Tempsford
TEMPSFORD: Military aerodrome
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Note: First picture by the author. The second picture was scanned from Hugh Verity's book We Landed By Moonlight published in 1978.
Military users: RAF Bomber Command 38 Group
138 SD (Special Duties) Sqdn* (Westland Lysanders, Short Stirlings)
161 (SD) Sqdn** (Lockheed Hudsons, Lysanders, Stirlings etc)
Post 1945: Bomber Command 3 Group
138 Sqdn (Avro Lancasters, later Avro Lincolns)
Location: E of A1, SE of Tempsford, 8nm ENE of Bedford
Period of operation: 1941 to 1947
Runways: 01/19 1463x46 hard 07/25 1829x46 hard
12/30 1265x46 hard
NOTES: This was the main base, from September 1942, or March 1942 according to other sources, (the latter being more likely I reckon?), of the two Special Duties Squadrons, 138 and 161, supporting SOE operations, (Special Operations Executive). The SOE operations are, I think, an especially fascinating aspect of WW2. I suppose I’ve known about Lysanders landing in fields to deliver/collect Special Agents since I was a youngster but it came as quite a surprise to learn, (only fairly recently in about 2012), that Hudsons later performed these duties too, delivering supplies, agents and VIPs, and of course collecting them, often with intelligence information, for delivery back to the UK.
The Stirlings, Halifaxs and Whiteleys were used for supply air drops but here again considerable airmanship skills were required to locate and pinpoint the DZs, (Drop Zones).
Without any doubt, for those wanting to know more, the book 'We Landed By Moonlight' by Hugh Verity, first published in 1978, is probably the best source. And, a most enjoyable and informative account to read. It does, a might be imagined, also contain quite harrowing details concerning the demise of so many people involved in the Resistence movements.
From its inception in 1940 (?), from a flight performed by Flight Lieutenant W.J.Farley in October 1940, in a Lysander on a mission for the SIS (Secret Inteligence Service) it now seems this was probably the impetus needed to form a Special Duties Squadron.
*138 (SD) SQUADRON
It now appears possible that during their period of operating 'Special Duties' for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) to supply resistance movements in German occupied territories within Europe, this squadron - similiar to 161 Squadron (below), could have operated a wide variety of types such as: Armstrong-Whitworth Whitleys, Handley Page Halifaxs, Short Stirlings and Westland Lysanders. This Squadron later became involved with flying Vickers Valiant 'V'bombers from GAYDON (WARWICKSHIRE).
In fact it appears that 161 Squadron was 'hived off' from 138 Squadron, mainly for operations providing deliveries and collections of agents, VIPs, and essential intelligence by actually landing at pre-arranged sites. At first mainly using the Westland Lysander. With one Avro Anson exception - see GRAVELEY. (Operation from TANGMERE, SUSSEX)
**161 (SD) SQUADRON
It appears that during their existence supporting SOE operations, 161 Squadron operated Armstrong-Whitworth Whitleys, a Douglas Havoc, Handley Page Halifaxs, Lockheed Hudsons, Short Stirlings and Westland Lysanders. This is a quite extraordinary mix of types and one can only wonder at how the maintenance crews coped. Although permanently based here from April 1942, 161 Squadron had been based at other airfields. Formed at NEWMARKET on the 14th February 1942 (CAMBRIDGESHIRE) they were then moved to GRAVELEY (HUNTINGDONSHIRE) on the 1st March 1942.
It seems hard to escape the conclusion that somebody was clearly determined to undermine the effectiveness of 161 Squadron, before another presumably more senior officer, (perhaps in the SOE?), stepped in to put paid to this nonsense.
During the 'moon periods' (roughly two weeks per month) 'A' Flight decamped to TANGMERE (SUSSEX) especially for Lysander operations into France and later for the Lockheed Hudson operations. Some of these latter type operations in the summer months, especially those going deeper into southern France than the Lysanders, routed back to the UK via Algeria and Gibraltar. The Hudson being far more vulnerable to fighter attack in the daylight after dawn.
In October 1942, 161 Squadron had two Flights. 'A' Flight had six Lysanders, plus one in reserve. 'B' Flight had five Halifaxs, two Wellingtons for parachute operations.
It appears the facts of the matter were rather more complex. Although TANGMERE was the main launching point for Special Duties operations by 161 Squadron, their operational bases, moved around quite a lot. However, somebody realising that forever moving Squadrons around was highly advantageous to the Germans, presumably had enough clout to put an end to this nonsense and in April 1942 161 Squadron moved to TEMPSFORD as a permanent base.
It appears that the idea of using the Lockheed Hudson for conducting landings; making deliveries and collecting agents, VIPs and parcels (often containing highly valuable intelligence information) was first realised when a Hudson arrived at TEMPSFORD in January 1943. Wing Commander Pickhard, (with his right hand encased in plaster), took one up to a safe height and made some experiments, discovering that the Hudson could be safely flown on short finals at 55 knots - well below the recommended 75 knots - and, applying this to landing combined with heavy braking once the tail-wheel was on the ground, could be brought to a halt within 350 yards (320 metres) of the touchdown point in still wind conditions.
Needless to say this required a well above average degree of piloting skills, but this was of course exactly what the pilots of 161 Squadron had. Needless to say the particulars of what 161 Squadron were involved in is a very complex subject, but very basically once SOE operations got back into their stride in 1943 and the French resistence movements gained increasing support, the carrying capacity of the Hudson compared to the Lysander, became of greater if not vital importance.
The Hudsons used by 161 Squadron were considerably modified - the rear gun turret was removed - and the airframe stripped on everything not essential. No seats were provided, agents and VIPs alike either sat on their luggage or on the bare floor. The change in the C of G (Centre of Gravity) was compensated for by adding 300lbs of lead weights.
AN UNUSUAL INTERLUDE
In his book We Landed By Moonlight, Hugh Verity explains: "Between the end of May and the end of August 1942 there is no RAF record of any pick-ups being laid on. After the defection of Mathilde Carré ('the Cat') and the consequent arrests, the French ection of the SOE had no properly organised circuits in occupied France at all. It was necessary for the special duties squadrons to keep their hands in and to improve their skill at navigating over occupied France."
"The Lysanders joined the Whitleys in bombing targets in France, including the Oissel chemical works, the power station at Aure and railway targets. Lockhart, Bridger and Vaughan-Fowler were joined by Flight Lieutenant Huntley, Flying Officer McIndoe and Warrant Officer Kingham on these operations. They could drop two 250lb bombs from the detachable stub-wings on the undercarriage fairings. These stub-wings also housed fixed machine guns and an air gunner was carried in the rear cockpit for these trips. Preumably the manouevrability gave the Lysanders extra accuracy to compensate for the small weight of bombs carried. Certainly they found their targets more often than the Whitleys."
With hindsight I also reckon that the navigation skills developed by the Lysander pilots, also played a large part in their effectiveness in pin-pointing targets? Up until around 1943, the RAF bombers were pretty much useless in bombing any target, with bombs often falling five miles away. See the Butt report. The development of more effective navigation aids and the Pathfinder Squadrons changed this around completely. In fact, by 1943 the Nazi regime was finished, and they should have surrendered. As most countries engaged in war would have done previously.
But, the Nazi regime showed the world the potential of the fanatic to continue to a suicidal end, a concept that has since been gladly adopted, especially in the Middle East.
FACTS OF LIFE ON SOE OPERATIONS
Quite often a dangerous flight over enemy territory had to be abandoned at the end of the trip due to various factors, and the supplies dropped in the Channel on the way back. (This applying to the bomber types of course). Very frustrating for the aircrews involved, although I do not understand why, as they must surely have been, having expended so much fuel, well under maximum landing weight? Very often it was local weather or fog over the DZ but also the presence of German forces nearby, or even the sudden and unexpected arrest of Resistance members played a hand. In the latter cases, after interrogation, they were shot if they didn't manage to escape.
It has to be remembered that both sides, although ostensibly being signatories to the Geneva Convention, they often abused this. For example, in the case of the British, using Red Cross parcels to smuggle items to PoWs. Hardly a serious breach of course, but the Germans very often executed PoW escapees and captured Resistence members found with these items.
In fact it seems Goebbels went public in the later stages of the war to encourage German civilians to kill RAF/USAAF aircrew who had bailed out! Asking the German armed forces and the police to turn a ‘blind-eye’ to this happening. To their great credit, although this certainly did occur, by and large it seems most captured airmen were reasonably well protected from the German public by the German police and army.
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