Soon after arriving at Tholthorpe in February of 1944, my Dad and his crew were sent off on a training flight , practising "air to sea firing". It is the only notation of this type of training in his logbook. Can anyone tell me what this might have involved? Would a ship be towing a target of some kind, or would the gunners just be firing at whitecaps while Dad flew the Halifax at low level? Any insight would be appreciated. Cheers, Clint.
I have looked through all my notes regarding air gunner training and I can't find any details on this. The only reference is in one of the pamphlets that I have which states "On training navigational flights over the sea by day and by night you will be given further opportunities to fire your guns and to become accustomed to the appearance of tracer ammunition and the feel of your turret"
Not sure this helps you but it may be a start point
Regards
Pete
-- Edited by PeteT on Friday 5th of August 2016 04:39:04 AM
-- Edited by PeteT on Friday 5th of August 2016 04:49:13 AM
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Researching:
- CA Butler and the loss of Lancaster ME334
- Aircrew Training WWII (Basic / Trade / Operational)
- No. 35 Squadron [From Thetford to Scampton]
[Always looking for COPIES of original documents / photographs etc relating to these subjects]
Many thanks to Mark from the Midland Aircraft Recovery Group ( great website...highly recommended!) for providing some interesting info on this subject. Apparently air to sea firing involved the use of a fixed target , covered in canvas to record hits. It was anchored somewhere where it could be accessed at low tide . Since Dad and his crew were flying out of Dishforth at this time, the target would probably have been at Donna Nook. The rear gunner and mid upper gunner may even have been given ammo marked with different coloured paint, to encourage some friendly competition.
