Bombing Mission
Flying control picks up radio signals from the formation approaching the base. The Ops officer is already waiting at the tower. The duty clerk informs the MP's, ambulance and fire tender crews. By the time the planes are over the airfield they have spaced themselves out giving priority to those with casualties and damage. After these bombers have landed the order of landing is the lowest altitude squadroon first. Bombers land at about 20 second intervals, planes with casualties turn off the runway as soon as pissible to be intercepted by awaiting ambulandces. Other bombers use the two outside engines to taxi directly to their airfield dispersal point. The flight crew get out, stretch their legs, inspect their aircraft and pack their flight bags. The gunners remove the guns and clean them ready to be collected by the ammunition crews. The pilot fills in Form 1A to report any flight problems and damage sustained on the mission.
The flight crew get out, stretch their legs, inspect their aircraft and pack their flight bags. The gunners remove the guns and clean them ready to be collected by the ammunition crews. The pilot fills in Form 1A to report any flight problems and damage sustained on the mission.
A truck arrives to collect the flight crew and take them directly to the breifing rooms. Here, personal equipment is handed in (parachutes, flying suits, oxygen masks, Mae Wests etc.) and the crew get something to eat. An Ops officer lists any items of important news that has to be acted upon immediately; such as aircraft in trouble, planes ditching in the sea and important enemy activity. When all is ready, the crews are interrogated; one interrogating officer per crew. The officer asks a standard set of questions encompassing all aspects of the missions, such as enemy fighter number, flak locations, weather over target, fighter escort, lost aircraft and many other observations. Claims by gunners for the number and type of aircraft shot down are then reviewed and compared in order to avoid "double-up". Navigators hand in their flight logs and, with bombardiers, write up their own specific reports. Lead bomber crews are interrogated further with more detailed questions. The whole process takes upwards of one hour forty-five minutes. When the crews are dismissed, trucks take them to the mess hall oder back to their barracks. Most will want to sleep, shattered by the fatigue of combat. They know that they may be called upon to fly agains in a few hours.
Pictures taken from strike cameras are studied in Group Operations and Intelligence rooms as soon as they been processed. The Group strike pattern on target is plotted and a detailed report sent to Wing and Division. An assessment of the result of the bombing is analyzed at Division HQ and the loss to the enemy is calculated. If necessary, the target is put back on a priority list for future attack.
Meanwhile, the ground crew is back at work on the planes. They have been sleeping for the duration of the missions, now, they are back at work patching up the aircraft and maintaining combat mission tomorrow morning.