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F540 Operations Record Book September 1955 NO 93 SQUADRON.
PRO Kew No. AIR27 Piece 2636 Microfilm Row 1 Draws 52-71 from Duncan Curtis
Place Date Time Summary of Events                                  COMPILING OFFICER Fg.Off. P. Leigh-Lancaster REF. TO APPENDICES
      LuluLeighLancaster.jpg, 5843 bytes  
R.A.F. Jever 1st
1955
September           We only flew 13.15 hours today, four of our aircraft and pilots staying on the
ground at readiness under 2 Group's instructions for over an hour.   These were to
intercept four Canadian Sabres raiding Jever, but the Canadians had landed at Jever
before our formation was even taxying.   Most of the other flying was devoted to
high level battle formation.
 
  2nd             In spite of a warm front and its associated warm sector weather, which stopped
flying in the late morning until the weather cleared in the afternoon, we completed
23 hours flying, most of which was again high level battle formation practice.
 
  3rd             There was a rehearsal for the C-in-C.s parade this morning and Met. briefing
was not held until 09.00 hours.   Although the Squadron does not normally fly on
Saturday mornings two aircraft flew two sorties each.   After the first sorties the
same pilots remained in their cockpits while the other pilots refueled and pre-
flighted their aircraft.   A flight achieved a turn round time of 18 minutes from
touch down to take off, and B flight took only one minute longer with their aircraft.
The Squadron stood down for the weekend at 13.00 hours.
          Fg.Off. Page was married today.
 
  5th Monday.           Flying today consisted mostly of high level battle formation and quarter
attacks
although the aerobatic team flew twice during the day.
          A night flying programme was arranged and three Sabre dusk sorties were
completed.   Also three squadron pilots were checked out for night in Vampire T.11s.
Flying ceased soon after 22.00 hours.
 
  6th             Today the emphasis was on quarter attacks and cine work owing to a new order
that pilots must produce 150 feet of film each month.   This was filled in with
high level battle formation practices.
 
  7th             The first detail went off in pairs owing to minor unserviceability of two
aircraft.   The second pair to land had to do so in close formation from a straight
approach the cloud base having lowered to 200 feet during the sortie.   Flying
ceased thereafter.   Although the cloud base had risen to 500 feet by lunch time
and it was intended to fly all day, a sports afternoon ,was held instead; during
which the Wing pilots football team lost 4 - 1 to Admin. Wing in a friendly game.
 
  8th             The visibility was down to 2,000 yards early in the morning and as all
diversions were almost the same, the airfield state was red.   Later Flt.Lt.Colvin
did a weather check but the weather was unfit, and it was not until midday when the
Squadron Commander did another weather check that one pair per Squadron was
allowed to fly, only to be recalled some 30 minutes later.   The aim now is to
fly the team two trips a day to practice for the AOC in C.s air display.   The team
has reached a very high standard and every sortie the Squadron pilots watch from the
hangar tower, note any faults and discuss them with the team after landing.
 
  9th             Our early detail did not get airborne owing to visibility and pilots who
attended Met. briefing learned the airfield colour state had gone up to amber before
we were informed by telephone.   Consequently for once we were not the first airborne
at Jever, having been beaten by two Hunters from 118 Squadron by a few seconds.
          Most flying was devoted to pairs quarter attacks and the aerobatics team flew
two sorties, the second being part of a rehearsal for the AOC in C.s air display.
Squadron Leader Browne had undercarriage trouble and had to use his emergency in
the circuit but it did not affect his landing and the formation seemed to maintain
good formation in spite of this.
 
  10th             The day started with a working blue rehearsal for the AOC in C.s parade, but
no flying time was wasted as the airfield colour state was red due to low stratus
during the period of the parade.   However the 93rd were once again first airborne
at 9.55 with a cloud base of 300 feet and 3,000 yards visibility.   One more pair
flew from the squadron before we stood down for the weekend at 13.00 hours.
 
  12th Monday.           Met. told us that the cloud base would come down to 700 - 800 feet during the
morning for about an hour while a cold front was passing, however the latter
developed a wave and throughout the day the cloud base varied from ground level
to 500 feet, only to clear in the very late afternoon.   The early detail had to
come in on pairs landings from a controlled descent and the only other flying was
odd pairs doing weather checks, except for the aerobatic team on the last sortie
of the day
 
  13th             A good Day's flying on the whole, the aerobatic team flying twice, and the total
hours flown being 28.15.   Quarter attacks again were a major part of the flying
but judging from recent film we can well do with the practice.
 
  14th             The airfield colour state was amber for the early detail and only a pair could
fly.   So it remained for the rest of the morning - pairs only flying.   We ceased
flying at midday but did not have a sports afternoon as there was plenty of work
to do getting the squadron up to scratch for the C in C. of 2nd A.T.A.F. inspection on
16th September.
 
  15th             The day started with a Battle of Britain parade, which was followed by a Dress
Rehearsal for the C. in Cs parade tomorrow.   Afterwards everyone returned to the
Squadron to get their jobs up to date for the inspection.   There was no flying and
work ceased at 18.00 hours.
 
  16th             The C. in C.s parade started at 10.00 hours and was over by 11.00 hours.
During the remainder of the morning the C. in C. Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst,
K.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C., inspected 93 Squadron's Barrack Block
and his comments were favourable.   After lunch he inspected our line up of
aircraft and had a few words with almost every airman and officer on the Squadron.
Later he moved up to the Squadron tower - which had been laid out very well with
our unofficial Squadron histories and silver on display, to watch the Wing fly-past.

93sqnpic630.jpg, 11017 bytes
Flypast by the 3 Hunter Squadrons 4, 98 and 118 and the Sabres of 93 Sqn joining up to
form the figure one, making up No. 122 Wing for inspection by AOC-in-C Air Marshal
Sir Harry Broadhurst, K.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C. - 16Sep55.
(Thanks to Peter Rose)   [Photo not in original F540]..

The 93rds aerobatic team exhibited their prowess well, the cloud base allowing a
full display to take place although earlier it had seemed as if the weather would
cut the display down to a series of rolls and wing overs.   Then after the
individual aerobatics 93 joined the Hunters as the 'one' in 122 Wing, and
finally ended with the best spaced box landing they have yet done.
          A guest night was held which was attended by the A.O.C., Air Vice-Marshal
S.R. Ubee, C.B., A.F.C. and the C-in-C.   They both made speeches.   Also Fg.Off.
Ramsay
the Squadron P.A.I. was dined out.
 
  17th             Stand Down.  
  19th Monday           Stand down on a signal received from 2nd T.A.F.  
  20th             Due to the bad weather: time spent in tidying up for the C-in-C; and
stand downs, the Squadron is below its target so with 8/8 blue and visibility
unlimited and with eight aircraft serviceable, today has seen the highest day's
flying for a long while.   Each flight had four aircraft, and flew without stopping
throughout the day, lunch being sandwiches brought from the mess.   With four
dusk sorties we reached a best-ever day's flying of 45.05 hours.
 
  21st             The 'high pressure' which gave us the good weather yesterday gave us a thick
haze this morning - accordingly the first detail did not get airborne until
08.30 hours and the visibility did not improve beyond 3,000 yards all morning.
Nevertheless we managed to fly exactly 20 hours in all, so perhaps we may yet
reach our monthly target with 65 hours in the past two days.   The Wing pilots
football team beat Administrative Wing 5 - 3 in a very good game, giving an
unbeaten record of two wins in the league.
 
  22nd             Again more haze - the visibility at Jever being 3,000 yards, but the
diversions were doubtful and the first detail although airborne at 08.00 hours
punctually, was only a pair on a weather check.   However full flying began with
a four at 08.35 hours, and although the flying effort was quite concentrated,
unserviceability of aircraft prevented us from doing as well as during the past
two days.   Two dusk sorties and two night sorties were flown on Sabres.
 
  23rd             We flew just 18 hours today consisting mostly of quarter attacks and battle
formations
.   The visibility all day was in the 3,000 yards order and several
pairs landings took place; the Squadron now having reached a high standard in
this practice.
 
  24th             There was no flying this morning- the pilots listened to several interesting
lectures on the Hunter, its systems and emergencies; and the groundcrew worked
well on primaries and other servicing to have eight aircraft ready for an
exercise tomorrow.   The Squadron stood down for the day at 12.00 hours.
 
  25th             We hope to get a little more than eight hours on the exercise - which was
to be a 'bomber' stooge almost to England - but a warm front came in earlier than
was expected and everything was cancelled.   This now leaves us over eighty hours
flying to do in four and a half days to reach the monthly target.   Given
sympathetic weather we can do it quite easily.
 
  26th             The good weather for which we had hoped did not arrive - instead a mild humid
south westerly gave us low stratus at 300 feet and a visibility of 2,000 yards,
and while the pilots listened to more lectures, seven serviceable aircraft were
on the ground.
          It cleared by 11.00 hours and we flew throughout the rest of the day obtaining
26 hours Sabre flying time.   In the evening seven pilots were checked out by
the Squadron and Flight Commanders at night flying in Vampire T.11s.
 
  27th             93 Squadron were on Battle flight, only four sorties being flown from the
hangar.   From battle flight, however, seven operations were flown, aircraft
investigated being two B.45s and a Thunderstreak.   The G.C.I. control was not
too good at first but improved towards the end of the day.   In addition to 4
dusk sorties the first three night sorties in Sabres were flown by the Squadron
and Flight Commanders.
 
  28th             Owing to sports afternoon we flew only four operations on Battle Flight.
Except above 30,000 feet when we were mostly in the dark, G.C.I.s height finding
was excellent, often being exact at heights between 10,000 and 25,000 feet.   We
did several practice interceptions which for the most part led to being in good
positions for 'straight-in' quarter attacks.   In the afternoon the Wing pilots
football team lost 5 - 4 to 98 Squadron, the equalising goal being scores a split
second after the whistle for full-time.
 
  29th             Five operations were flown on Battle Flight.   On the whole G.C.I. control
was poor resulting in only two interceptions; the first being on a Hunter which
ended in a tail chase as the Hunter was travelling at just over 0.9 mach; the
second was on a Tornado.   After this four Dutch Meteors were intercepted
visually before Battle Flight returned to base.
          The Squadron passed its monthly flying target during the third operation.
 
  30th             As we had reached our target Battle Flight flew only three missions -
two fours and a pair - during the morning.   On the first G.C.I. was unserviceable
and the only interception was another pair of Sabres on Battle Flight.   The
second mission lost a pair - No. 4 having to return to base with engine surge,
his leader accompanying him - but later intercepted a Tornado visually, and a
Canberra was attacked on the last trip.
 
             Hours Flown                                    Operational Type.
                                                        Day                                                 night
                                              Hours          Sorties                     Hours               Sorties
       Sabre Mk.4                  356.15          515                        12.50                       18     
       Total Hours flown for month = 369.5.          Total Sorties for month =    533    
       Training Type - Vampire T.11   Day, Hours - 29.50.        Night - 25.40.
                                                              Total hours flown - 55.30.
       Total Hours for the Month -        424.35.

 
      Personnel   
  1st   Fg.Off. Leigh-Lancaster returned from being sick with tonsillitis.  
  20th   Fg.Offs. Bell and Chadwick set off for Spain on three weeks leave.  
  21st   Flt.Lt. Hayes returned from three weeks leave in Italy.  
  22nd   Fg.Off. Ramsay left the Squadron at the end of his tour.  
  23rd   Fg.Off. Page returned from 3 weeks U.K. leave during which he was married.  
  29th   Fg.Off. Hickman left for a two day Moral Leadership course at Cologne.  
      OPERATIONAL
          Poor weather coupled with rehearsals and preparations for the Commander - in -
Chief's Inspection during the first two weeks of the month curtailed flying to
some extent.   However over 200 hours were flown in the remaining period and the
Squadron monthly target was comfortably met with 365 Sabre hours.
          September marks the sixth successive month in which the flying target has
been achieved - thus giving a total of 2362 Sabre hours flown since 1st April
and an average of just over 20 operational hours per pilot per month during these
six months.   The generally fine weather has been a great help plus the fact that
the smaller 14 U.E. Squadron can maintain better serviceability as closer
co-operation, co-ordination and control is easier.
          Night flying checks, dusk and night sorties on operational type were carried
out on every available night.   All except four pilots are cleared for Sabre dusk
flying now.   In general a fairly well balanced month's training was carried out -
the last week of which was concerned with Battle Flight duties.
 
      ADMINISTRATIVE
          The main event of the month was the Commander-in-Chief's Inspection on
16th September 1955, so the first half of the month was occupied in the "Annual
Spring Clean", flying and drill rehearsals.   The Squadron with its aerobatic
four, filled in between the mass fly past of the Hunter Squadrons.
          Towards the end of the month a delegation of Members of Parliament visited
the station and were shown a "Battle Flight Scramble" by the Squadron.   They talked
to many of the men.
          The expected re-equipment to Hunter aircraft now appears imminent, equipment
pack ups have been arriving and some ground crew have been given a fair amount
of training with A.S.F. in Technical Wing.

Signed DFM Browne          
(D.F.M. BROWNE)              
Squadron Leader               
Officer Commanding         
No. 93 Squadron                

 
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