Spitfire Ace – could YOU do it?

Originally posted by skypilot62
Flew with Johnnie Johnson about a year before he died

I’m speechless! What an incredible experience that must have been. I cannot think of many more humbling (or worrying!) situations, than to fly with a veteran and have such a man place his trust in someone else’s abilities.

Originally posted by skypilot62
Seperate altogether – STEVE

I trust you’re suitably disgusted by the recent desecration of the song which contains your tagline?!:p

Sorry to be nit picky, but mine’s from ‘Learning To Fly’, which thankfully hasn’t yet been mauled to pieces. But in answer to the question, yes, absolutely appalled. ‘Comfortably Numb’ is a classic and should be left alone.

(climbs back down off soapbox) 😀

Re: Spitfire Ace – could YOU do it?

Originally posted by DazDaMan
The defining moment would come when that Messerschmitt 109 is hovering in my gunsight. To maim or kill another man…?

Real-life’s a helluva lot different from a computer game!

I was watching an interview on one of the airshow progs on the telly some years ago I think for the RAFs 75th anniversary and the veteren (Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris I think) said that they wer trying to shoot the aircraft not the pilot. They accepted that some didnt get out but were glad if they did. after all they were pilots just like them.

But could I? Fly a Spit? Probably and I would have loved too Fight and maybe die in one? The jury is still out. It is all very well saying yes or no in the comfort of your own home, but if we were actually in that position sat in a fighter then I think most of us probably would. because lets face it it is them or us. I dont think I could live with myself if I didnt at least try.

My hat goes off to those who did and thank you!

Those brave men, who are now so humble and wonder why we make such a fuss of them! An honour to meet them.

Think of that when the doddering old git at the post office holds you up next time. He may well be one of them.

Could I?

I have absolutely no idea

Would I?

Damn straight, I would have been invloved somehow, even if it was only cleaning the floor

But as Kev said (far better than I ever could), thanks to those brave men I probably will never have to find out.

Originally posted by kev35
Each and every day, at some point, I think about what they achieved, and I thank them. I only wish I could do more.

Regards,

kev35

Here here

I’m fairly sure I couldn’t, not at any point in my life. I’m probably far too selfish. In a different way I wouldn’t want to. It was THEIR time. It was an emotive time, thankfully we’ve never since been faced with the threat they had to face. I become unashamedly emotional when I think what they did, how they lived, laughed, loved and died. And I feel pride for them. Pete Brothers was right when he ranked their achievement alongside that of the Armada or Agincourt.

Each and every day, at some point, I think about what they achieved, and I thank them. I only wish I could do more.

Regards,

kev35

At their age possibly I could, now 20 years on, no I couldn’t.

To put it in context, when I think of the chances I took when I first started driving at 17, I look back and a cold shiver runs down my spine. Every where was at 300 mph, over taking everything, I think I value life more now.

The same could be said about these guys, at 18, 19, 20 they’re given a sleak modern aircraft with a 1200 hp engine and eight machine guns, I think in some ways they would think of themselves as the kings of the skies as I did as king of the road at that age, the only diffence my job wasn’t to kill someone, luckily I never did.

When the chips are down and your backs against the wall as it was undoubtedly was then there’s no knowing how far the average person can or will push themself. Just look at the guys who landed on the Normandy beaches, facing a certain death they still went forward.

Re: Spitfire Ace – could YOU do it?

Originally posted by DazDaMan
Was just pondering this as the last episode of Spitfire Aceis on tomorrow night.

Could any of us on the forums do what these men (many of them younger than myself) did sixty-plus years ago? Put your life on the line for King and Country to defend the right to freedom of speech? Freedom from persecution? Defending your faith and your own views?

Me? I’d like to think I could at least try. The defining moment would come when that Messerschmitt 109 is hovering in my gunsight. To maim or kill another man…?

Real-life’s a helluva lot different from a computer game!

Growing up and reading everything I could about WW2 pilots, I had an image of them as supermen, larger then life. They always seemed huge to me in the photos.

Then I started hunting for Spit XII drivers and began to get to know some of them via letters. They still were the guys in the photos though.

Then I was lucky enough to go to the 41 Squadron Reunion at Coltishall in 86 and finally met my heros. What struck me at first, was that I was actually physically bigger then most of them. I’m only 5’10” but I was taller then most. The other thing I found out was these were just good people. They weren’t supermen, they weren’t larger then life. They were good, decent people.

And that made them bigger heros to me in that like any of us would, they faced the fears and the dangers for the sake of their fellow men. When the job was done, those that survived came home, started regular jobs and got on with their lives.

I know we call them our greatest generation in the US, but I believe we are all capable of the same sort of sacrifice and I believe, that while I’m glad I never had to face that danger, that if my home and my family was in danger, I too could rise to the occasion.

Dan

One wonders how he felt at that moment…

Very fitting end to an all-round very good programme.

What a moment of pure magic when Pete Brothers took the controls of ML407. A superb end to an excellent programme.

Flew with Johnnie Johnson about a year before he died and asked him what he thought of flying:

“I still get the same thrill now (60+ years on) as when I first climbed into a cockpit”

I then asked about aerial fighting.

“I was sh!t scared and anyone else who says they weren’t is a liar or mad”

Fair comment! I guess it was a case of duty overpowering fear. Last week’s episode had a quote from Bob Doe (I think) along the lines of “One of the chaps always threw up whilst running to his aircraft on a scramble but still got in and flew to the fight”

Hard Core!

Maybe if the circumstances were the same…..but thankfully I probably won’t ever know.

I have the great position of being paid to fly but without the inherent hazzards of someone being beastly and shooting at me (although if Al Qaeda get their way….!). An inherently better way of life.

Seperate altogether – STEVE

I trust you’re suitably disgusted by the recent desecration of the song which contains your tagline?!:p

Could I fly a Spitfire? Absolutely no idea. I’d like to think I’d have the aptitude to fly fighters (well, OASC thought I did fifteen years ago, so that’s good enough for me.)

WOULD I do what they did? Undoubtedly. As Bob Doe said; “I just didn’t want these *******s marching through my mother’s back yard”. I don’t doubt for one moment that I’d be absolutely terrified throughout it, but at the end of the day, the man in the street expects someone to stand up and fight for him.

Besides, at 18 / 19 / 20, you don’t yet know the meaning of real fear, so you’d be far more confident in putting yourself into the firing line.

And from a purely personal viewpoint, these guys were my heroes froman early age, and I’d always held them as shining examples of the standards I should be able to meet, should I ever have the need to do so.

So yes, if I was their age, in their position, I think I could.

Just my 2p’s worth…

Fighting over your home territories and knowing what happened in Poland and France is probably another HUGE incentive.

My thoughts are if I was to do it then I would take the approach of “if I don’t get them , they will get me…”.

I guess a will to live would make a slight difference……

🙂 When you are as young as them ,with the camaradarie and the self confidence and belief they had, they must’ve thought they were invincible and on a big adventure.
I would think the fear came later with the realisation of the consequences and losses.
My hats off to them all:)

Good question Daz,

Ive only started studying BoB in recent years and i just can’t get over how young some of the pilots were??? They are amazing people.

I don’t think i could ever imagine what it must have felt like. I love reading books (First Light at the moment) and watching the vetrens talk about there experiences.

Bless em all

Flying can be exciting enough without having to worry about people shooting at you as well…. :p

I think the answer to Daz’s question is that we can’t know untill we’ve been there.If you’d asked many of the BofB pilots the same question they’d probably tell you that they don’t know how they did it themselves!
I don’t think we’d know how we’d cope in a situation like that untill we were in it.
I certainly wouldn’t have been selected for flying duties anyway,I’m blind as a bat and unfortunately I don’t have it’s echo location!!

Difficult question this.

My immediate answer is ‘NO’, I just haven’t got it in me.

But then, had it not been for medical problems, and probably sheer weight of better applicants if my medical had been OK, I would have applied for the RAF to fly fighters as a career, so I suppose I would effectively have been committing myself to fight.

But I don’t like the thought of it.

Have always thought of my preferred role as being an ATA pilot delivering combat aircraft around the UK. Still hazardous, but the threat level is more under your own control.

Whatever. I salute the guys who did it. My particular sympathy goes to the thousands of chaps who, inspired by the Few in 1940 joined-up to fly, and ended up beating the fearful path to the Rhur and back in cold, underarmed and vulnerable bombers.

Moggy

Re: Spitfire Ace – could YOU do it?

Originally posted by DazDaMan
Was just pondering this as the last episode of Spitfire Aceis on tomorrow night.

Could any of us on the forums do what these men (many of them younger than myself) did sixty-plus years ago? Put your life on the line for King and Country to defend the right to freedom of speech? Freedom from persecution? Defending your faith and your own views?

Me? I’d like to think I could at least try. The defining moment would come when that Messerschmitt 109 is hovering in my gunsight. To maim or kill another man…?

Real-life’s a helluva lot different from a computer game!

(image: Mark12)

In most of our cases it wouldnt be when we got the 109 in our sights but when it had US in it’s sights.:)