Aircrew in WW1 & WW2.

[PhilB]

I`ve just finished reading "The Bomber Boys" about WW2 aircrew. Whilst doing bombing missions, there`s little mention of ordinary duties on the base. What "ordinary" duties were imposed on aircrew of the two wars between missions? Were they left fairly free or kept busy to "keep them from worrying"? Any difference between attitudes in the two wars?

[vb136]

QUOTE (Phil_B @ Sep 6 2007, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I`ve just finished reading "The Bomber Boys" about WW2 aircrew. Whilst doing bombing missions, there`s little mention of ordinary duties on the base. What "ordinary" duties were imposed on aircrew of the two wars between missions? Were they left fairly free or kept busy to "keep them from worrying"? Any difference between attitudes in the two wars?

I have studied French bombing units for some time, and have found that the bomber-crews, at least during the first half of WW 1, were kept busy with training flights, gunnery practice, practice bombing, various lectures etc.

[Rob B]

My Grandfather flew DH9s in the Aegean with the RNAS from 1916 till the end of the War and from his letters his free time outside of preparing for the next run at Constantinople or the Bulgars was shooting wild dogs, swimming or trying to get a look at the front lines as well as trading for fresh fruit with the locals.

Rob

[centurion]

Other duties could include

- censoring mail

- weather flights (bomber squadrons sometimes kept old 'hacks' such as BE12s for this purpose)

- ferrying VIPs or senior officers

- ferrying replacement/repaired aircraft (officers returning from leave were often asked to do this but sometimes pilots had to be specially assigned to this duty)

- supervising/taking part in general maintenance duties (gun calibration, compass swinging etc)

- exercises with new pilots (mock dogfights etc)

- helping out the adjutant in general administration

However one gets the impression that between extensive periods of action and during bad weather pilots had considerable spare time

[PhilB]

Sgt Observer F Archer (Voices In Flight):-

You were a different class of person when you started to fly. As a ground mechanic you were dirty, scruffy and ill fed, but once you were flying they started to make a fuss of you. You got smarter clothes and when you weren`t flying you did nothing but lounge about with your hands in your pockets. We used to drink a fair bit too. You led a gentleman`s life really.

[ChrisM]

In addition to the suggestions already made….

At the time of the Great War, the custom of letter-writing was very much alive and kicking. I know of one RFC/RAF pilot who must have spent a significant amount of time in this practice. He conducted an active correspondence with both family and friends from early 1917 to the Armistice. By extrapolation from what has survived I calculate that his output was probably about a letter a day on average.

He may or may not have been unusual. But men like him would have benefitted from a reasonable education, writing and communication would have been easy and perhaps a real pleasure, and the postal service from France, and even from Italy, seems to have been good. It must have helped to pass the idle hours.

Chris