fell burning, straight into the sea. I then returned to base, landing at 22.55 hours.
At the end of November the squadron was declared fully operational on
Beaufighters but two conditions most annoying to night fighters, foul weather and lack of enemy activity, kept them from fighting any more engagements until the following spring. "No flying owing to weather," were the comments that headed many an entry in the squadron diary during that fall and winter. Nevertheless, training was a continual commitment with interception practices being flown whenever the weather warranted; when it did not, the Link Trainer came in for a lot of use. One consolation that made up in small measure for the lack of aerial activity was the news that the hard working 409 crews were well ahead of the other squadrons of 12 Group in the number of link hours flown. In November a visit from His Majesty, King George VI, was the most memorable event in an otherwise dull fall and winter season.
On 8 March 1942 S/L R. M. Trousdale, DFC, a hard flying, sharp shooting New Zealander, knocked down an
He. 111 near Grimsby. Hopes ran high, for there were definite signs of increased German activity in the air, but a few fleeting blips and exciting chases were the only operational events recorded in the squadron diary until 7 April when Trousdale again destroyed an enemy bomber and thereby won a bar to his DFC.
BUSY SUMMER
Early in June the
Beaufighter Us were turned in for faster and more manoeuverable Beau VIs. The crews were spoiling for a chance to try out their new kites in action and they had not long to wait for the fine summer weather and Hitler's rage brought the Luftwaffe into Britain's skies to seek reprisal for the tremendous damage that Bomber Command was now inflicting on the Fatherland. F/L E. L. McMillan (RAF) was the first to score with the new aircraft when he destroyed a Do. 217 and damaged another on the night of 23/ 24 July. These victories were followed by four more in July, including a pair by Davoud and Carpenter, and seven in August. Nine Nighthawk crews took part in these encounters which resulted in one enemy aircraft destroyed, four probably destroyed and eight damaged. Most of these engagements were against twin-engined Do. 217s which were almost as fast as the Beaufighters, thus making it necessary for the night fighter pilots to push their aircraft to the limit for the ardently sought tally-ho. The wily Hun pilots had learned a lot about our night fighting tactics and led the Nighthawk crews on many an exciting moonlight chase as they weaved, dived and made violent and skillfully executed peel offs and hard stall turns in an effort to throw their pursuers off their tail. These manoeuvers meant the use of deflection shooting 95% of the time and the idea that the night fighters had simply to position themselves dead astern and open fire had to be disregarded.
These summer victories got the squadron off to what the diarist called "a good start". The crews were eagerly looking forward to more "joy" at Jerry's expense but the German High Command, finding that our night fighters were taking too heavy a toll of their aircraft to make a sustained attack worthwhile, called off their bombers for the time being. Nevertheless, Britain's air defences had to be maintained lest Germany launch an offensive to halt the preparations for the invasion of Western Europe which were now going ahead in earnest.
QUIET WINTER
In a subsequent reshuffle of fighter squadrons No. 409 was moved from Coleby to Acklington, Northumberland, in February 1943. Their new role was to defend the approaches to the industrial area of Newcastle which the Germans had already favoured with two heavy air raids and many minor ones. But henceforth the Luftwaffe kept well to the south of this sector and 409 put in a rather quiet year with few operational events to record. Not until after D-Day did they have as much excitement as they had in the summer of 1942.
Before the Nighthawks moved from Coleby, W/C Davoud received the DFC for his fine work with the squadron. On 4 February he flew his last patrol with 409 and departed to head No. 418 (Intruder) Squadron. His successor was W/C J. W. ("Wendy") Reid of Sydney, N.S. who was only 24 years old when he took up his new command. He already had a lot of flying behind him, having soloed at the tender age of 17 years and had logged over 1000 hours with the RAF flying
Liberators across the Atlantic.
Since Jerry declined to appear in 409's sector, W/C Reid kept his crews in fighting trim with a rigorous training programme. In addition to the various flying practices the pilots put in long hours studying aircraft recognition while the navigators delved deeper into the mysteries of airborne radar. Occasionally night fighters were called from their regular patrol duties to search for lost aircraft.
To offset the inactivity at Acklington, detachments of two or three aircraft were sent to bolster other sec-tors but it seemed that as soon as the Nighthawks moved in, enemy activity ceased. The detachments at Coltishall and Middle Wallop flew a few Rangers (low flying sorties over enemy-held territory) on which they damaged a number of locomotives, trains and trucks. Two crews failed to return from these hazardous missions. Another aircraft was badly shot up by enemy anti-aircraft fire and the navigator, P/O E. V. Domone (RAF) was severely wounded in the right thigh. Suffering form intense pain and loss of blood, the plucky navigator carried on with his duties and worked out the return course for his pilot. After landing in England, Domone was rushed to hospital where it was found necessary to amputate his leg. He was later awarded the DFC for having displayed "courage and fortitude of the highest order".
MOSSIES FOR BEAUS
In March 1944 the squadron realized the fulfilment of a long-awaited desire when they began turning in their valiant old
Beaus for sleek new de-Havilland Mosquitoes, at that time the fastest aircraft in the world. The switch-over to Mossies was a sign that better things were in store for the Nighthawks. Other significant changes that heralded the end of their long period of inactivity was their transfer to No. 85 (Base) Group of 2nd Tactical Air Command, and their move south, first to West Mailing in Kent and then to Hunsdon, Herts, where No. 410 Squadron was stationed. In May the ban on night fighters chasing bandits across the Channel was lifted and the crews were issued with French money and maps. Action was obviously approaching.
"June the first came in with thunder showers and a feeling of things to come". This prophetic sentence headed the entry in the squadron diary for 1 June. But if the Nighthawk crews were aware that they were about to begin the most active period in their history they took it in stride. Training continued as usual and defensive patrols went up whenever the weather was good. On 5 June the squadron learned of the D-Day invasion plans and the diarist recorded the breaking of the news in a most matter of fact way:
"On this date the whole squadron was CBd when the entire personnel was briefed by W/C O'Neill, station CO, and informed that tomorrow would be D-Day."
That night F/0 H. F. ("Red") Pearce with F/O G. W. Moores (RAF) as his navigator scored the squadron's first victory in over a year when they probably destroyed a German bomber over the English coast.
The next night, working with mobile GCI units that had gone ashore with the assault forces, 409 Sqn. flew its first sorties over the beachhead. Patrols on the 6th, 7th, and 8th were uneventful, largely be-cause the Luftwaffe, apart from a few scattered raids, were late getting into the fray. On the 9th S/L R. S. Jephson, "B" flight commander, got the squadron's first kill over France. Jephson and his navigator, F/O C. D. Sibbett, were flying on a beachhead patrol when the controller vectored them after a bandit. Sibbett's AI soon registered a "blip" and the navigator brought his pilot onto the tail of a Ju. 188. Following standard night fighting procedure Jephson closed in, identified his target, and opened fire. His first burst set the enemy's starboard engine on fire, a second started a blaze on the port engine, and as the Nighthawk pilot pressed the firing button once more the fuselage disintegrated and the plane fell from the sky exploding as it hit the ground about 30 or 40 miles south-east of Le Havre.
THREE IN ONE NIGHT
The next night "A" flight of 409 Sqn. experienced the satisfaction of shooting down three enemy planes in one night's operations. F/Os C. J. Preece and W. H. Beaumont distinguished themselves on this occa-sion by destroying two
Ju. 188s. Preece knocked down his first victim with a fine bit of deflecting shooting, scoring three times with three bursts. Continuing their patrol the Nighthawk crew were vectored after another bogey about three quarters of an hour later. Beaumont got a contact on his AI showing the target aircraft to be 8000 feet ahead and he brought Preece gradually onto it. At 3000 feet they got a visual, at 2500 feet they recognized it as another Ju. 188, and at 800 feet Preece fired a one-second burst that caused the enemy aircraft to explode in the air so violently that the Mosquito pilot had to pull up sharply to avoid a wing which had broken off.
The other kill went to F/Os R. L. Fullerton and P. Castellan. Fullerton had a little difficulty getting onto the tail of his target. Finally, after following four vectors "where I suspect I overshot each time," the crew got an AI contact at a range of two miles. From thereon the interception was straight forward. Two bursts from the
Mosquito's guns sent the German aircraft spiralling earthwards with the starboard engine on fire. To add to the night's achievements S/L J. A. (Johnny) Hatch, "A" flight commander, returned
from the beachhead with one engine u/s and made a perfect landing. "All in all it was a good night and "A" flight of 409 went to bed with that satisfied feeling."
In the 25-day period from D-Day to 30 June No. 409 Sqn. saw more action than in the previous three years of their night fighting operations. They flew a total of
227 night sorties, destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, probably destroyed two, and damaged five. They operated over the Normandy beachhead every night except one, the 26th, when patrols that had taken off had to be recalled due to duff weather. Casualties for this period included one crew taken prisoner of war and one crew killed when their aircraft hit high tension wires on returning from a patrol. Two other aircraft were written off from the results of crashes, but the crews were uninjured.
About the middle of June the squadron began to fly one or two patrols daily against flying bombs. F/Os Preece and Beaumont bagged the first one on the night of 18 June; a second one fell to S/L Jephson's guns on 20 June. During the first part of July the Nighthawks were employed almost exclusively against V-ls and when they returned to regular night fighting duties over Normandy in mid-July they had ended the flight of eight of Hitler's secret weapons.
In
JULY 1944 No. 409 Squadron destroyed eight German planes and damaged one. Six of these victories were won against Ju. 88s, Germany's best night fighting aircraft, leaving little doubt that the Nighthawks outclassed their Luftwaffe counterpart. Up until this time 409 had seen little of these aircraft, for it was Hitler's policy to use them mainly for home defence. As the tide of battle rolled towards Germany engagements between Mosquitoes and Ju 88s became more frequent. Sometimes the German ground stations and our own covered the same area, thus enabling our pilots to hear the enemy controllers manoeuvering the Ju 88s around the sky. Hitler's night fighters were flown by the best pilots the German Air Force could muster but they were no match for the Mosquitoes; by the end of hostilities No. 409 had destroyed 20, probably destroyed two and damaged one.
A victory over Germany's night fighters on 26 July cost the squadron one of it most experienced crews, S/L R. S. Jephson and F/O J. M. Roberts. They engaged a
Ju. 88 over Caen and a burst from Jephson's guns caused it to explode so violently that the Mosquito was badly shaken up by the blast and both engines stopped. Jephson reported via R/T that he and Roberts were going to bale out, but on discovering that the latter was injured and unable to move, Jephson courageously decided to stay with the aircraft and try for a crash landing, hazardous as it was in the dark night. The plane crashed and both occupants were killed. The story of the combat was later obtained from the log of the controlling GCI.
HEROIC EXPLOITS
On 6 August the squadron suffered another fatality that was also surrounded by heroic circumstances. WC M. W. Beveridge, DFC, who had succeeded W/C J. W. Reid as GO at the end of July, had his own aircraft (MM587) shot down by a
Ju. 88 hunting in formation with a FW. 190. As Beveridge and his navigator, F/L John W. Peacock, prepared to abandon their disabled aircraft Beveridge got stuck in the pilot's escape hatch and Peacock couldn't get the navigator's door to jettison. Time was running out when Peacock, deciding that at least one should survive the impending crash, rushed to Beveridge's assistance and pushed him free. There was just barely time for his parachute to open before he hit the ground but Peacock didn't have a chance and died in the crash.
Four nights later S/L J. A. Hatch and his navigator, F/L J. Eames (RAF), turned the tables on one of these
FW 190 — Ju. 88 combinations. As they came within visual range of the two aircraft the FW. 190 turned off to starboard and the intrepid Johnny followed it, knowing full well that at any moment the Ju. 88 would start creeping up his tail. But before the German pilot had time to com-plete his manoeuver a two-second burst from the Mosquito sent the Focke-Wulf spiralling earthwards in flames. Hatch turned sharply, probing the night skies for the other adversary, but further contacts turned out to be friendly bombers. A week later Hatch and Eames marked up a
double-header, shooting down a
Ju. 188 after a running fight and then blasting another Ju. 88 out of the sky.
CROSS CHANNEL BASES
No. 409 Squadron had the distinction of being chosen as the first night-fighting unit to operate from European soil. On 24 August, stripped of everything but the bare essentials of equipment, they flew across the Channel to Carpiquet, near Caen, where an advance party under F/L V. L. Fiksdal, the squadron engineering officer, had set up a maintenance section. Two weeks later the mobile Nighthawks moved on to St. Andre and at the end of September they left that badly battered airfield for Le Culot.
At St. Andre the squadron was saddened by the loss of W/C "Massey" Beveridge who was killed while searching for one of his crews that had baled out after an attack by a German night fighter. The missing crew, F/L J. Leslie and F/L C. M. Thurgood, subsequently showed up but Beveridge crashed and was killed after running into thick fog. He was buried with full military honours in the town cemetery of Flavencourt, about 60 miles north-west of Paris. S/L F. R. Hatton, "B" Flight Commander, now took temporary command of the squadron until 10 October when W/C J. D. Somerville, DFC, formerly of 410 squadron, was appointed CO.
On the same day that W/C Beveridge was reported missing, WO Len Fitchett and F/L A. C. Hardy had to leave their aircraft in a hurry when the port engine ran out of oil. On landing they were picked up by the French Maquis who received them royally, treating them to a hearty meal with plenty of good French wine. None the worse for their experience, they found their way back to the squadron and made more news four days later by scoring the squadron's first kill from a continental air base.
On the night of 6 October more excitement developed around Le Culot airfield than the Nighthawks had seen since moving to the continent. Early in the evening F/L Gordon Sproule and F/O F. G. Wilkinson were coming in for a single-engine landing when their undercarriage collapsed and the
Mosquito finished the run on its belly, much to the grief of the already overworked maintenance crews. Before the runway could be cleared P/O F. E. (Hank) Haley called in on the R/T to say that he and P/O S. J. (Fairy) Fairweather, DFM (RAF), had shot down a Ju. 88 and were coming in on one engine. Because of the previous prang they couldn't land at base and were being diverted when their other engine cut out and they had to take to their parachutes. Just before midnight F/O R. H. Finlayson and his navigator team-mate, F/O J. A. Webster, touched down with the news that they had destroyed an Me. 110. As a sort of finale to the eventful evening an aircraft from No. 410 Squadron force-landed at Le Culot after destroying a German plane and getting badly shot up itself. Fortunately all went well and the squadron diarist summed up the evening's events as "a fairly good night."
The day after W/C Somerville arrived the Nighthawks set out for Lille/Vendeville where they were quartered in a beautiful old French chateau which had been used by the Luftwaffe during the German occupation. The spacious dining room walls were finished in murals painted in Prussian military design ironically depicting Hitler's dreams of conquest. The squadron also fell heir to excellent dispersal huts and ground crew flight rooms complete with a collection of easy chairs, tables, and double-decker spring bunks for the night crews.
On 3 November, No. 410, the Cougar Squadron, joined the Nighthawks at Lille/Vendeville. Throughout their wartime history these two units were closely associated; two of 409's commanding officers, W/Cs Davoud and Somerville, were formerly with the Cougars while two ex-Nighthawks, S/Ls G. H. Elms and E. P. Heybroek, became commanding officers of 410. At Lille/Vendeville the two squadrons enjoyed some good times together. On many an occasion when duff weather cancelled night flying the rafters in the old chateau rang to the night fighters' repertoire of air force and other songs as they gathered round the piano with S/L George Bower at the keyboard. (Bower was now on his second tour with 409).
* These two pictures were among several turned over to the RAF Missing Research Section by a photographer in Lille, France, after the war. They had been left with him for developing by someone in 409, but the squadron had been suddenly moved before the prints were called for. Negatives and prints were passed to London, thence to Ottawa, where W/C Somerville (now G/C) helped to identify the personnel.
The first three weeks of November passed so quietly that it seemed as if the Luftwaffe was spending the winter in quarters but such was not the case. On 25 November both squadrons had a lively time. No. 410 stole the show with Lt. A. A. Harrington (USAAF) shooting down three German aircraft; No. 409 was close behind as F/O R. E. Britten and F/L L. E. Fownes destroyed one
Ju. 88 and damaged another. There was more "trade" about the next night but the Germans dropped enough "window" in the area to upset 85 Group's radar system. Nevertheless two crews, WO R. A. Boorman - P/O W. J. Bryant and F/L W. H. McPhail - F/O J. E. Donoghue, each made a free lance interception of a Ju. 87B.
WO E. F. ("King") Cole and F/O W. S. Martin won the applause of their comrades on 29 November for shooting down two
Ju. 88s that were on the prowl for Mosquito patrols. About 1900 hours a burst from Cole's guns sent the first victim down in flames and half an hour later his cannon ripped into the second Ju. 88 causing it to explode in the air. Debris flew in all directions filling the air intake of the Mossie. A wing of the German plane smashed into Cole's aircraft, knocking two feet off the nose and bending the port propeller. Five minutes later the port engine of, the Mosquito stopped altogether. Then the toughest part of the night's operations began — getting safely back to base with one engine gone and a kite that wouldn't trim. They finally made it to a landing field at Brussels but came in a bit too high and ended up unhurt in an old shell hole. Their double victory won an immediate award of the DFC.
December brought the inevitable thoughts of Christmas and of home; on days off the Nighthawks carefully canvassed the shops at Lille, Brussels, and Ghent for gifts for families and friends. A few of the more fortunate ones were able to carry their shopping activities further afield to Paris or London. Ample time for wrapping the gifts was provided by the weather man who continually forecast rain, snow, fog, and icing.
Yet in spite of the dirty December weather the Nighthawks had a good month operationally, thanks to Hitler's committing most of what was left of the Luftwaffe to his flash-in-the-pan offensive in the Ardennes. On the night of 18 December, three German night fighters fell before the fire of 409 crews. One of these kills was registered by W/C Somerville who thereby made his first tally with the Nighthawks; the others were made by P/O F. E. Haley and F/L R. H. Finlayson. A week later, Britten and Fownes accounted for two
Ju. 88s. The last engagement of the year was fought by S/L Hatton and F/L Russ Rivers who out-manoeuvered another German night fighter and destroyed it with a single burst.
As the new year dawned S/L Bower, who had now taken over the diarist duties from F/O D. J. G. (Red) Wilkes, indulged in a bit of reminiscing about the old:
It has been one of the most eventful (years) in our history, taking the squadron from practically non-op in the north of England to fully op in France. It saw D/Day with the squadron covering the beachhead. It has seen 45 Huns fall before the guns of the squadron, and also unfortunately it has seen some grand friends and comrades take off on their last flights. It has been a happy time for the squadron and it can be truthfully said that the squadron spirit has never been better than it has in the past twelve months.
1945's QUIET BEGINNING
After the Ardennes offensive, enemy air activity came almost to a standstill in 409's sector. On 23 January Somerville, flying with P/O Hardy as navigator, accounted for a
]u. 188 while another crew, F/Os M. G.
Kent and J. Simpson, made a kill on a
Ju. 88G. These were the only engagements in January; in February there was only one when Kent and Simpson again brought down a Ju. 88.
Everyone was elated on 11 February by the news that W/C Somerville had been awarded the DSO, a fitting tribute to his own prowess as well as to the squadron as a whole. The citation read in part: "This officer has displayed outstanding efficiency, great courage and determination, qualities which have been well reflected in the fine fighting spirit of the squadron he commands." At the same time it was announced that Britten and Fownes had each been awarded the DFC. The next day low cloud and rain cancelled all night flying; night state was reduced to one crew at readiness, thus enabling the squadron to observe the awards with a suitable celebration. About a month after this occasion W/C Somerville finished his tour of duty with No. 409 and was succeeded by Frank Hatton. The former "B" Flight Commander had already distinguished himself as a capable leader and an excellent flyer. The news of his appointment was welcomed by all members of 409.
In March the weather improved sufficiently for the first softball game of the season to get under way. The outlook for flying was better, too, and regular night patrols once again became the rule rather than the exception. Preparations were now going ahead for Operation Plunder which was to carry the Allies across the Rhine and into Germany. The night fighters of 85 Group kept constant vigilance to ensure the German Air Force didn't operate during the hours of darkness, but the Luftwaffe seemed powerless to interfere with the invasion of its home land and was seldom in evidence. Two of the very few victories won by the Group in this period went to Britten and Fownes, who destroyed a
Me. 110 on 21 March and a Ju. 88 on the 25th.
INTO GERMANY
On 18 April the squadron moved onto German soil taking up headquarters at Rheine on the Ems River. The prospects of increased air activity produced a noticeable lift in morale witnessed by great bustle and good natured boisterousness as the Nighthawks prepared to settle down under canvas again. On 23 April 409 broke all its previous records, by shooting down no less than six enemy aircraft, three of them by one crew, F/O E. E. Hermanson and F/L D. J. I. Hamm. Two others fell to F/O J. H. Skelly and P/O P. J. Lim, a rookie crew on their first operational flight. The sixth went to P/Os P. J. Leslie and C. N. Thurgood. With the exception of Hermanson's first target, which was a
FW. 190, the German aircraft were Stukas and Ju. 52s, troop transports that had figured largely in German operations in Norway and Crete. The Nighthawks' biggest problem was to avoid overshooting these slow flying aircraft and the pilots came into the attack with flaps and wheels down.
In bright moonlight the next night the squadron fired its guns in anger for the last time, taking toll of three more German aircraft. P/O Len Fitchett and P/O Hardy shot down a
Ju. 52 with a single burst while S/L B. E. Plumer and P/O H. G. Beynon destroyed a FW. 190 on the ground when they straffed an aerodrome close to the Russian demarcation Line. Appropriately enough, it was W/C Hatton who won the squadron's last victory. Hatton and Rivers took off at 0155 hrs on 24 April. At about 0400 hrs they were vectored after a bogey that turned out to be a Ju. 290 four-engined bomber. A second blip on River's radar indicated that a fighter escort was nearby and Hatton approached the target with caution. The Mosquito was suddenly illuminated by a series of red and white flares which made the pilot manoeuver evasively to avoid an attack from astern. When the flares had gone out Hatton closed in firing two long bursts into the big bomber. Bits and pieces fell off as the German plane made a slow turn to port then fell and crashed with a loud explosion.
VICTORY AT LAST
The Germans still had a large number of aircraft, including about 700 night fighters, but the shortage of petrol and the pasting their airfields had taken from our bombers left the Luftwaffe in a sad state. No. 409 found their few remaining sorties of the war to be rather quiet. On 4 May news of the surrender of all German forces in Holland, Denmark and north western Germany was released. Nevertheless, a night state
of two aircraft on readiness was maintained until 8 May when it was formally announced that the war had ended. The Nighthawks now could rest; their war time flying was over.
VE-Day witnessed great activity at the Rheine airfield. Every few minutes
Lancasters, Fortresses and Dakotas were landing and taking off busily engaged in transporting ex-prisoners of war back to the U.K. A happy climax to the VE-Day celebrations occurred when F/Os A. B. Sisson and D. S. Nicholson, who had been shot down over enemy territory on 16 June 1944, found their way back to 409 Squadron after having been liberated from a prison camp a few days previously. After VE-Day the squadron settled down to a routine of morning parades and light duties. The weather was unusually warm and two good swimming pools in the vicinity of Rheine were frequented after the daily chores were done. On 13 May the squadron moved to Gilze, Holland, and on 3 June they headed for their last base at Twente in north-east Holland. On 1 July 1945, just over four years from the day on which is was formed, No. 409 Squadron was officially disbanded.
The last victory by W/C Hatton and Rivers had raised the squadron's total of enemy aircraft destroyed to 64½. In addition they had probably destroyed nine others, damaged 23 and had also shot down 11 flying bombs. While these statistics testify to the fighting spirit of 409 they do not sum up the squadron's contribution to the final victory. One must remember the 52 members of 409 squadron who made the supreme sacrifice, the long list of honours and awards, the endless hours flown on night patrols and training flights, and the unceasing toil of the ground crew to keep the night fighters in the sky.