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Radio chatter from a Lancaster Bomber flying a mission over Germany
- Thread starter easynow
- Start date
daveinprague
New member
They make it sound like a stroll in the park. Remarkable considering the ages of these people. My mother was an ambulance driver at one of the bomber bases, and the amount of 19 and 20 year old bomber pilots she has pointed out in pictures, normally followed by things like...lost over Hamburg or Berlin, or Essen is staggering..
melias shoes
Well-known member
- Oct 14, 2010
- 4,830
maltaseagull
Well-known member
No disrespect to the airmen of WW2 but I don't think they had in flight recorders then. Did they?
Boroseagull
Well-known member
A long departed friend of mine was a Lancaster pilot during WW2. He did a full 24 tours & took a fair bit of flak. I so remember him saying at briefing before mission the WingCo said 'chaps we have had a request from the International Red Cross not to throw the Elsans [portable loo's] out after releasing the bombs'. The pilots instructed the crew that upon completion of the mission they were to lighten the load as much as possible to increase speed back to their base. Apparently it was said in such a typical, drool, RAF manner - did they take any notice? No chance, the attitude was give Gerry it all! RIP....Eric Clayton
Hungry Joe
SINNEN
Well they had radios that were linked to control who had recording equipment.
Baron Pepperpot
Active member
The rank 'Bombardier' is an army rank. I thought the correct term in the RAF was 'Bomb Aimer' or 'Air Bomber', We had 'Wireless Operators' not 'Radio Operators' and 'Air Gunners' not 'Tail Gunners'.
Apparently recordings do exist from this period though, and this recording is accredited as one of Reg Pidsley's, a BBC recording engineer who did accompany a Lancaster mission in 1943. It appears that it may have been edited.
Baron Pepperpot
Active member
The radios could send signals concerning the aircraft position, but at that time there was no dialogue with the ground available to crew.
Del Fenner
Because of Boxing Day
Surely this type of conversation would be held over the plane's intercom, and not transmitted via radio?
Staly
Well-known member
This chatter is from a reel shot on operations by Air Commodore Cozens at RAF Hemswell in 1944, so is genuine, or at least staged by real aircrew at the time.
You can see much more of his footage here, well worth an hour of anybody's time:
There's a section of this sound right at the end.
You can see much more of his footage here, well worth an hour of anybody's time:
There's a section of this sound right at the end.
scoobiewhite
Well-known member
I recently attended a talk of the history society in Balcombe, where a Lanc pilot was invited to recount his time during WWII.
In short, he joined, trained as a Pilot, worked his way through to the Pathfinders (very dangerous work, and bear in mind that is relative to the ordinary squadrons, which were already very dangerous!), flew a very high number of missions, got shot down, went on the run in Germany, got captured, spent a year in POW camps and participated in the horiffic long-marches at the close of the war, came home and married his sweetheart, who thought he had been killed.
All before the age of 23. I nearly fell of my chair. Proper bravery.
In short, he joined, trained as a Pilot, worked his way through to the Pathfinders (very dangerous work, and bear in mind that is relative to the ordinary squadrons, which were already very dangerous!), flew a very high number of missions, got shot down, went on the run in Germany, got captured, spent a year in POW camps and participated in the horiffic long-marches at the close of the war, came home and married his sweetheart, who thought he had been killed.
All before the age of 23. I nearly fell of my chair. Proper bravery.
scoobiewhite
Well-known member
Out of interest his name was Desmond Pelly and a cursory Google reminded me that he also won the Distinguished Flying Cross.
NS Herald
Well-known member
My Father in Law who died a few years ago was a rear gunner on Lancs. He did 2 tours and got the DFC for a raid on Brest.
Some amazing stories especially about how luck played it's part - on more than one occasion he would swap a mission or someone would swap with him and the other 'chap' didn't come back.
Also bailed out over occupied France but made it back - amazing and extremely humble people.
Some amazing stories especially about how luck played it's part - on more than one occasion he would swap a mission or someone would swap with him and the other 'chap' didn't come back.
Also bailed out over occupied France but made it back - amazing and extremely humble people.
Baron Pepperpot
Active member
Tis a bit disappointing, but I now think it appears it was slightly stage managed.
Baron Pepperpot
Active member
And apparently only one in three crews finished their tours of duty. Incredible maturity in people so young.