Evening star., 1941-06-15
We Fought the Battle of London
BY Wing Comdr. Ernest McNab, d. F. G..

the bead he had drawn on the pilot
Just stand aside, lad, and I'll blow hi
blooming head off," he urged the HON
Guard soldier.
A more nerve-racking experience wa
IN store for British night fighter pilot
Back from fruitless patrol in the darl
searching for German raiders, he cam,
IN for landing on his home airdromt
on the outskirts of London. AS vol
can imagine, it is quite a trick to lanc
a 35O-mile-an-hour fighter in the dark.
ness of blackout with only the discreet
lights of flare path along the landins
strip to guide you.
Hit Balloon Barrage.
This pilot misjudged his speed a little
this time and pulled up to circle the tiny
field and try again. OF course. his wheels
and landing flaps had been lowered, SO
he had to use full power and keep on
at low altitude until he could raise
wheels and flaps again, climb and make
a wide circle for his second landing at
tempt. He got them up and was climb
Ing at about 5000 feet, but by this time
was we'll over London. Suddenly his
Hurricane ran into the balloon barrage.
They were a menace to low-hying British
aircraft as we'll as to the Germans. but
we usually were guided around them by
wireless messages from the ground.
This pilot, however had nobody to
OIIiHp him
cable anchoring the balloon to the
ground far below and the machine was
wrecked. Luckily the cockpit cover,
which slides back and forth, was open
a-d he could get out quickly
He pulled the ripcord of his parachute
rooftop of building in London. His
crippled Hurricane plunged into the roof
OF shop across the street and burned
furiously. A large crowd gathered. The
figure of the pilot on the top of the
building was silhouetted in the glare of
the burning shop across the street The
angry mob brandished sticks and brick
bats despite the fact he shouted down at
them that he was English.
To convince them he tore off his
R. A. F. tunic, complete with the winged
badge Of pilot, and tossed it down to the
,rowd below, Then they believed him
and got the fire brigade to put UP its
adders to rescue him from his perch.
But his trouble weren't over. The lad
lers wouldn't reach.
He had to hang from his fingertips and
lrop into the waiting arms of firemen
,linging precariously to the top of a
adder. BY that time he was a hero, not
| villain, and when he got back to the
Iirdrome his face was scarlet with lip
tick from forehead to chin.
The British people are wonderful to
he air force once they are convinced
# your identity. The boys of No.
Fighter Squadron and the other squad
ons of the Royal Canadian Air Force
yer there are enjoying themselves i'm
nensely amongst the British.
Was First in Action.
My own squadron was composite unit
Ormed from the active auxiliary air
orce and from the permanent air force.
t the time it was formed I was at an
ast coast, airdrome in Canada with the
riginal No. Fighter Squadron of the
d. C. A. F. There we're nine pilots in
lis outfit and we were joined by the
o. lis Squadron of Montreal and few
Tiers from various parts of Canada. We
aimed and went overseas In June. COM
etely equipped with Hurricane fighters,
otor trucks and all the repair shops.
e were ready for service in France
1t we were doomed to disappointment.
ny hope of going to France was dashed
hen we heard on the radio while still
70 days out from England that France
ad capitulated.
We were sent to an alrdrome near the
alisbury plains to complete our training
I'd unpack our equipment We moved
little later to Croydon and then to the
orthern outskirts of London
1t fell to my lot to be the first one of
II bunch to get into the fighting. AS
uadron leader I went up on August Is
ith a neighboring R. A. F. squadron.
e headed for the south coast and ran
UO d dlSC 1OllldllOil VI NlcSScISCl
9s over Kent.
There is nothing to compare with the
,citement of plunging into an air battle
le that. Your mouth dries up like cot
n wool. Flying Officer Dal Russell of
ontreal, who was in my squadron, was
lewing gum when he went into his first
ramble. He had to pick bits of gum
ON the roof of his mouth afterwards
We swept into the 109s this day and
e guns started splitting You lose all
nse of space and time in a fight like
at. 1t is hide and seek in the clouds,
sharp clash with German, and then
ore hunting.
the commanding officer and
were alone. We didn't know where {
e others and the 109s had gone. We
re directed from the ground to hurry
er to point over the Thames Estuary,
lere we soon spotted two Dornier 215
mbers headed for the sea.
The c. o. attacked one from the left S
lie and I wheeled and jumped on the
her from the right. I fired at mine G
d he turned south, losing height. I 8
rned and had another crack at him.