Actual intercom recording • Lancaster bomber 1943.

[Garfly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

This YouTube commenter gives some useful background:

"Flashback History

 

For those who are curious, I've got some information on the source of the first clip. The first clip was recorded on the night of September 3/4, 1943 over Berlin by BBC reporter Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and recordist Reginald Pidsley. Vaughn-Thomas narrated the flight, despite having problems with his oxygen mask that made it difficult for him to breathe. If you listen to the version which includes his commentary (the Australian War Memorial website has a copy), you can hear the strain in his voice. What you're hearing is a recording of the intercom loop of Lancaster Mk. I "F for Freddy" (officially Lancaster ED586 EM-F) of 207 Squadron RAF. Pidsley used a "midget recorder" that used a needle to cut acetate discs to make the recording. The cold at high altitude was so severe that Pidsley had to keep the discs warm inside his flight jacket or else the disc lacquer would harden and become too brittle for the recording needle to make an impression.. Just 12 hours after the Lancaster landed back at RAF Langar, the clip was aired on the BBC. Apparently the commander of 5 Group was scandalized by the broadcast and tried to suppress it, since the crew's chatter hadn't been "by the book." Pidsley kept the original disks for the next 40 years before presenting them as a gift to 207 Squadron.

 

The attack on Berlin on the night of 3/4 September 1943 involved 316 Lancasters. Bomber Command also dispatched 4 Mosquitoes to drop flares to decoy German night fighters as to the bomber stream's real target. The bombing was largely inaccurate due to marking and navigational errors, although factories in Siemensstadt and houses in Charlottenburg and Moabit, killing 422 people on the ground. The raid also came at a heavy price, with 22 Lancasters being lost.

 

The combat report for the mission stated: "On the night 3/4 September 1943, Lancaster "F" of No. 207 Squadron was detailed to attack Berlin. When in the target area at 2328 hours, flying at 20,000 feet, on a magnetic course of 086 Deg at an I.A.S. of 170 m.p.h., it was attacked by an unidentified enemy aircraft from dead astern slightly above at a range of 800 yards, but its fire fell short of the Lancaster. Both Lancaster gunners opened fire at 650 yards firing until 500 yards when the enemy aircraft burst into flames and was seen to crash on the ground. This is confirmed by the captain of the aircraft, the Flight Engineer and the Wireless Operator - the enemy aircraft is claimed as destroyed. No damage was done to the Lancaster. As it went down with flames pouring from the engine out over the cockpit, the enemy aircraft was silhouetted against search-lights and fires, and was identified by the rear gunner as a Me.109. At the time the visibility was good. Apparently the pilot of the enemy aircraft thought he had not been observed by the crew of the Lancaster as he positioned himself as a "sitting" target, coming in dead astern of the Lancaster as it was making a straight and level run for a photograph, after bombing." The crew on the September 3/4 mission were as follows. All but one survived the war.

 

-Pilot: Flight Lieutenant Kenneth "Ken" Harold Francis Letford, RAF. Letford started his RAF career flying Blenheim bombers on daylight raids (some sources say he also flew Hampden bombers on night raids with 49 Squadron), before transferring to 207 Squadron to fly Lancasters. Letford had started his career as a flight sergeant before being commissioned as an officer in September 1942. Amazingly, he was one of only a handful of RAF Bomber Command pilots to have survived four tours of operations, meaning he flew approximately 90 missions. Remember, aircrew only had a 15-20% chance of completing just 30 missions in night bombers. After completing his first Lancaster tour, Letford had turned down the chance to fly (relatively) safer missions marking targets in a Pathfinder Mosquito and kept flying Lancasters. He stayed in the RAF after the war and landed a Sunderland flying boat in the Yangtze River to deliver medical supplies and a doctor to the trapped frigate HMS Amethyst after it came under fire from the Chinese Communists. Letford won a Bar to his DFC for his action. He finished his RAF career as a Squadron Leader with a DSO and Bar and DFC and Bar. He'd been awarded his first DFC on September 1943, just a few days after the Berlin raid. Letford was apparently something of a loose cannon, one squadronmate called him "some character" and remember that Letford was "twice court-martialled but never actually sacked." In 1983, he and Vaughn-Thomas were reunited at a reunion.

 

-Navigator: Warrant Officer Harold Frederick Connelly, RAAF. Connelly was regarded as one of the best navigators in the squadron and was known for his ability to "smell" his way around Germany. Connelly took care to learn the placement of searchlights near specific German cities like Essen and Hamburg to help him navigate. Since the searchlights were visible from up to 50 miles away, they made excellent navigational aids to a navigator with a good memory. Connelly was known for passing along these tips of the trade to the squadron's newer navigators. Connelly would be awarded a DFC during his war service. -Engineer: Charles "Chas" Edward Dean Stewart, RAF. Stewart was nearly killed a few months after the recording was made. While flying in "M for Mother" on a night raid to Brunswick, Stewart had to deal with a port engine failure. He feathered the prop and the crew pressed on after jettisoning part of the bomb load. Over the target, the Lancaster was attacked repeatedly by an FW 190 and damaged further. The Lancaster made a rough landing at RAF Spilsby just after midnight on January 15, 1944 and broke up. Stewart was injured in the crash, but was awarded a DFM for his efforts to save the aircraft during the mission.

 

He attended the 1943 reunion with Vaughn-Thomas. -Bomb Aimer: Flight Lieutenant William "Bill" Charles Thomas Bray. Bray and Letford were apparently extremely close friends, having flown Blenheims together before transferring to Lancasters. Bray was awarded DFC and Bar during his wartime service and was present at the 1943 reunion with Vaughn-Thomas. -Rear Air-Gunner: Sergeant Henry "Harry" Charles Devenish, RAF. Devenish was credited with the shooting down a German fighter during the September 3/4 Berlin raid. He was given a DFM in May 1944. -Mid-Upper Air-Gunner: Flying Officer (some sources say Warrant Officer) Jock Fieldhouse -Wireless Operator: Sergeant William "Bill" Sparkes Sadly, "F for Freddy" would not see the end of the war. It was shot down over Stettin on the night of January 6/7, 1944, killing Flying Officer George Ebert and his crew."

 

 

[waraton]

Thanks Garfly, the vid and background you presented is excellent. Very informative, your effort is appreciated!

[Garfly]

 

You're welcome waraton, It's amazing what turns up via the YT algorithm, and even though we all here probably get much of the same stuff, there's just so much of it, none of us could ever get to sift all the wheat from all the chaff.

 

Anyway, I was curious about the Australian War Memorial reference (above) so I tracked down this on the AWM site:

 

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C276375

[Garfly]

And then this turned up   ...  also happens to make use of bits of those actual BBC audio recordings.