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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer on behalf of Pilot Officer John A. Martin DFC (retired) Larne, N. Ireland and been added to the site with his permission. Mr Martin understands the site’s terms and conditions.

One of the ploys used by the German forces during the night time attacks, was to sent up ‘scarecrows’. These ‘scarecrows’ were launched up towards the attacking aircraft and exploded in mid air, just like an aircraft which had been shot down. There was a sheet of flames and you thought that another aircraft had been hit by ground fire. You eventually cottoned on that these were only scarecrows which had been launched to unnerve the pilots and crew. It must have been some type of pyrotechnic which after being fired into the air, reached the height we were flying at and then exploded, giving you the impression it was an aircraft exploding. You would have seen a flash here, a flash there, then somewhere else, and you thought they were going down all over the place. Then it suddenly dawned on what was happening. The Germans were an extremely cunning opponent; they were ingenious in their methods. They used to have one of their fighter aircraft flying along side of you with his navigation light lit and while you were watching the fighter with the navigation lights, another German fighter would approach you from the opposite side, getting ready to pick you off, hoping you were distracted and concentrating on him only. That was a favourite ploy of theirs. They were resourceful.

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