270 Sqd Coastal Command West Africa 1944

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by drailton, Mar 3, 2010.

  1. Peter Dewar

    Peter Dewar New Member

    My father, Flight Lieutenant Donald George Dewar RAFVR was a Catalina Pilot with 270 Squadron from November 1942 until approximately the end of 1943 at Jui (Sierra Leone) and Apapa. In May 1943 his crew (Pilot Officer K Booth, Sergeants William T Fuller, James C. Johnston, A May, T J Hendy, R B Aubrey, D A Hickman, W Roshby, A W Sharp) wrote a letter to the C.O. 270 Squadron which resulted in a Mention-in-Despatches for my father.(I have a copy of the original letter) This related to an incident over water (Atlantic area?) which resulted in their having to take to their dinghies. As a result he (and they?) became members of the Goldfish Club. At the end of 1943 he was returned to UK as the squadron was converting to the Sunderland and he had suffered both Hepatitus B and Malaria whilst in West Africa. He was posted to No.131 OTU RAF Killadeas (Loch Erne - Northern Ireland) on 7 April 1944 as an instructor. Unfortunately on the 17 April 1944 he was killed (along with Flying Officer Vivian Basil Charlton and Flight Sergeant Arthur Marshall also instructors) when their Catalina - AH541 - crashed on take-off. From its serial AH541 was an older aircraft so they may have been flight testing (after a repair?) According to a report 'the aircraft reached 120ft at Montgomery Rock, Loch Erne then plunged into the Loch and sank'. (www.joeoloughlin.co.uk for details)
     
  2. drailton

    drailton Senior Member

    Thank you to Peter Clare and Peter Dewer for adding to the story of 270 Squadron. Peter Clare - I would certainly like to see details for 1944.
    David
     
  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    David, as soon as I obtain the relevant records I'll post them on this thread.

    Regards

    Peter
     
  4. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    David I have no narrative as yet for West Africa 1944 but thought this table covering air operations during January 1944 might be of interest.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. drailton

    drailton Senior Member

    Thank you Peter. Interesting in that this is the first list of units I have seen and of aircraft in the command. I know that the first 3 Sunderlands of 270 arrived at Apapa on 9th January 1944 and were operating there before the end of the month.
    David
     
  6. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Hello David, just come across this report and thought you might find it of interest. Taken from the Anti-U-boat Warfare Division of the Naval Staff, dated 15 September 1944


    270 SQUADRON'S OPERATIONS IN WEST AFRICA

    Although not as exciting as some theatres of war, West Africa has seen some of the most patient and persistent anti-submarine work of the war. Operating in trying conditions both on and off the ground, and without the encouragement of frequent attacks or even sightings, every squadron in the Command has a history of which to be proud. 270 Squadron can boast of a more colourful record in the Tropics than would generally he believed.

    It was the 11th December, 1942, when the first contingent of the squadron arrived at Jui. Events moved quickly in those early days. The squadron, the strength of which had risen to the dizzy heights of four Catalinas, celebrated New Year's Day, 1943, fittingly enough by an attack on a U-Boat, on which the official verdict was that the U-Boat crew " had been considerably shaken."
    On the 10th January, we find the squadron already regarding their base at Jui as " civilisation." It is recorded that several aircraft were, on this date, detached further north—that is, operating from Bathurst, Dakar, and Port Etienne. A graphic account of this detachment records hardships which were mitigated by the widespread use of the accommodation originally allotted to the Wing Commander.

    The First Blow

    The month of January had not passed when the squadron registered their real blow at the enemy, for on 30th, Catalina G/270, operating from Bathurst, sighted a U-Boat, complete with swastika flag flying. This emblem-flaunting evidently did the Nazis no good, because the crew immediately waded in and scored five near misses and one direct hit between the conning-tower and the stern, and then proceeded to machine-gun the U-Boat mercilessly, causing it to disappear at a violent angle amid much oil and wreckage.
    Meanwhile, an expeditionary force had proceeded south and the two aircraft, duly returned on the 6th February with some quite remarkable photographs of the " explored bases." These were, in fact, Abidjan, Lagos, Libreville, Pointe Noire and Leopoldville. This flight was largely conducted as a survey and the flying boat flew for many miles over the jungle interior. Members of the party enjoyed the amenities of Lagos, dined well at Libreville, breakfasted well at Polite Noire and sampled the joys of Leopoldville. Business was nevertheless successfully combined with pleasure during the early months of 1943. Sites were chosen, plans were laid and on 14th April an advanced party set out to take possession of Lagos.
    29th April, 1943, was announced joyfully as a field day for 270 Squadron, and small wonder, for on this day two aircraft were in combat with a U-Boat. These were the days when crews were occasionally favoured with not only sightings but encounters with the enemy. One crew gave as well as they took, and probably better, as they caused the U-Boat to dive, leaving some unfortunate gunners to their fate, and brought hack photographic record of a fully surfaced U-Boat taking violent evasive action (albeit successfully dodging a stick of depth-charges). The second attack of the day was not so spectacular. In this case, the U-Boat (not definitely identified as the same one, but it seems probable) was partially submerged and it was considered that 13/270's attack either " shook her up " or " further incapacitated her."
    On the following day, the crew in B/270 gained further renown by finding all the crew of C/270 This aircraft had apparently forced landed in the sea 20 hours earlier. All were rescued.

    Rescue Incidents

    During May the squadron continued to be pampered by incident. The crew performed prodigies in rescue work on the 5th and again on the 18th, while, on the 30th, D/270 narrowly missed being on the spot when the " Flora Macdonald " was torpedoed.
    June brought yet another " rescue " incident which took place on the 28th, when a crew located the crew of a missing Marauder over land. Cigarettes and encouragement showered down on the jungle in the neighbourhood of Zimi village in Sierra Leone, and the Americans were all picked up within 24 hours.
    Thus terminates the first half of this account, for in the first weeks of July the squadron bade farewell to Jui and made preparations to operate from their new base at Apapa. Here, too, seems to terminate the era of incidents, although 270 and 26 Squadrons share a pat on the back from A.H.Q. Here again the squadron wins its first decoration, when a D.F.M. is awarded for the rescue work on the 18th May.

    Transfer to Apapa

    The transfer operationally did not take place until the 23rd, when five Catalinas took off at dawn. First impressions of Apapa can be gathered from the sentence in a report—" either this (Apapa) was a mirage or Jui was a nightmare."
    There followed a period of detachments, but the old pioneering clays were over, to be succeeded by a phase of consolidation.
    During the months that followed, the Catalinas were gradually replaced by Sunderlands, Valuable rescue work was performed in connection with the sunken " New Columbia.'' November and December were busy months, spent hunting U-Boats but, evidently the days of haphazard sightings were over, the situation being summed up by the Wing Commander in a special order of the day dated 15th November, 1943, " The squadron under difficult servicing and domestic arrangements carried out its duties with the greatest efficiency. It is only regretted that the promised target was so cowed by our aircraft that it failed to present itself." The squadron received a congratulatory signal from the 0.C., 298 Wing, and a second award was made to the squadron on the 2nd December.
    The remaining period can be said to come well within living memory. It has been a less colourful one for the squadron for a variety of reasons, the end of the pioneering period, the changed habits of the U-Boat and the course of the war as a whole.
    Modern members of aircrews have to endure periods of " nothing to report," compared with which the occasional blank periods of the old pioneering days pale to insignificance. This is not to say that the present day role is not as exacting as it ever was, nor less difficult to fulfil.

    No motto has been adopted by the squadron as yet, although the spirit of the current period could well be summed up by " in spe volamus " or " We stooge around hopefully."
     
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  7. drailton

    drailton Senior Member

    Thanks for that Peter. An interesting summary of events in 1943. From it's source I assume it was written by a naval man, an assumption reinforced by the slightly disdainful tone which only a naval man could use to describe RAF operations and probably confirmed by the more than disdainful motto the writer invents for the squadron.
    David
     
  8. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    David

    Rather tongue in cheek. Not the usual script one finds in this type of document. Usually quite serious, as it should be.

    Regards

    Peter.
     
  9. Theron

    Theron New Member

    I am trying to verify a possible 270 Squadron sortie for 22 June 1943.

    All I know is the S.S. SANTA MARGARITA, a part of Convoy OS-49, spotted a bi-motored sea plane on June 22nd 1943. As far as I can tell, No. 270 Squadron was the only squadron equipped with two-engine sea planes.

    I DO know that a Sunderland from 95 Squadron escorted this convoy on June 21st and that the two squadrons shared landing facilities. The 95 Squadron plane (P/95) had flown from Bathurst/Half Die. This also leads me to think that the aircraft spotted on the 22nd was from 270 Squardon.

    I would like to find the following:

    1. IF my supposition is correct is correct
    2. The identity of the aircraft AND her crew
    3. Photograph of either (or both) the aircraft and the crew.

    I would especially like to obtain the 270 log page showing information confirming the sighting if at all possible.

    Incidentally, the SANTA MARGARITA sailed up and down the coast between Dakar, Takoradi, Lagos and back and then to Freetown between mid June 1943 to 11 August 1943. she had sailed TO Dakar independently arriving on June 12th, leaving with OS-49 on the 20th and returned to the USA independently from Freetown on August 11th.. Along the way, she also sailed briefly in Convoy ST-70 between Freetown and Lagos.

    I am trying to document any sightings.

    ANY help would be much appreciated.

    Theron P. Snell, Ph.D
    tpsnell@gmail.com
     
  10. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

  11. B. T. P

    B. T. P New Member

    Hi draiilton

    I am a beginner at this. I do not know if this is a thread or a forum that you started but I have enjoyed reading all the posts. I know less than the other contributors about 270 squadron’s military activities but I hope I can add a little colour to the squadron’s personal life.

    My father Flight Lieutenant Larry T. Pennell (RCAF) was a navigator on Sunderlands in the 270 Squadron from July 1944 until the end of the war. He flew out of Libreville, Gabon; Apapa, Nigeria; Jui, Sierra Leone: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo.


    As far as I know my father flew with your father only once - on October 9, 1944. It was a meteorological flight out of Apapa.

    If you think it appropriate I could forward a few stories to you about my father's recollections.
    Brian Pennell
     
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  12. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi B. T. P.

    I'm curious was your father the Larry T. Pennell from Brantford, Ontario?

    Regards ...
     
  13. B. T. P

    B. T. P New Member

    Yes he was.
     
  14. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    B. T. P.,

    Good, I thought that might be him. Your father had an interesting postwar life as can be seen in his Wikipedia entry and of course was well known in Canada. While hitching back to class at McMaster in the early 70s your father picked me up. His daughter was also in the car. I don't think I realized at the time he was the Chancellor of McMaster University.

    I'm sorry I can't help with your WW2 searches but I'm sure draiilton will be along presently. Good luck.

    Regards ....
     
  15. B. T. P

    B. T. P New Member

    Just a quick note, my father hitchhiked to university during the depression and whenever he was driving he would pick up hitchhikers and continued to do so until he voluntarily gave up his license at age 90. But I have gone off topic. Good luck to you.
     
  16. dp_burke

    dp_burke Junior Member

    The 270 Squadron ORB can be preveiwed with text water mark on the UK TNA website.

    Click on a month and then the see a preveiw of this record link.
    Use the controls on the veiwer to expand to full screen.

    http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_srt=3&_q="Squadron+number%3A+270"


    Copy the whole string of the link above from http thru to +27"

    Attached is some basic instructions to use this new facility. "Edited and added some extra screen shots this morning, Sep 30th)
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Sep 30, 2018
  17. Vssanders

    Vssanders Member

    My father was in 270 squadron 44 to may 45 trained as RAF pilot flew as Canadian RAF air gunner in order to get into service as there was greater need for air gunners . Mostly flew with F/o Fish or F/L Stack or Thompson , others include W/c Hall, S/l Knox , P/o Currell. Flew ML 853,867,874,845, 849 , EK 584,589,DW109, I have some photos but of course can only identify my father unless written by him on the back …
     
  18. Vssanders

    Vssanders Member

    Our crew B2ECCC19-1CF7-453B-A6C6-B1A7D55C05FB.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

  19. Vssanders

    Vssanders Member

    Jock Rice Engineer WA 30.11.44 image.jpg
     
  20. Vssanders

    Vssanders Member

    Jock Rice, Junior Hodge, Charlie Daysh?, Arthur Sellers ,Jimmy image.jpg
     

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