posted 09-10- 04:00 PM               

The story of a local man, air ace Jock Cunningham became a Battle of Britain hero.

"This was my finest hour" by Jamie MaCaskill.

Smoke and vapour trails filled the horizon. Parachutes, bombs and cartridges rained on the fields and towns below.
One day was to turn the tide of the Second World War and it would be fought in panoramic glory for millions of people looking up from the ground.
During the Battle of Britain, 3000 pilot flew RAF fighters. That day, the future lay in the hands of just over 300 young men.
September 15,1940, would go down in history as Battle of Britain Day.
North of the Thames, a young Scots Spitfire pilot, Pilot Officer Wallace "Jock" Cunningham, was strapped into his Spitfire as it clawed up towards the German bombers. In the last 3 weeks, Jock had shot down 2 German fighters and a bomber. He was a natural flyer and would soon be an ace.
Sitting in his Glasgow flat 60 years on, he remembers being full of confidence.
He said, "it was the best period of my life. We felt superior. We did not think the Germans were a superior race or had superior pilots or aircraft.
"We were confident. Fear really did not come into it. It was only later, when we thought we might live through it".
"But in those early days, we all thought we would be killed. We just wanted to get on with it and shoot down as many Germans before it happened".
At 23, Jock was older than most of the pilots that flew that day. Most were just 20 or 21.
On their young shoulders Britain entrusted it's future. Success would be decided within the next 12 hours.
The cloud and rain of the previous night gave way to a beautiful summer's Sunday. A few white clouds punctuated the deep blue sky.
In Uxbridge, west London, Winston Churchill arrived with his wife to visit the underground bunker which was the RAF's nerve centre during the battle. Air Vice Marshall Keith Park escorted the Prime Minister 50ft below ground, politely reminding him of the rudimentary air conditioning could not cope with the heavy smoke from his trade mark cigar.
The Prime Minister stubbed out the burning ember, but kept the unlit cigar clenched in his teeth. He looked down on the huge map table, just in time to see the first markers being placed down by the female plotters showing the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, starting to stir.

The largest air battle in history was about to be played out in front of his eyes.

The actual air battle had been raging since July. Up to September 15th, the raids had been growing in size and intensity. Hitler had actually planned to invade Britain on the 11th, but because there was still no air superiority, he had to delay the order.
The raids on London continued through the week, steadily building before the massive assault on Sunday September 15th. As Churchill watched the maps in the RAF bunker, over Calais hundreds of German fighters and bombers were grouping together, preparing for the 45-minute flight across the Channel.
In the docks of Northern France, Belgium and Holland, almost 2000 barges lay waiting to carry the German Army to the British coast.
Operation Sealion-Hitlers code name for the invasion-was just days away. Hitler believed that one massive air raid would be enough to bring the British people to their knees.
As the first massive wave of bombers started towards Britain, Churchill turned to Air Marshall Park and said, "There appear to be many aircraft coming in".
Park answered in the same low tone: "And we are ready for them. There'll be someone there to meet them".
In the next 15 minutes, 12 squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes were scrambled. At his base in Fowlmere, north of London, Jock Cunningham and his colleagues in 19 Squadron was strapped into their cockpits waiting to scramble.
The first wave of bombers crossed over the coast south of Dover at 11.33am, flying between 15,000 and 26000ft.
The vast armada of twin engine Dorniers, Heinkels and Junkers bombers was 2 miles wide with a huge formation of agile Messerschmitt Bf109 lurking behind and above.
More twin engine Messerschmitt Bf110 fighters provided a close escort for the bombers.
The first Spitfires and Hurricanes tore into the German force and within minutes blazing aircraft were tumbling towards the ground.
But despite the relentless attacks, the wave continued towards London.
Among the Spitfires was 603(City of Edinburgh)Squadron, which had been scrambled from it's wartime base in Hornchurch and was now attacking the bombers as they approached London.
As the battle raged on in the skies over Kent, Park scrambled his remaining 11 squadrons. At 11.45am, Jock Cunningham's 19 Squadron took off to join with three other squadrons, led into battle by Douglas Bader.
Jock said "By then, we were very keen and these big raids provided plenty of opportunity. There were hundreds of enemy aircraft. But that wasn't daunting. They can't shot you all down. We had lost people from the squadron and you had seen them going down, but you forgot about that very quickly. Morale was actually very good".
"We were having successes. There was competition between us to see how many you could bring down".
"There was the odd individual how could not cope. They would be scared and lose the place a wee bit, but they would push through it and carry on".
By the time Jock arrived with Bader's four squadrons, the enemy bombers had reached the edge of London but were in disarray. Huge holes appeared in what remained of the formation as Spitfires and Hurricanes continued to harry them.
Bader's four squadrons then poured in as other units arrived on the scene. The Germans scattered, abandoning their bombs and dashing back for the safety of France.
By 12.30pm, patrolling Hurricanes and Spitfires had cleared the skies.
But at the Uxbridge bunker, Park knew the Germans would be back. This was just the eye of the storm. The next massive wave of bombers crossed the British coast at 2.15pm. In total, 600 bombers and fighters were heading for London.
Park responded by scrambling all the squadrons available, including 602 (The City of Glasgow) squadron from it's base at Westhampnett.

**** Almost 900 planes were in a fight to the death along a corridor 80 miles long, 35 miles wide and 6 miles high****

Jock said, "It was a very hectic affair. They were aircraft all over the place. But it was all happening very quickly. Things could change so quickly".
"I remember I had a Bf109 on my tail and spinning out of the fight. I just popped the aircraft up and over on it's wing and let it drop".
Of course you pass out doing things like that and when I came to, there was no battle, everyone had gone".
Eventually reunited with his own unit, Jock scored one of his squadron's 11 claims successes of the day. At 3.50pm over London he managed to get on the tail of a Bf109 and poured cannon fire into it. The German plane started to disintegrate and the pilot, a young German Lieutenant, bailed out. He was captured on the ground.
Jock said, "We didn't think about the German pilots or crews. It didn't matter to us. If you shot him down he was either dead or a prisoner. Either way, it achieved what we set out to do".
"I had no qualms about doing it. I had been living down in Kent where the bombs had been falling".
Again the massed squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes broke up the fleets of attacking bombers, which were now fleeing towards France. London although hit, had escaped the carnage and destruction attempted by the Luftwaffe.
Across the Kent countryside, burnt out aircraft littered the fields. In total the RAF had shot down 58 bombers and fighters. Another 23 badly shot up bombers made it back to their French bases carrying dead and wounded crew.
The RAF had lost 28 planes and 13 fighters were killed. For Jock, there was a sense the day had achieved something greater than normal.
He said, "We started believing our own press. It was all over the papers. We knew we had managed something quite important. But it didn't all stop after that day. We carried on. It was still a dangerous time".
Next morning, there was little enemy activity over Britain and on September 17th, British intelligence intercepted secret German communication.
The message was an order authorised by Hitler to start dismantling the barges. Within days they were gone. The invasion was off indefinitely.
After securing his fifth kill. Jock was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and he flew escort for the King and Queen who visited his base to award him his medal.
Within a year his war was over. During a hazardous raid over France, Jock was shot down and captured.
He said "The aircraft was in a mess, but I was lucky, I managed to crash land on a beach. Sitting in the wreckage, the events of last year caught up with me. It was a very depressing moment for me.
Jock was sent to the infamous PoW camp, Stalag Luft III. But he was already immortalised as one of The Few, the pilots who had started the chain of events that would ensure his eventual freedom and the end of Hitler's Nazi empire.

Very brave men,
Pogo

posted 09-11- 01:02 AM               

We Salute them!

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