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Post by copperbob on Jun 8, 2012 19:21:54 GMT 1
Very interesting piece this as my late Mum was born and bred in the now demolished Railway St opposite the parish church in Garston, where she is buried along with my Dad. She often used to say about the raids, with the Gasometer being hit by a parachute landmine and the guy who defused it being awarded a medal of some kind, Suffice to say if it had gone off I wouldn't be here today, nor my 3 aunts who were all in bed at the time with my Mum. I know the docks were hit many times with the woodyards at Garston favoured targets too, as my Granddad was a docker there throughout the war. My late Dad also used to tell me about watching the raids from the farm he was evacuated too over Wigan way, and the dogfights over the Mersey when he lived in the Dingle. I think a few Luftwaffe bombers and fighters ended up at the bottom of the Mersey as did some of ours too.
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Post by jake3 on Jun 9, 2012 8:46:52 GMT 1
I belive that there was a decoy airfield in the Halewood area off church road. For those who know the area it's the field on the right between the two roundabouts at each end of okell drive. This had lights laid out in the pattern of the runway's at Speke and it must have worked judging by the number of bomb craters in the area.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2012 19:40:26 GMT 1
Just looked at the fields on google earth. Looks like they must have thought the farm house and cottages on Gerards Lane were part of it. I don't know how true it is but I'm also told that the pond seen just before the Huyton turn off on the M62 when heading towards Liverpool is also a bomb crater.
I remember talking to someone many years ago who knew a Luftwaffe pilot and that he had told him that the reason the airport wasn't hit very often was that it kept on moving. This has baffled me ever since but now I know the reason why.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2012 20:22:52 GMT 1
Did the Germans lose any aircraft over Liverpool or to and fro.If so were any credited to the night fighters? Can't find any figures or details of this. There were thousands of them on both sides John. There aren't many documented though. Here's one of a JU88 shot down by our very own lads at Speke. Just to wet your appetite here's an extract from it. The victorious Hurricane pilots landed back at Speke completing what would possible be the fastest shooting down of an enemy aircraft. About 12 minutes from take off to touch down. The pilots got a hearty reception when they landed and were carried shoulder high by their comrades, a large number of station personnel and local civilians witnessed the event, including those on a local bus going past the Airport. So great was the interest that the airport gates had to be closed the following day when crowds of local civilians arrived wanting to congratulate the pilots. No.312 (Czech) Squadron had only become operational in late September 1940, and this was their first action.Read on www.oldwirral.com/files/Ju88_Crash_at_Brom.pdf
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2012 22:20:26 GMT 1
Defiants finally solved? Although probably not the only Defiant squadron to defend Liverpool 256 did it from their base at Blackpool. They were stationed at Squires Gate from March 1941 to May 1942 and tasked to defend Merseyside. The Defiant began to be fazed out by the introduction of the Hurricane between July 1941 and May 1942. However, both types were replaced with Beaufighters before they moved to Woodvale in June 1942. History of 256 Squadron. www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/256_wwII.html
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Post by johnoakes on Jun 10, 2012 7:53:55 GMT 1
very interesting --thanks very much. Is there anywhere where I can get complete figures of EA lost and or successes by the night fighter squadrons.
Really enjoyed reading the histories of the people involved--so few left alive now sadly. I was fortunately of an age when I started work to be amongst these heros--and because of my interest in aviation and all things military had great conversations and sharing of memories--some pleasant some not so. Golden days. For thier sakes I must write them down somewhere for others to access.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2012 20:50:27 GMT 1
Unfortunately John, when it came to shooting aircraft down we weren't very good but the Germans were Masters at it. Here's the list of WW11 Aces. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_flying_acesI haven't read this but if your into night combat you may like to read E.G. Whites first hand experiences www.nightfighternavigator.com/With regard to German a/c bought down at night your looking for a needle in a haystack, there were so many. As most enemy action over the UK took place at night the majority of RAF squadrons had some-sort of night time roll. However, 600 squadron claim to have the most kills but not in the UK. Google Earth have a WW2 crash site APP listing all known sites but my ISP is hopeless at the moment so can't access it to give more details. Perhaps someone else may. Anyone know of any good reasonably priced ISP I can switch too? Oh, nearly forgot. Aviation Safety Network list many but not all of the EM aircraft shot down over the UK between 1940/42 as well as those of the RAF. Look for the Union flag. www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?Year=1940
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Post by johnoakes on Jun 11, 2012 8:30:27 GMT 1
Many thanks--avaition safety was a great read-pity it stopped or seems to at the end of 1940--just when it got interesting re thre blitz.
re german air aces-I am not decrying such patriots as Adolf Galland but most Luftwaffe aces scored highly against the Soviet airforce--flying badly glued together spruce Mig and Yak 1s and 3s.--they would fall from the sky if you blew on them_also Soviet pilots were nothing like as well trained or experienced as their Luftwaffe opponents--after barbarossa things did change as the vile dictator Stalin left others alone to do the job necessary to defeat the invader.--and germany's vile dictator interfered more to the cost of the german war effort.
History of the soviet airforce makes VERY good reading--talk about trying to make bricks without straw.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2012 20:48:50 GMT 1
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Post by johnoakes on Jun 13, 2012 10:13:36 GMT 1
Truly brillians--I will take months to sift through this--probably a job for the winter when the garden has been put to bed. Many thanks.
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