In 1941 Robert Kershaw with 3 Sqn SAAF landed his Hurricane to rescue fellow pilot Frost from behind enemy lines after his Hurricane was hit by ground fire which had holed his glycol tank. Kershaw recieved the DSO. After taking out the parachute the two men just fitted into the Hurricane and shared the flying, one doing the rudder and the other the stick and presumably looking at where they were going.
Were their ever any oyher instances of this
Was their ever any other instances of this being done using a Hurricane and was it ever attempted in a Spitfire?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kershaw
Richard
By: The Bump - 15th July 2015 at 13:36
Lt George Green of the 4th FG landed and rescued his CO Maj Pierce McKennon. They left off their chutes and Green sat on his CO’s lap and flew them back to Debden sharing oxygen.
This was a P51D though, imagine shoe horning two into a Hurricane!
By: adrian_gray - 15th July 2015 at 12:53
I am sure I read somewhere that this was attempted with fatal results in a Spitfire . I am not saying it was not achieved successfully several times , but on this occasion not so . I think this was an American pilot .
There was allegedly an incident when someone took off from RAF Great Sampford with a WAAF on their lap and crashed, killing both of them. Wikipedia records what sounds suspiciously like the same incident in Diana Barnato Walker’s page:
“She became engaged to Squadron Leader Humphrey Trench Gilbert DFC of No. 65 Sqn RAF in April 1942, but he was killed in a flying accident 2 May 1942 when Spitfire BL372/YT-Z crashed at Loves Farm, Cutlers Green, Thaxted, Essex. With him in the Spitfire was Flt Lt David Gordon Ross. They took off from Great Sampford, the RAF Debden satellite station, having consumed 6-8 bottles each of Benskins Colne Springs beer, according to the licensee of the pub. This info was not revealed until after the Court of Enquiry. The CO tried to borrow a Magister but his flight sergeant, realising that he was in no fit state to fly, told him it was u/s. The CO then took a Spitfire.”
I cannot comment on the veracity of the account, but both men are in CWGC, died same day, and one is buried at Saffron Walden.
Adrian
By: NEEMA - 15th July 2015 at 12:33
It was not that uncommon for groundcrew to be ferried in Hurricanes ( as described with the pilot sitting on the passenger’s lap, flying with the hood back) ‘Two up” was demonstrated of course in the “Battle of Britain ” film.
My father was hopped back from Predannick back to Portreath by that method in 1940: as said ,not that unusual.
By: 467 sqn RAAF - 14th July 2015 at 21:12
Had read somewhere that a similar thing happened during the Vietnam War, had to have a quick Google to refresh my memory….. Turns out that a pilot landed his A-1E Skyraider on a small strip that his wingman had crash landed on after taking ground fire, only thing is that the E model was a two seater being flown with only one aircrew in it so there was a spare seat in the aircraft. Also on the same mission were two pilot’s who had flown in World War Two, one of whom had landed his P-38 to pick up the other one who had lost both his engines to ground fire, some coincidence…..
Here’s the wiki page for the American pilot who recieved the Medal of Honor for the Vietnam rescue…..
By: OHOPE - 14th July 2015 at 20:44
I am sure I read somewhere that this was attempted with fatal results in a Spitfire . I am not saying it was not achieved successfully several times , but on this occasion not so . I think this was an American pilot .
By: WZ862 - 14th July 2015 at 19:15
Johannes Steinhoff wrote in his book Straits of Messina (1971) page 24 that JG 77 carried their mechanics crouching in the rear fuselage of their Me 109’s when they flew from Tunis to Trapani in Sicily on May 8 1943. The mechanics had accessed this space by crawling in through the radio access hatches in the rear fuselage. They had no parachutes and in any case, no chance of bailing out even if they had parachutes.
WZ862
By: Vega ECM - 14th July 2015 at 18:15
I remember my grandfather who was with the BEF in 1940, telling me that when the remaining Hurricanes on his squadron flew back from France they all did so with the pilot sitting on the lap of another person. They drew lots for the chance. He, himself had to make do with coming back via Dunkirk.
By: AlanR - 14th July 2015 at 15:40
When I was at RAF Bruggen as an ATC cadet in the early 70s, we were addressed by the CO
(or maybe other senior officer). Who was telling us of someone who landed and brought one of his
fellow pilots back. Unfortunately I don’t remember the details.
It may have been the officer who was CO at the time ?
By: antoni - 14th July 2015 at 15:22
22nd June 1944. W/O Tamowicz’s Mustang (315 Sqn) hit by flack and made a forced landing near to where US engineers were constructing an advanced landing strip. S/Ldr Horbaczewski saw the incident and landed on the unfinished strip and waited for Tamowicz to reach him. Horbaczewski took off sitting on the lap of Tamowicz and both arrived safely at Coolham.
By: Paul F - 14th July 2015 at 14:17
Hi Pogno,
From distant memory I seem to recall that Frederick Rosier landed a Hurricane in the Western Desert campaign to pick up a downed pilot in similar fashion, I think that instance (again, from memory)is mentioned in “Test Pilot” by Neville Duke?
Paul F
P.S. Ah, according to Wikipedia my recollection was not quite right- it seems they failed to take off succesfully…
” In November 1941 he spotted an Australian Tomahawk aircraft being forced down by enemy fighters and landed his single-seater to rescue the pilot. Having got Sgt. Burney aboard he attempted to take-off but suffered a burst tyre and crashed the aircraft. Both he and Burney walked across the desert for four days, avoiding large enemy patrols, to reach safety with a Guards unit.”
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July 14, 2015 at 12:00 pm