Harry Broadhurst Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst , GCB , KBE , DSO & Bar , DFC & Bar , AFC , RAF ( 28 October 1905 – 29 August 1995 ) , commonly known as Broady , was a senior Royal Air Force commander . Early life . Broadhurst was born in 1905 in Frimley , Surrey , England . He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery and then , in 1926 , transferred to the RAF . Early RAF career . Completing his training , he joined No . 11 Squadron RAF in India in 1928 , flying the Westland Wapiti and Hawker Hart over the North West frontier . He returned to the UK in 1931 , joining No . 41 Squadron RAF flying the Bristol Bulldog . By the mid - 1930s , Broadhurst was an accomplished pilot , flying fighters and doing acrobatics at air shows , gaining a reputation as an aerial daredevil with a flair for aerial acrobatics . In 1936 , as a Flight Lieutenant , he was personally congratulated by the king on his aerobatic showing in the Gloster Gauntlet . Awarded an AFC in 1937 , he served at the RAF Staff College in Andover . In January 1939 he was posted as Officer Commanding to No . 111 Squadron . War service . In May 1940 Broady became Station Commander at RAF Coltishall , before joining No . 60 Wing in France as Wing Commander . Broadhurst participated in ground support during the Battle of France , an experience that showed him the importance of close air support for later operations in the war . He was heavily involved in the Battle of Britain and as Officer Commanding RAF Wittering , often flew with the squadrons under his command , both day and night fighter units . In December 1940 he was posted to command the Hornchurch Sector of No . 11 Group Fighter Command , and continued to fly on operations , even as a Group Captain . On 4 July 1941 , leading No . 54 Squadron , he was involved in a dogfight with Bf 109 ’ s , claiming 2 shot down before he was hit and his aircraft badly damaged . Hit by flak over Cap Griz Nez , he managed to return to base , belly landing his crippled Spitfire . On 7 July 1941 his Spitfire was hit and damaged by Hauptmann Josef Priller of JG 26 . In May 1942 He became SASO , No . 11 Group , although he continued to fly operationally where possible . His final kill claims were made on 19 August 1942 , bringing his total to 13 destroyed , 7 probables and 10 damaged . In late 1942 he was posted to the Middle East and became Senior Air Staff Officer ( SASO ) to Air Vice - Marshal Arthur Coningham , commander of the Desert Air Force ( DAF ) . Broadhurst came into conflict with Coningham over the use and objectives of the Desert Air Force . Broadhurst took command of the DAF in January 1943 , becoming ( at the age of 38 ) the youngest Air Vice Marshal in the Royal Air Force . He quickly perfected the way he perceived fighter aircraft ought to be employed as ground support fighter - bombers . His fighter squadrons were trained intensively to strafe and bomb Axis vehicles , tanks , transport and communication lines . This aerial cover of the 8th Army won the approval and appreciation of General Bernard Montgomery and would form the basis of the ground attack principles utilised during the D - Day landings and beyond . Broadhurst ’ s enthusiastic backing of the Army and his frank opinions did not always go down well with his superiors in the RAF . He returned to the UK in 1944 to command No . 83 Group , part of 2nd Tactical Air Force . In September 1945 he became Air Officer Administration at RAF Fighter Command . Post war . In August 1946 Broadhurst was made Air Officer Commanding No . 61 Group and in 1949 Broadhurst attended the Imperial Defence College . After promotion to Air Vice Marshal again in July 1949 he became Assistant Chief of the Air Staff ( Operations ) in April 1952 and then Commander - in - Chief of Second Tactical Air Force in December 1953 in the rank of Air Marshal . Broadhurst was appointed Air Officer Commander - in - Chief Bomber Command in January 1956 . In 1956 , at the peak of Broadhurst ’ s career as Commander in Chief of RAF Bomber Command , his reputation suffered following a fatal accident to an Avro Vulcan . Broadhurst took aircraft XA897 , the first Vulcan delivered to the RAF , and a full Vulcan crew , on a round - the - world tour . On return to the UK , Broadhurst was to land at London Heathrow Airport , a civil airport , to complete the successful tour before the assembled aviation media . The weather at Heathrow was poor . RAF aircraft were not equipped to use the Instrument Landing System installed at Heathrow and other civil airports so a Ground Controlled Approach ( GCA ) was carried out . XA897 struck the ground about 2 , 000 feet short of the runway just as power was applied . XA897 was damaged by the initial impact but rose back in the air . The pilot , Squadron Leader D . R . “ Podge ” Howard , and Broadhurst , who was occupying the co - pilot seat , both ejected from the aircraft and survived . The aircraft again hit the ground and broke up . The Vulcan had only two ejection seats , for the pilot and co - pilot . The other four occupants on XA897 , including Howard ’ s usual co - pilot , died in the accident . He was promoted to Air Chief Marshal in February 1957 . In 1959 he became Commander , Allied Air Forces Central Europe , until March 1961 , when he retired from the RAF . After retiring , Broadhurst was appointed Managing Director of Avro Aircraft . In 1965 he became Managing Director of Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd . , and in 1968 a Director of the Hawker Siddeley Group Limited , retiring in 1976 .