RAF career Roland Beamont

1 raf career

1.1 hurricane
1.2 typhoon
1.3 tempest

raf career
hurricane

pilots , ground crew gather around fuselage balkenkreuz no 87 squadron s first kill, heinkel 111 on 2 november 1939. watching on right pilot officer roland beamont (in flying helmet, initials on flying jacket)

beamont arrived in france 15 hours experience flying hurricanes. during winter of 1939, there little opportunity inexperienced pilots fly , beamont assigned operations room. result of high fever, sent hospital in dieppe, after 2 weeks absence risked being removed squadron strength , put pilots pool. avoid this, persuaded father, stationed in france, provide car drive him squadron. spring of 1940 provided more opportunity action. in march took part in interception of heinkel 111, on may 8 shot down dornier do17. before squadron left france shoot down further 2 aircraft..

when no. 87 squadron returned france stationed @ church fenton, before relocating exeter, part of 10 group, defending south western england. during battle of britain, beamont claimed following: junkers ju 88 on 24 july, 2 messerschmitt bf 110 on 15 august, dornier do17 , messerschmitt bf 109 on 25 august.

beamont described period thus:

...i used fly portsmouth , down upon home, family was, in chichester. tangmere being bombed ten miles away. personal thing. when got aeroplane, felt fears fears when going off fight overpowering feeling if , chaps didn t damnedest on every operation these germans going flooding on country, homes , destroying worth preserving. about.

during air raids of blitz, no. 87 squadron assigned night fighter duties defending bristol. directing hurricanes searchlight largely ineffective. in frustration, beamont suggested on moon lit nights should cross channel , strafe luftwaffe aerodromes. tactic adopted group , proved successful, beamont taking part in destruction of several aircraft.

three hawker hurricane mark iibs of no. 79 squadron raf. pilots were, sqn ldr g d haysom (nv-b), flt lt r p beamont (nearest aircraft, nv-m ), , flt lt l t bryant-fenn (nv-f).

in may 1941 transferred no. 79 squadron raf flight commander, , in june awarded distinguished flying cross. beamont set raising morale of new flight engaging them in night flying , formation aerobatics. in september transported waaf cipher officer dance @ raf pembrey in single-seat hurricane because squadron s tiger moth unavailable. action lead court martial in december 1941 (and marriage in october 1942). court found him guilty , severely reprimanded group captain richard atcherley.

when tour of duty ended in december 1941, offered position of leigh-mallory s personal aide. instead, chose keep flying , accept position production test pilot @ hawker s. while had 800 hours flying hurricanes own admission, ignorant of problems of aircraft stability, trim , control balance. remedy this, hawker s civilian test pilots, bill humble, hubert broad , particularly philip lucas mentored him in art , science of test flying.

at hawker s, while of flying production test flights of hurricanes, did take part in of development flying of production typhoons. on first cross country flight in typhoon, while delivering gloster s, main oil pipe failed. managed emergency landing in small field being used flying school, attracting rebuke chief flying instructor.. in february 1942 took on vibration programme of typhoon. flying aircraft fitted vibrographs determine effectiveness of propellor balancing improvements , sprung seat mounts·

typhoon

squadron leader r p beamont of no. 609 squadron raf, in hawker typhoon mark ib

beamont keen resume operational flying in 1 of 2 typhoon squadrons. posted no. 56 squadron, supernumerary flight commander in july 1942, followed permanent posting no. 609 squadron raf in october. when commanding officer paul richie left in january 1943, beamont promoted squadron leader.

fighter command had concerns typhoon s safety , serviceability because during first 9 months of introduction, losses due structural , engine failure greater caused enemy action. commanding officer of few typhoon squadrons, beamont instrumental in arguing keeping aircraft in raf service against increasing establishment resistance. called meetings group captain trafford leigh mallory , aoc hugh saunders discuss future of typhoon. beamont argued had faith in manufacturers correct faults , basic design of aircraft sound: easy fly, stable firing platform, both faster , more manoeuvrable contemporary luftwaffe fighters. leigh mallory in agreement , typhoon saved. however, beamont , squadron s actions on winter of 1942/43 start establish typhoon s reputation.

from march 1942 southern coast of england had been under attack luftwaffe fighter bombers. no 609 squadron relocated raf manston , in november standing patrols set dawn till dusk intercept raiding fw 190 jagdbombers. @ same time beamont developing use of typhoon night intruder. repeat earlier initiative hurricane, had illumination of displays , reflector sight modified compatible night flying. starting on night of 17 november, flew series of solo sorties; attacking trains on calais-amiens-paris line demonstrate typhoon both safe fly @ night , effective ground attack aircraft.

no. 91 squadron s spitfire xii deployed intercept raiders. inevitably, amid inter-squadron rivalry, question of fastest fighter arose. beamont challenged co of no. 91 squadron air race, beamont s typhoon being clear victor on spitfire xii.

he awarded bar dso in june 1943, destruction of 13 trains , numerous lorries being noted.

tempest

hawker tempest of beamont s wing @ newchurch, 1944.

in mid-may 1943 returned hawker s test pilot, performing experimental testing of both typhoon , new tempest. in february 1944 aoc hugh saunders invited beamont form first tempest wing (no. 150), rank of acting wing commander. @ time available tempests dispersed around maintenance units; beamont had fly between units locate them. may 1944 wing had become operational 2 tempest squadrons (no 3 , no 486) , 1 spitfire ix. first operations ground attack sorties against trains or airfields. on d-day+2 (8 june) wing shot down 3 me 109s on invasion beaches without loss, first 1 credited beamont , first tempest.

wg cdr r. p. beamont, leaning against hawker tempest v of no. 3 squadron raf @ newchurch advanced landing ground, kent.

from air field @ newchurch, beamont witnessed first intrusion v-1 flying bombs flew towards london @ dawn on 14 june; 2 days later (16 june) wing switched intercepting them. in following days, , pilots trial attack tactics day , discuss effectiveness in evening. instance, beamont discovered first hand attacking v-1 @ close range result in hazardous explosion. established best attack approach astern @ acute angle cannons synchronised 200yds (180m). on @ least 1 occasion beamont defeated v-1 sliding wing-tip under of v-1 , flipping it. fifth v-1 kill on evening of 19th june made him first v-1. ace. end of v-1 campaign, 150 wing had shot down 638, beamont accounting 32. around time beamont met ernest hemmingway. hemmingway had flown on america report on d-day invasion , had spent time in 150 wing s officer s mess.

on 2 october 1944, based on continent @ volkel, netherlands, achieved ninth , final kill of war when shot down fw 190 near nijmegen. on 12 october, on 492nd operational mission, while attacking heavily defended troop-train near bocholt tempest s radiator hit flak. crash landed without injury , became prisoner of war (pow). confined firstly stalag-iii @ sagan in lower silesia, stalag iii-a @ luckenwalde, brandenburg, remained pow until end of war in europe (may 1945). beamont , other pows detained few weeks soviet forces,until repatriated in late may .

at raf chilbolton beamont formed first wing of hawker tempest iis in preparation planned invasion of japan. tempests escort bombers of tiger force on japan. operation cancelled following bombing of hiroshima , nagasaki. in may 1946 awarded american distinguished flying cross

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