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2742 goes to the Continent

On 16th October, A/S/L Raine received orders that “this unit is required by 85 Group “on the other side” and that movement would be arranged as soon as possible.” As soon as possible doesn’t appear to have been very fast. After packing up and moving out on 19th October, the squadron moved via Old Sarum to Tilbury Docks but then bad weather set in. Although they embarked on 26th October, the boat lay at anchor for days. It didn’t finally sail until 23.00 hours on 5th November!

The squadron must have been happy to get off the LST in Belgium. They were ordered to move to Ghent where “A” flight had been for some weeks. Straight away, “A” and “C” flights were ordered to Menil la Horge to guard a 9451 Signals Unit technical site. On the way they passed through Prefondville on 11th November, the first British troops to be seen in the town. On the 18th, “At 1610 hours a ME 109 flew over the station and gave a long burst of fire. “C” flight HQ car opened fire and fired two bursts”.

The squadron operated as independent flights once it reached Europe, which was obviously the source of some frustration to the CO, A/S/L Raine. His entry for 1st December 1944 in the ORBs reads:

“Before we left the UK we wondered just what our role would be and now as we think retrospectively over the past month we have an entirely new idea. It seems that the squadron will operate as several separate units. The administration is the responsibility of the flights themselves to a large degree but they have to be catered for by the headquarters in equipment, NAAFI, rations, certain stores and in some cases — pay. The personnel establishment of a flight is not sufficient on its own so it has to be supplemented by the headquarters flight. The flights have various commitments so it is not possible to lay down exactly what extra personnel a flight needs. … Although there are 12 motor cyclists in the squadron it is found at times there is more work for them to do than they can cope with. Mail and rations take a priority over everything of a non-operational nature. It is not nearly so important to pay the men as to give them cigarettes and other necessities, apart from these things there is no desire to spend anything else”.

The next statement I find hard to believe after hearing stories of my grandfather’s drinking exploits in Europe and later in Egypt and Palestine. “The Belgian and French beers are too weak for the Britisher so he has no desire to drink it. The other wines and spirits are too expensive and there is very little else to do.”!

A/S/L Raine went on: “One can judge the morale very easily when it is contrasted to the morale in the UK. Just before we left England the men were becoming restless and desiring to move out of the country. Now it is an atmosphere of greater contentment. There is a desire for further activity but that may be in store for us.”

RAF Regiment in the Battle of the Bulge

“C” flight didn’t have long to wait for that “further activity”. On the 17th December 1944, the squadron received “orders for “C” flight to proceed to [map reference] P565605 near Bastogne and give support to the troops of armoured cars commanded by F/L Jay - 2804 squadron”.

The armoured cars of “C” flight were to help those of 2804 squadron extract an RAF signals unit (No. 6080) which had been at Houffalaize, north of Bastogne. The squadron adjutant, Flying Officer Roberts, together with LAC Byron-Arnold proceeded to Bastogne in advance of the rest of the flight. On arriving at US Army 8th Corps HQ at noon on the 18th, “information received that the enemy breakthrough was quite serious”!

Attempting to reach Houffalaize, F/O Roberts had to contend with shelling of the road and was going against the tide, “the roads were full of US vehicles moving back towards Bastogne”. By 19.20 hours, F/O Roberts was advised by the 8th Corps war room that “Tiger tanks had penetrated quite deeply within 5 miles of Bastogne. Left driver at war room to bring back any urgent information.”. At 21.30 hours, “Whilst party returning to Champlon [where the rest of “C” flight had arrived at 16.00 hours], driver caught up and gave information that US 8th Corps HQ evacuating Bastogne. Direct threat to area developing.”

At 23.15 hours, the RAF regiment armoured cars and the signals unit vehicles, under the command of acting Flight Lieutenant Hargreaves (officer in command of “C” flight) left the site near Houffalaize en route for Brussels. They had an eventful journey. The ORBs give a detailed account of events. On 18th Dec. 1944, at 23.30 hours - “Hundreds of flares on both sides of road towards Marche (later it was learnt that entire convoy had passed through the middle of enemy paratroops). Rear party had sent a driver to warn us the message did not arrive until the following day)”. Eventually, they arrived at Brussels at 1400 hours on the 19th.

F/L Hargreaves had left a rear party at the signals unit site, comprising F/L Jay of 2804 squadron, Flying Officer Henderson (officer commanding, 6080 signals unit), Flight Sergeant Bunney and “B” troop of “C” flight, 2742 squadron.

As the ORBs put it: “Meanwhile — the rear party of 2804 and 2742 squadrons were being active”.

On 20th December 1944, “B” troop under F/Sgt Bunney were attempting to reach a 60 Group technical site south of Veilsalm to pull out the equipment left there. “The position was within 400 yards of enemy and small arms fire was encountered the whole time”. After destroying huts on the site with grenades and fire, “B” troop withdrew to Champlon.

Trying to reach the site the next day to continue the job of destroying facilities to stop them falling into enemy hands, “B” troop were advised that “Enemy reported to be wearing American uniforms, using captured American equipment”. The first attempt to reach the site was thwarted. “Arrived Odeigne approximately 1 mile from the site. Meeting American tank units moving up, considerable small arms fire, moved within 600 yards of site and found road blocked and held by US infantry pinned down temporarily by fire. Withdrew for further attempt”. That second attempt was also unsuccessful. “Again approached to within 1/2 mile of site only to be informed by the Americans, a tank battle was taking place on the area of the site”.

Finding on the 22nd that “the enemy now through Bastogne, … so pulled out for Namur. 10 kilos from Sin Sin, American sentry informed that paratroops had been dropped that morning.” Taking this on board, “B” flight encountered two civilians “both found with false identity cards, stamped with Swastika. Handed over to Americans and, whilst doing so, fired upon by further batch of paratroops. Returned fire and further German captured.” Passing through Namur, the rear party finally reached Brussels at 16.30 hours on the 22nd.

The final entry on this incident in 2742 squadron’s ORBs is this: “NOTE. Little information of value could be obtained, small pockets of Germans being encountered miles apart and no real front had been established during the period we spent in the area. Ammo expended by the flight during the week was not wasted. The whole of 6080, 25 B.D.S. equipment vehicles and personnel was pulled out without loss. An interesting sidelight being the recovery of the pay left behind, for the entire unit. Moral ran very high and vehicle maintenance was first class.”

Although “C” flight was now out of the immediate danger area, the other flights were all on high alert during and after this period. For instance, “D” flight, at Vendeville near Lille, Belgium, captured two German paratroopers on the 23rd. “Acting on information supplied by local inhabitants, the RAF Regiment attached to the airfield, this morning captured two Germans believed to be paratroops, in the field near the Sergeants’ mess. One was tall and powerful and dressed in paratroop overalls. The other was shorter and wore uniform of a senior NCO of the army, with the Iron Cross 2nd class.”

The high state of alert continued up to the end of the month, with the various flights mounting guards, carrying out patrols and investigating reports of suspected enemy activity. Nevertheless, “Xmas dinner was a great success. Everybody seemed satisfied. The cooks rose to the occasion and the food was excellent.”

Operation Bodenplatte — the Battle of the Airfields

On the morning of 1st January 1945, the Luftwaffe launched its last major assault of the war in an attempt to wipe out the RAF and the USAAF on the ground by attacking airfields in Belgium, Holland and France.

“A” and “B” flights were at Evere airfield, just outside Brussels when about 20 Focke Wolf 190s and ME 109s attacked. Not being anti-aircraft flights they had no Bofors guns and could only fire on the Luftwaffe raiders from their billets with Brens and with other small arms. They fired 2600 rounds but didn’t shoot anything down. 2800 LAA squadron who were also at Evere fired 350 rounds of Bofors and claimed 3 enemy aircraft destroyed and 8 damaged.

The various flights continued their duties over the coming months. Much of those consisted of reconnaissance for various RAF signals units and Air Ministry Experimental Stations (AMES) to locate suitable sites close to the front lines for mobile wireless interception stations and radar sites. They then escorted the signals units to the sites and guarded them while there.

It is in March 1945 that I finally found a reference to Chick in this context. Under entries for “B” flight, based at that time at Chevron, in the Ardennes, he, along with F/O Field and LAC Littleboy were detailed to escort a Squadron Leader Keer of 109 AMES on a “siting expedition” expected to last 7 days. They began on 10th March and their route took them from Weert in the Netherlands, through Roermond, into Germany, visiting the areas around Duren, Euskirken, Munstereifel and Adenau.

Crossing the Rhine — 14 March 1945

At the same time as this, and in much the same area, another armoured car of “B” flight commanded by Corporal Benson was on a recce of the Rhine bridgehead escorting a Colonel Horton. On the 14 March 1945, the party left Verniers for Remagen. They crossed the Rhine over the American pontoon bridge which had been erected alongside the Remagen railway bridge.

Sadly, the ORBs for 2742 squadron are incomplete and end on 31st March 1945.

I understand that my grandfather crossed into Germany and was there when the war ended. He told my grandmother that he had been at Belsen concentration camp but I have so far found no confirmation of this. He was stationed in Germany for some months, sending back dolls for my aunts (born in 1941 and 1942). At some point during this time, the squadron returned to the UK but not for long. On 16th September 1945, 2742 squadron sailed from Liverpool on the SS Duchess of Richmond, bound for Port Said, Egypt. They had a new commanding officer by then, Squadron Leader Benson-Brown (who had been CO of 2757 squadron). Many of the men were new and they were equipped with new armoured cars in Egypt.

It seems however that it was always planned that the squadron would move to “TransJordan” as it was known. They moved at the end of January 1946. The security situation in the area was deteriorating and they were to provide static guards and mobile escorts in Palestine.

There is a sense of déjà vu reading some of the entries from this time. “Three Flights moved in a hurry to RAF Ramat David on 22nd March 1946 to meet the threat of a terrorist attack owing to reported likelihood of illegal immigrants. This has for the time being stopped.” The illegal immigrants were, of course, Jewish settlers. It is interesting that language used then to describe one situation is being used today to describe what is happening in parts of that region.

My grandfather was demobbed in June 1946. He did not, from what little he said about it, enjoy his time in the Middle East. And he rarely spoke about the war.

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