RE: A surprise on Remembrance Sunday.

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 11-11-02 AT 06:34 PM (GMT)]Well, here’s what I’ve been able to glean from my library etc today, written up for your pleasure!. There are actually four pilots from the squadron (at the time Johnny was on it’s strength) that are still alive. With added bits to make it publishable, this is off to the papers tomorrow. Fingers crossed on getting the ball rolling!

1333551 Sergeant John George ‘Johnny’ Wiseman.

Sergeant ‘Johnny’ Wiseman, the son of Percy Edwin and Hilda Marjorie Wiseman, was from a small Norfolk Village called Ashby-with-Oby. During World War Two, he trained as a pilot, being posted to 609 (West Riding) Squadron in 1942 to fly fighters. (Incidentally, Johnny is seen in the Boulting Brothers PR film ‘Between Friends’, where their Flight Commander Joe Atkinson says “That’s Johnny, he’s from Yarmouth, where they catch herrings you know!”)

On the day of his death it was ‘A’ flights turn to come to readiness, and Johnny took off as one-half of Red Section in perfect flying weather from RAF Manston in Kent. Also patrolling was Yellow Section, consisting of the Belgian (and future Commanding Officer) Raymond ‘Cheval’ Lallemand and Polish pilot ‘Tony’ Polek. Their mission was to protect some Royal Navy Motor Torpedo Boats in difficulties close to the French coast. During the night, the MTB’s had been making a nuisance of themselves around the French ports, and one was now lying disabled in the Straits of Dover off Cap Gris-Nez. With dawn breaking, and still in range of the German coastal artillery, attempts were made to tow it to safety, as the men on board were now at the mercy of the German Luftwaffe who would surely soon appear.

Sergeant Wiseman and Flight Sergeant Haddon were tasked with the job of close escort, while Lallemand and Polek patrolled close by, ready to help if needed. Then bad luck struck the Navy. The cable used to tow the stricken vessel snapped (though they were now fortunately out of range of the guns). With the boats now stationary, Wiseman and Haddon could do no more than circle relentlessly around them. It was around this time that contact was lost between Red Section and Bill Igoe (the Sector Controller at RAF Biggin Hill) and Yellow Section (who were now Mid-Channel)

At around 1100 hrs on 14th February 1943, Johnny was shot down whilst flying Hawker Typhoon R7872 PR-S, by a Focke-Wulf FW190 of III/JG2. This same Focke-Wulf also shot down Flight Sergeant Alan ‘Babe’ Haddon, who was flying Hawker Typhoon DN294 PR-O. The Captain of the immobile MTB was later to tell ‘Cheval’ Lallemand that the Focke-Wulfs had come up on the Typhoons just above sea level, and unable to give a warning to the pilots they could only watch as one aircraft was seen to go down in flames, while the other folded up ‘like a book’ and also crashed into the sea.

Shortly afterwards, Yellow Section engaged the first of two flights of four German fighters, altogether claiming two Focke-Wulfs confirmed destroyed and one probable, with Polek (in his first combat) claiming two probables. They were then joined by fellow 609 Squadron pilots Roy Payne and another Belgian, Jean De Selys Longchamps, who proceeded to destroy another FW190 apiece off Calais.

The Nine O’ Clock News that night announced: “In the course of defensive patrols over the English Channel, Typhoons of Fighter Command destroyed five Focke-Wulf 190’s, the latest type of German fighter. Two of our pilots failed to return.”