´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer, Sarah Blackaby, from CVS Action Desk on behalf of Mr Cowin and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Cowin fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Part 1: The Blenheim Squadron and the Blitzkrieg

My name is Jack Finch, but I know much about the war history of my old friend Peter Cowin. We were both RAF pilots, but did not meet until 1952. I am now 81, and Peter is 86. This is the account I wish to place on record of Peter Cowin’s war service.

Peter Cowin volunteered for the RAF Volunteer Reserve in May 1939, hoping to be accepted as a pilot. At that time aircrew vacancies for immediate acceptance were for wireless operators/air gunners only, so Peter took that opportunity.

After initial training in wireless telegraph, Morse code, etc., his aircrew training started at Pwllheli, North Wales, on old Hawker Demons and Handley Page Harrows. This was followed by posting to an Operational Training Unit at Bicester, flying twin engined Blenheims. By this time the Blenheim squadrons, together with Battles and Hurricanes, were the main daylight strike force aircraft in France for daylight operations. Their role was to support the British and French armies, which were in retreat by then before the rapidly advancing German blitzkrieg, which had swept through Belgium, Holland, and North-East France.

However, after arrival at his French airfield, near Rosieres, Peter Cowin was awaiting allocation to his crew in 57 Squadron, at this critical time when one squadron had lost 11 out of 12 aircraft sent out, and the Advanced Air Strike Force had its strength reduced to 72 aircraft, from 135, in one day.

Evacuation to another airfield at Poix was ordered, and from there all personnel were moved by any vehicle available, as the remaining aircraft were all flown out. Soon after Peter and all colleagues had to walk, Peter in his flying boots. It was only slowly that it was understood that it was part of the evacuation from France.

Walking was by day, and resting by night in woods, or wherever shelter from weather and air attack was possible.

On arrival at Boulogne Harbour heavy bombing was taking place. It was then every man for himself, and Peter found himself on the King Orry, normally a Liverpool to Isle of Man ferry. The ship was sunk on 30th May 1940 at Dunkirk. The King Orry landed at Portsmouth.

Peter reached home in Birmingham just before the arrival of a telegram advising his parents he was missing in France.

Part 2: In the Early Years of the Bomber Command Offensive

After a brief leave Peter Cowin was soon ordered to rejoin 57 Squadron at the old Gatwick Racecourse. From there the squadron moved to Wyton, near Huntingdon, then to Lossiemouth, near Elgin, on 24th June 1940. There they were equipped with new Blenheims. Peter’s time there was taking part in patrolling the Norwegian coast, to attack concentrations of invasion barges in fjords or ports, and the airfield at Stavanger, housing Luftwaffe flighters.

Yet another move for 57 Squadron took Peter to Feltwell, Norfolk. The Squadron said farewell to the Blenheims, and were supplied with the heavier Wellington bombers (known affectionately as ‘The Wimpey’) on 28th November 1940. The targets for the night raids were Kiel, Hamburg, Hals, Essen and the Ruhr (widely known to crews as ‘The Happy Valley’). One of the targets was Berlin, where the defences of searchlight concentrations, and both light and heavy flak, were more formidable than previously encountered. Peter recalls vividly the chilling experience of their aircraft being caught in a cone of searchlights. Masses of searchlights then concentrate on the victim, and link with the gun batteries for massive firepower. He wonders now how any crew escaped from their ordeal, and likens it to a moth caught in a candle flame. The skipper then took the only possible evasive action by diving steeply, almost to ground level, and having to risk entanglement with the mass of barrage balloons.

No doubt like many colleagues in these days of losses of aircrew, which reached massive proportions, Peter experienced the necessity of closing ones mind about best friends on the squadron, as the query of ‘where’s Fred?’ came up, to be answered ‘oh, he bought it last night.’

On 6th May 1941 the targets were the two highly valued German pocket battleships, Scharnhorst and Gneisnau, in Brest. The critical importance of the targets was emphasised by a 2,000 pounds armour piercing bomb being included in the bomb load. Dive bombing was decided on to increase the accuracy. A very rapid dive was made by the Wellington skipper. The aircraft started shaking before the bombs were released, and after the release found it quite a job to pull out of the steep dive. Some of the aircraft fabric was torn off, and Peter’s hearing was badly damaged — a handicap he still endures over 60 years later.

A month after that operation Peter was selected for a Gunnery Leader’s course in June 1941 at Warmwell, in Dorset. He came top of the course, and was immediately commissioned. He rose steadily through promotions to Flight Lieutenant, on taking charge of the Armament School at the Advanced Flying Unit at Bobbington, in West Midlands, training Canadian observers. This was a most eventful station for Peter, as it was on his spell at Bobbington that he met his future wife, Vee.

At the end of 1942 Peter was selected for a further promotion, as Squadron Leader, and Armament Officer, at a Gunnery School. But at the same time he was informed his long-standing request to train as a pilot had come through. He chose to relinquish his Squadron Leader rank, reverting to Flight Lieutenant, in order to proceed with his pilot training, which took place in Canada.

Part 3: Ground Support for Allied Armies with Spitfires and Meteors of the Second Tactical Air Force

On return to the UK Peter Cowin was faced with a variety of opportunities. When a rare chance was presented of flying Spitfires, an aircraft he had long admired, he seized it, and training started at No. 57 Operational Training Unit at Eshott, Northumberland. Pilots of the Spitfire needed to do their first solo flight unaccompanied, with no instructor’s seat, and Peter faced what he remembers as the unforgettable rush of power as one was hurled forward, on opening the throttle of a thousand horsepower.

On top of this he had to take off in poor weather on a runway cleared of snow banked up on both sides.

On his second flight Peter took off as one of three Spitfires. Soon after take off on a planned long flight he ran into a blizzard, reducing visibility drastically, and only with difficulty struggled back to a heavy landing in the swirling snow. A second aircraft somersaulted in a field near the runway and was completely wrecked, but the pilot was rescued by fast action of the crash crew. The third pilot died in the wreck of his plane on the Scottish border.

After a brief spell with another squadron Peter was posted, on 14th April 1945, to No 322 Squadron at Twente, in Holland. 322 Squadron was part of the Royal Dutch Air Force, all Dutch pilots, apart from 5 British pilots, including Peter. Together with their sister Belgian Squadron, No 329, the squadron provided ground support for the Canadian Second Army, both squadrons being part of the Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF).

Operations with their Spitfires went into full swing with non-stop attacks, by bombs and cannon, on a German strongpoint, troops, tanks, an army headquarters, and troop trains. These targets were sought out by the pilots. Another role was to circle in typical groups of 6 aircraft, at points where the Allied armies could call on them to attack German positions holding up the advance.

By May 1945 the squadron had moved over the border into Germany, at Kloppenberg, where the squadron joined with a Polish fighter wing. On 8th August 1945 Peter switched to flying Meteors. The same kind of attacks continued, as those from the Dutch airfield.

This work continued until the ceasefire in the War in Europe was declared.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.