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Position:Home>History> What was "fighter affiliation" in WW II?Question: What was "fighter affiliation" in WW II!? A Lancaster bomber crashed near my home in 1945 while taking part in a "fighter affiliation" excercise with a Spitfire fighter!. The bomber pilot lost control of his aircraft and the aeroplane crashed killing all the crew and one civilian!. What was the purpose of such an excercise and what would it have involved please!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It was airborne training for bomber crews, familiarising them with fighter attack tactics, and providing them with flying air-gunnery opportunities using towed targets!. "On July 13th 1944 the airfield opened again and No!. 1690 Bomber Defence Training Flight arrived from Syreston!. The unit had Spitfires, Hurricanes and Martinet Target Tugs with the role of providing fighter affiliation training for all squadrons in 5 group!. " (from URL1) A standard defensive tactic for the Lancaster was the "Corkscrew" turn and dive!. "We were flying merrily along at night and all of a sudden my rear gunner says 'dive port'!. I looked around and saw a two-engined aircraft not very far behind - only a few aircraft distances away!. I also saw the tracer bullets of my rear gunner shooting at him and it looked as though it was very good shooting!. What impressed me was the accuracy of his firing!. I went on doing corkscrew flying until he told me to stop!. I could have hit another aircraft but you don't think of those things!." Sitting next to the right person on a train nearly six months earlier was the sort of good luck that might now have saved the lives of the crew!. The rollercoaster corkscrewing threw the flight engineer's logsheets into the air and out of the aircraft through the chute!. The enemy aircraft broke away to starboard!. Hughie ordered corkscrew port three minutes later and also opened fire on probably the same fighter now 300 yards away to port!. The gunners fired 200 rounds in the attack, during which the bomb-laden Lancaster lost 500ft in height!." (URL2,) Was it that manoeuvre that was overdone, or caused a spin the pilot couldn't control!? It's quite possible!. "The idea of the day fighter affiliation practices was for the bomber crew to practice their handling and crew coordination and for the fighter to practice his deflection estimation!." (URL3)Www@QuestionHome@Com To train Bomber Command's pilots and and air-gunners in dealing with enemy fighter attacks, fighter affiliation and gunnery exercises were carried out!. These involved mainly Wellingtons and either Hurricanes or Spitfires!. Two aircraft of Central Gunnery School took off from Sutton Bridge at 11:30 on 13 August 1943 for the exercise and both had crashed a half an hour later with the loss of seven lives!. The Wellington flown by Flt/Lt E!.M!. Shannon with five crew on board and in this case a Spitfire II, P7530, collided North-West of Lakenheath, Suffolk!. Cause was attributed to the Spitfire pilot, Flt/Lt H!.C!. Bennett, misjudgeding the forward momentum of his machine on breakaway, but with a contributory factor of the Wellington pilot changing his position during an attack!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Affiliation is like a friendly connection, so the two planes were practicing working together!.!.!.!.the fighter would be flying in positions to protect the bomber, often in front of and above it, to cut off any attacking planes!. It's the technical name for fighters flying escort missions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Practice training with friendly fighters!. Airmen were young and high spirted and the machines powerful and unforgiving low down!. That may explain the crash!.!.!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |