Dungeness
Note: This map only gives a general location for Dungeness within the UK.
DUNGENESS: Temporary landing site
NOTES: In WW2 David Collyer mentions, in his book East Kent At War that a French pilot landed his Caudron Geoland transport type on the beach near Dungeness. He also has a picture of an Air-Sea Rescue Walrus, (227 Sqdn operating from HAWKINGE), taking off from the sea in Dungeness Bay with the tale; “Due to its distinctive engine note, one Walrus flying off the coast in mist was mistaken for a V1 by ack-ack gunners and it was fired upon.” I don’t believe this excuse for one minute - as a general rule ack-ack gunners in both the Army and Navy fired at every aeroplane within range. Lets face it - they were Anti-Aircraft! For younger readers the V.1 was a pilotless flying bomb which the Germans launched in considerable numbers against the UK and London in particular was the main target.
Indeed, after a RAF fighter had been shot down during the ‘Battle of Barking Creek’ during the ‘Phoney War’ period the commanding officer of the local ack-ack ‘section’ or ‘battalion’ (whatever….!), couldn’t quite understand the objection from a RAF officer - seeing it as a good excuse for his gunners to get some real practise in!
But, we musn’t let the RAF off the hook either, they also managed to shoot down one of their own fighters in the 'Battle of Barking Creek'. ‘Friendly fire’ the Americans quaintly call it, and just how sick in the mind can you be to devise that description? On the other hand, as a pilot in Luxembourg once asked me, “Why do the RAF paint targets on their aircraft?”
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