Evening star., 1941-07-13

Continuing the series OF the personal
adventures of members OF the r. c.
A. F. in England, Flight 1t. W. J.
Bundy OF Regina prites this article on
experiences as a member of the first
army cooperation squadron of the
r. c. A.F.
By Flight 1t. W. J. Bandy.
AS one who has just returned from
active service duty with the Royal
Canadian Air Force in Britain for the
past 10 months, can tell you something
of what saw.
Our first army cooperation squadron
was dispatched overseas early in the
winter of 1910 and it was with consider
able excitement and satisfaction that I
learned that was to follow them over
seas with the advance party of the
second army cooperation squadron. We
left Canada in May, and were well
settled on a Royal Air Force station in
the south of England by the time the
main body of the squadron came over
in the following month.
We were soon all at work at our ap
pointed task of cooperation with the
Canadian Army in Britain. We worked
directly with the British Army corps
commanded by It. Gen. Andrew Mac
Naughton.
Gen. MacNaughton occasionally flew
with us, and 1t was considered quite
an honor to have Canada's distinguished
soldier as q passenger. Gen. MacNaugh-
ton flew with us for two reasons. The
first was to investigate the problems
confronting us, the army's eyes way up
in the air over the battle front.
The second reason was that he wishec
to see from the air the disposition Of hi
troops on maneuver to watch their be-
havior 50 as to be able to correct tactics
errors and the errors Of commissio:
and omission.
Our machines were sturdy Westlan
Lysander monoplanes built expressly TO;
the job OF army cooperation. They
were not very fast as fast aircraft 60
today. but they served us well. They were
designed for taking OF from small fields
just behind the front lines, and they
climbed quickly and well. The under
carriage also served other purposes. The
two spats covering the wheels carried
the machine guns operated by the pilot,
both firing IN . forward direction.
Stub wings projecting horizontally
from the wheel spats carried either
bombs or canisters loaded with supplies.
which We dropped to supposedly isolated
units cut of from help and reinforce
ment.
We were supposed to work closely with
the army, and closely it was. We new
at anywhere from 5000 feet to beneath
the tree tops.
AZ the army trained, we aided In their
education. We watched motorized con-
voys on the move to see that trafnc
moved smoothly and that there were
no bottlenecks. II bitches developed, We
reported 1t quickly 30 that the COM
manders could devise 4 remedy
During sham battles We swept low
over the troops and dropped ammuni-
ton and food to units cut on from their
fellows.
We descended to within . few feet Of
the ground to pick up messages with the
aid Of . hook suspended from the air
craft.
We dropped carrier pigeons by para
chute.
We aided in training the Canadians
in gas warfare.
We sprayed the troops with an imita-
ton gas 10 that the troops could gain
experience In donning their gas masks
quickly, 70 that the medical units could
practice in picking up and evacuating
supposed victims Of gas.
Perhaps the most thrilling phase Of
army se1Aoolng tog ~ was familiarizing