engine power
P/O John Freeborn of No. 74 Squadron used his boost cut out over Dunkirk on 24 May 1940:
As I broke away two ME.109's got onto my tail. I dived steeply with the 2 e/a following me, one was on my tail and the other on my port quarter. As I dived to ground level I throttled back slightly and the e/a on my tail over shot me and I was able to get a three seconds burst at a range of about 50 to 100 yards. He seemed to break away slowly to the right as though he was badly hit and I think he crashed. The second ME.109 then got onto my tail but I got away from it by using the boost cut out. 43
P/O Colin Gray (NZ), with No. 54 Squadron over Dunkirk, recalled the first time he used emergency power. Gray was engaged in a mêlée with Me 110s and 109s on 25 May 1940, when after destroying a Me 109 E and his Spitfire being hit by several cannon shells, he broke off combat:
By this time, as usual, there was not a soul in sight, and I decided the best course of action was to set off for home as speedily as possible. I pressed the emergency boost tit, which poured on the fuel, but was only for use in dire emergency as it could overstress the engine. I considered this was justifiable under the circumstances, since I was still inside France and could not see anyone coming to my assistance. 44
On another recounting of this incident Gray noted specifically "I selected +12 lbs (emergency boost) and continued my climb...".44b Gray also related a harrowing incident that occurred on 31 August when Hornchurch was bombed, the order given "54 Squadron, take off, take off, for Christ's sake take off", followed by section leaders ordering the Pilots to: "...press their emergency boost tits (giving double take off power)". 45
P/O Al Deere of No. 54 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 26 May 1940:
On approaching Gravelines at 17,000 feet two enemy aircraft were sighted. Red Leader and I gave chase using 12 boost. 29
F/LT Brian Lane, serving with No. 19 Squadron, wrote of his 26 May 1940 combat wherein emergency power allowed him to escape a very dangerous situation indeed, his aircraft suffering only light damage:
I was beginning to breathe again when rat-tat-tat behind me and a tracer appeared over the cockpit, the bullets churning up a patch of foam in the water a hundred yards ahead. It was then that I remembered the automatic boost cut-out, a device giving maximum power from the engine for use in emergency. I pushed the lever down and felt the surge of power from the Merlin in front of me as the aircraft accelerated. Twisting and turning, I managed to keep clear of the Hun bullets, very nearly hitting the water several times while doing so. One of the 109s had evidently climbed up to one side and now came diving in at me from the beam. I turned towards him and gave him the last of my ammunition at point-blank range. I think he went straight in, for as I drew away with my superior speed I could see only two Messerschmitts behind me. 46
Of particular interest is Lane's official combat report of this incident, in which +12 boost is specifically mentioned:
A dog fight now ensued and I fired burst at several E/A, mostly deflection shots. Three E/A attached themselves to my tail, 2 doing astern attacks whilst the third attacked from the beam.
I managed to turn towards this E/A and fired a good burst in a front quarter deflection attack.
The E/A then disappeared and was probably shot down. By this time I was down to sea level, and made for the English coast, taking violent evasive action.
I gradually drew away from E/A using 12 lb. boost which gave an air speed of 300 m.p.h. 47
P/O M. P. Brown of 611 Squadron recorded in his Combat Report for 2 June 1940:
When patrolling Dunkirk at 15,000 feet with "A" Flight, ME.109's suddenly appeared in our formation. I attacked an ME.109 using deflection but no apparent hits. I then realized that an ME.109 was on my tail firing - I dived to evade e/a but was followed down by e/a. My engine was missing and I went down to beach, it picked up again and I went over Dunkirk at about 100 feet, still followed by E/A. When I opened the boost cut out I felt no more shots from e/a and found I had evaded him. 48
F/LT John Ellis of No. 610 recorded in his Combat Report for 12 June 1940:
I was the leader of Blue section 610 Sqdn. which was ordered to take off at 0745 hrs on 12/6/40. There were two aircraft in the section as Blue 3 had trouble starting and when he did take off he failed to contact us. Immediately we were airborne we were ordered to 'vector 120' and 'gate'. 49
F/Lt. John Webster, of No. 41 Squadron, engaged in a night time interception of a He 111 at Tees Mouth recording in his Combat Report for 19 June 1940:
I was about 5 miles North East of A/C and chased after it. I had to use 12 lbs boost to catch it. 50
F/Lt D. P. Kelly of No. 74 recorded in his Combat Report for 28 July 1940:
I was Blue No. 1 of No. 74 Squadron and was flying about 300 yards astern and to port of Red Leader when we saw some Me.109's a little below us (we were at 18,000 ft). Red section turned and dived down to port. I likewise turned to port but found a formation in Vic of 3 Me.109's pass about 300 yards across my nose. I took a snap shot at them but noticed no effect. Immediately after this I saw 3 Me. 109's to port diving down very fast. I found it necessary to use boost cutout and dived down on the leading one whom I managed to get on the tail of by diving steeply and turning left. I closed to 250 yards and opened fire with slight deflection and saw after a few seconds the machine turn left, dive and a tongue of flame appeared on port side. It then dived down into the sea burning. Blue 2 confirms that he saw smoke and glycol coming from enemy aircraft before he broke away to engage 2nd. enemy aircraft. 51
F/Lt. John Webster, of No. 41 Squadron, high-tailed it home using 12 boost on 28 and 29 July 1940, recording in his combat reports:
I returned home at 0 feet 12 boost, and landed at Hornchurch. 52
On reaching sea level I used twelve boost and made for the coast. Seeing that my aircraft was damaged I brought it back to Hornchurch. 53
P/O George Bennions, of No. 41 Squadron, engaged in a combat on 28 July 1940 demonstrating that emergency boost was used for offense as well:
...I ordered Yellow Section to carry out a Number One attack on this aircraft. Using the emergency boost I closed right in using full deflection and firing from 200 Yards to 100 Yards. The enemy turned over on its side and went almost vertically downwards, I followed using full boost and gave two more bursts of about 4 Seconds each from a position slightly left of astern, and after the second burst the whole of the enemy fuselage was enveloped in black smoke... 54
P/O Art Donahue's account of using +12 boost during his first combat of 5 August 1940, whilst flying Spitfires with No. 64 Squadron out of Kenley, is typical:
“There are bandits approaching from the north” In quick response to this information, our leader sang out a command: “All Tiger aircraft, full throttle! Full Throttle!” That meant to use the emergency throttle that gave extra power to our engines. I was flying in our leader’s section, on his left. As he gave the command “Full throttle”, his plane started to draw ahead, away from me. I pushed in my emergency throttle in response to the command, the first time I had ever used it, and my engine fairly screamed with new power. I felt my plane speeding up like a high spirited horse that has been spurred. 55
F/Lt. John Webster, of No. 41 Squadron, once again noted use of 12 boost in his Combat Report of 8 August 1940:
I had no difficulty (using 12 boost) in overtaking the Me. 109's either in diving or level flight. 56
F/O R.W. Wallens, of No. 41 Squadron, recorded in his Combat Report for 11 August 1940:
12 lbs boost used by all Green Section. 57
41 Squadron, now flying from Catterick in 13 Group, intercepted the 15 August 1940 raid on the east coast. The Intelligence Officer noted:
All pilot's report e/a fast and used 12 lbs boost to catch them. 58
F/Lt George Gribble of 54 Squadron flying from Hornchurch, recorded in his Combat Report for 15 August 1940:
I dived to the attack, using 12 boost and fired a long burst at one from astern. It seemed to "shudder" in mid air and then dived away steeply with black smoke coming from it. 59
F/O Hugh Dundas (later Group Captain), flying Spitfires with No. 616 out of Leconfield, in the northern part of 12 Group, wrote of scrambling to intercept Ju 88s from Denmark on 15 August 1940 :
I set a course and rammed the throttle 'through the gate' , to get the maximum power output, permissible for only a very limited time. Some of the others were ahead of me, some behind. We did not bother to wait for each other or try to form up into flights and sections. We raced individually across the coast and out to sea. About fifteen miles east of Bridlington I saw them, to the left front, and slightly below - the thin, pencil shapes of German twin engine bombers, flying in loose, straggling, scattered formation toward the coast. 60
F/Lt Robert F. Boyd, flying with No. 602 out of Westhampnett, wrote an interesting statement in his combat report for 18 August 1940 regarding emergency boost :
I then dived for sea level 10 miles from Coast, saw five aircraft I thought were Hurricanes and climbed to them for protection. They proved to be Me 109's which chased me back to coast, one continuing chase after others had left me: on seeing this I went into a turn, got onto its tail closed to 70 yards and fired 2 second burst. I saw this A/C hit the sea in flames... My Spitfire easily outdistanced Me 109's at 10 lbs boost 2800 r.p.m. 61
P/O James Morton, with No. 603 at Hornchurch, wrote in his diary for 28 August 1940:
We were now 3/4 way over the Channel, so I turned for home and dived to sea level. On the way down I noticed I was being followed so pressed the tit and kept very close to the water. The chap was 6-800' behind and I was slowly gaining. I kept on at sea level to the bottom of the cliffs near Hawkinge and came up and did a tight circuit of the old airship hanger, but the chap had gone. I felt rather relieved in the Channel as I thought most of my rounds were gone. Actually I had about 100 rounds left per gun. 'Tigger' (Morton's Spitfire) with the tit pressed and the dive from 4,000' was doing a steady 320 with a great long trail of smoke. I wonder if the Hun claimed anything. 62
P/O Ronald Berry of 603 Squadron shot down Oberleutnant Helmut Rau I/JG3 flying a Me 109 E-4 on 31 August, recording in his Combat Report:
As I had no oxygen, I had to leave the squadron at 22,000 feet and waited below in the sun for straggling enemy aircraft. After patrolling for 30 minutes, I saw a Me109 proceeding very fast. To overhaul him I had to press the emergency boost - indicated speed - 345. I caught the enemy aircraft off Shoeburyness. I opened fire at close range and fired all my ammunition until the enemy aircraft streamed with smoke and pancaked on the mud at Shoeburyness. 63
Sgt Jack Stokoe of 603 Squadron claimed a 109 destroyed, probably that of Oberleutnant Bauer of III/JG53, recording on his Combat Report of 1 September 1940:
At about 17.30 we were patrolling Manston at 12,000' when control informed us Canterbury was being dive bombed. About five miles south of the town when at about 3,000' a Me 109, silver with black crosses, dived past my nose flattened out about 50 feet up and headed south. I executed a steep turn, pushed in boost override, and sat on his tail. At about 50 yards, I gave him one small burst with little effect, closed to 30 yards, and gave a slightly longer burst. Black smoke poured from him as I overshot him. The a/c crashed in a field, turned over two or three times and burst into flames in a clump of trees. 70 bullets were fired from each gun. 64
__________________
|