Help needed to find map of Europe

Mark_g44 · Aircraftsman 1st Class

Help needed to find map of Europe

Index434 · Squadron Leader

Anything here you are looking for?

http://images.google.ca/images?as_q=1944+map+of+Europe&hl=en&output=images&svnum=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgsz=&as_filetype=&imgc=&as_sitesearch=&safe=off

Mark_g44 · Aircraftsman 1st Class

i have looked there but they arnt exactly what i want
i am looking for one that a bomber crew would hav had
i remember my grandad showing me a picture of one when i was young but i can find the picture now

Pigeonbird · Air Commodore

Mark, I remember well those Navigator's maps but as a Bomb Aimer, I only got to look at them. There may still be some in our major Aviation museums.

I handled the Sextant while the Navigator plotted my Fixes (Mostly on Polaris) on his map. My fix on the way to Magdeburg landed us right over the target, and darned near sealed our fate.

The maps I wish I still had were my escape maps which I brought back from France after my evasion, but lost in the many years since. They were made from silk.

John

matt · Air Vice Marshall

Pigeonbird wrote:

The maps I wish I still had were my escape maps which I brought back from France after my evasion, but lost in the many years since. They were made from silk.

John

John, did they hand them out to you before each OP or was it part of your kit?

BTW, congrats on making Squadron Leader.

-- Edited by matt at 09:53, 2007-02-07

ME453 · Flight Lieutenant

Mark, try this link from the 463/467 squadron website. They are navigator pages and notes from a couple of sorties:
http://www.467463raafsquadrons.com/NavInfo/navMaps.htm
Max Williams
Portland, Dorset

dawallace · Wing Commander

Mark
I have a dozen or so air navigation charts that my father (who was a Navigator) used on operations or in training from 1941 to 1945. There are a few different types, some being used for Gee plots that have grids on them, some show the locations of airfields in the UK and others that are more conventional and used to navigate to targets in Europe. One problem with them is that they are fairly fragile and are large format so they are hard to scan so I have scanned some sections of a few of them, mostly in the Ruhr. Although they were somewhat discoloured originally they cleaned up beautifully in the photo editor and have excellent detail. I can try to send you a few images if you give me your email address.
Regards
Dave Wallace

matt · Air Vice Marshall

Hi Dave,

Any chance I can get you to email me one of the images? I am redesigning the main page and the chart would make a great banner.

matt

-- Edited by matt at 14:05, 2007-02-17

dawallace · Wing Commander

Sure Matt - what address?

matt · Air Vice Marshall

Dave,

Thanks alot.

email is matt@bombercrew.com

Thanks again.

Pigeonbird · Air Commodore

Matt, they were handed to usas we prepared for a flight. As we sometimes went to Germany, sometimes to France or the Lowlands, they could be different maps.

And, thank you for the promotion. I'll believe it when I see the first paycheck.

dawallace · Wing Commander

John
I have a question best answered by a Bomb Aimer. I have a number of recordings made while crews were on their bombing run and the proceedures seem quite consistant. You hear "bomb doors open" then something that sounds like "left lamp"? I have always wondered what that referred to. Can you enlighten me?
Thanks
Dave Wallace

Pigeonbird · Air Commodore

Hi Dave:

You're asking me to remember what I said 63 years ago? All I remember was we Bomb-Aimers took control on the approach to the target. As we looked down the wires on the Bombsight, we would say 'Left' or 'right' go so we could keep the target under the wires. Occasionally we would say 'Whoa, back up'. As the target hit the cross wires, we pressed the bomb tit.

Unfortunately, on my last trip, the Enemy Pilot hit his gun tit a split second before I hit my bomb tit.

John

Barbara · Aircraftsman 1st Class

Fancy finding you on here Max ... are we mad ??!!

ME453 · Flight Lieutenant

Been here a long time Barbara.....but it's a bit quiet.....sshhhh!
Max

Date: Feb 5, 2009

I have a copy of a "Captains Of Aircraft Map" ca. 1945 covering the Newcastle to Prague area of Europe which has a flight mapped out on it with corresponding legs, distances, turning points and times if that would help any.

As I understand it the Pilot kept this type of map in pocket as a check on the Navigator and/or in the event the Navigator became incapacitated.

Not sure if I can scan and send it to you as it's about 20" x 14" in dimension.

Likely I could do so in segments. Let me know if this would help.

My understanding is the Navigator would have different scaled maps of considerably greater detail and the Bomb Aimer would have maps too outlining known flak gun rings and searchlight belts as well as the target area.

Let me know if it would be of any help and we can exchange contact info.

Bob

archieraf · Aircraftsman 1st Class

Sometimes taking one or more digital photographs of a map or document that is too big to scan can be an effective way of getting it onto your pc. I've used that trick several times.

Regards
Linzee

2TAF · Aircraftsman 1st Class

I have a collection of 50+ maps given to me by a former 180 Sqn (Mitchells) Observer. They are mainly of NW Europe in 1:500,000 and 1:250,000 noted "Europe (Air)" and carry various War Department notations. An Example is titled "LE HAVRE 2nd Edition NOTHERN ZONE LAYER SYSTEM"; in the lower left corner is the note:
Geographic Section, General Staff, No 4072
War Office 1940
2nd Edition 1942

Date: Dec 18, 2010

I have been trying to find out what missions my father flew in during ww2 and I just saw your post. I have a silk map and even the money from his flight pack. He was shot down during a bomb mission but made it to France which was just liberated. I have the map somewhere in my house and If I can find the map I could send you a scan of it if interested. Not interested in selling it.

AW · Air Commodore

Jim,
Can you give your father's name please, and do you know which squadron he was with.
Alan.