Pathfinder B24 Liberators
Hullo,
I'm Tom - my picture is at Pathfinder
Book Corner.
The plane here represents one of the Pathfinder B24
Liberator
V111s
that I flew with 614 Pathfinder Squadron over Europe in World War II.
Why Pathfinders? In 1942 I was an RAAF pilot on the way to Britain when our convoy had to survive attack by submarines. I arrived in a Britain on her knees from loss of shipping sunk by German submarines and from German bombing. RAF bombers were flying from England to destroy German manufacturing, particularly of submarines, but darkness, ground mists, bad weather and German defences frustrated their attacks.
Enter
Australian Don
Bennett. He arranged for
selected and specially trained flying crews to form the RAF Path Finder
Force (PFF). Pathfinders would lead the way. It was the big
turning
point in the effectiveness of RAF bombers and the beginning of victory
in WWII.
My Pathfinder Squadron (614) became the Path Finder Force in Italy, leading RAF bombers into France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and N.Italy.
My Pathfinder Squadron (614) became the Path Finder Force in Italy, leading RAF bombers into France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and N.Italy.
Planes we
flew as Pathfinders included specialised Halifax ii (GR) and
B24 Liberator V111
