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W Bill Pitt-Brown | Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC After Cranwell Bill Pitt-Brown was posted to India where he saw service on the North-West Frontier with 31 Squadron flying Wapatis and Valencias. When the Japanese attacked in the far east he was posted to command 5 Squadron flying H75A Mohawk fighters in Assam and on the Imphal and Arakan fronts. Returning to the UK he was given command of 174 Squadron with Typhoons which he led through the Normandy Invasion. In August 1944 he became Wing Leader of 121 Wing. He was rested in October 1944 after a total of more than 100 operational sorties. He went on to high command of the RAF after the war. 'Memories of Normandy are coloured by the enemy speed of reaction to our air supremacy. In the first few days after D-Day the enemy rushed forward to confront the Allies. We created havoc by picking off targets to jam the traffic and then methodically flaming the lot. Very large losses of German tanks and MT were inflicted in the fluid situation. Then suddenly by day nothing in the area was immediately visible. The German guns and tanks had dug in hull-down in the deep bocage country hedges which were perfect for camouflage. MT moved cautiously in shade and shadow. The vicious close-quarter tank and infantry fighting was largely unseen. Air attacks on map references were acknowledged by the Army to be effective but were frustrating since results were seldom seen except for transport brew ups. The picture was transformed when the Allies burst out of the bridgehead primarily through sheer force of numbers. the whole area east of Avranches - Vire, Mortain, Flers, Falaise, Argentan erputed and became a seething mass of enemy trying to retreat. The air forces smashed, burnt and killed. It seemed unbelievable that so much enemy force could have been concealed; now that they were all in the open, the slaughter, explosions, and fires burning from endless daily air attack obliterated everything. It was deadful; dead horse-drawn transport, bloated farm animals and humans all contributed to the sickly sweet smell of death. The enemy escaped annihilation by being highly disciplined even after such a defeat. Their losses were appalling but their retreat was never a rout.' |
Items Signed by Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC |
| Rocket Firing Typhoons at the Falaise Gap - Normandy 1944 by Frank Wootton. Price : £250.00 | Perhaps the most historically significant painting by Frank Wootton, painted onthe site of the battle just a few days after it took place....... |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC |
Squadrons for : Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC | ||
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
Squadron | Info | |
Country : UK Founded : 3rd March 1942 Fate : Disbanded 20th April 1946 Mauritius Attack | No.174 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : UK Founded : 11th October 1915 In caelum indicum primus - First into Indian skies | No.31 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : UK Founded : 26th July 1913 Frangas non flectas - Thou mayst break but shall not bend me | No.5 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. |
Aircraft for : Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC | |||
A list of all aircraft associated with Air Commodore W Bill Pitt-Brown DFC. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
| Mohawk Full profile not yet available. | ||
Manufacturer : Hawker Production Began : 1941 Number Built : 3330 | Typhoon Single engine fighter with a maximum speed of 412 mph at 19,000 feet and a ceiling of 35,200 feet. range 510 miles. The Typhoon was armed with twelve browning .303inch machine guns in the wings (MK1A) Four 20mm Hispano cannon in wings (MK!B) Two 1000ilb bombs or eight 3-inch rockets under wings. The first proto type flew in February 1940, but due to production problems the first production model flew in May 1941. with The Royal Air Force receiving their first aircraft in September 1941. Due to accidents due to engine problems (Sabre engine) The Hawker Typhoon started front line service in December 1941.The Hawker Typhoon started life in the role of interceptor around the cost of England but soon found its real role as a ground attack aircraft. especially with its 20mm cannon and rockets. This role was proved during the Normandy landings and the period after. The total number of Hawker typhoons built was 3,330. | ||
Manufacturer : British biplane cargo aircraft built by Vickers Production Began : 1934 Retired : 1944 Number Built : 28 | Valentia The Valentia first entered service with No. 70 Squadron RAF at Hinaidi, Iraq in 1934,[2] equipping British forces in India, Persia and Iraq. Like the preceding Vernons and Victorias, the Valentias were extensively used for transport operations in the Middle East, and when necessary used for bombing operations with bomb racks under the wings. Valentias were also experimentally fitted with loudspeakers used to address people being overflown (in this case potentially rebellious tribes during air policing duties). The Valentia was also used for experiments with aerial refuelling by Alan Cobham. Valentias were used for night bombing operations over the Western Desert in 1940 and remained in service with the Iraq and Persia Communications Flight until 1944. The South African Air Force pressed a Valentia into service as a bomber in the East African Campaign in 1940-41 | ||
Manufacturer : Westland Production Began : 1927 Retired : 1944 Number Built : 558 | Wapiti The prototype first flew on 7 March 1927. Initial tests showed poor control, and the prototype was modified with a much larger tail and horn-balanced ailerons, solving these problems. (It was later discovered that a 2-foot (0.61 m) fuselage section had been omitted from the prototype – as handling was now acceptable, it was not reinstated.) The Wapiti performed well during RAF trials, while using significant amounts of DH.9A components, and was declared the winner of the competition, an initial contract for 25 aircraft being placed in October 1927. The Wapita entered service with No. 84 Squadron RAF in Iraq in June 1928. It was heavily used in Iraq and India in the Army Cooperation role, acting also sometimes as a bomber or reconnaissance aircraft. Wapitis of No. 20 squadron escorted Victoria troop carriers in the evacuation of Kabul (the Kabul Airlift) in December 1928. It was still in service in India until 1942. In Britain, Wapitis served with the Auxiliary Air Force from 1929 to 1937. It was also flown by Australia and Canada, where it saw service at the start of the Second World War. The prototype Wapiti V, registered G-AAWA, was used for demonstration flights in Argentina and Uruguay on floats, powered by a 550 hp Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA engine. It was later modified as the Bristol Pegasus-powered Westland PV-6 or Wapiti VII, re-registered G-ACBR (also known as the Houston-Wallace after the patron Lucy, Lady Houston), for an attempt to fly over Mount Everest. Flown by Flt Lt David F. McIntyre and accompanied by a Westland PV-3 the two aircraft became the first to fly over Mount Everest on 3 April 1933. The PV-6 was later designated the Wallace Mk I, bearing serial K3488 which introduced a number of improvements. A total of 68 Wapitis were converted to Wallace Mk I standard. |
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