Special Liberator Flight - NZ special ops in B-24's

[pjw4118]

Evan Williams flew as a gunner with 178 SQ on Liberators from late 1944. This log records a mix of supply drops and bombing raids.







Unfortunately his album was in a bad way when I copied these taken at Amendola






Evan recalls the primitive living conditions and even shortage of uniforms, they were Army battledress and coats.
The picture shows base CO Group Capt J McRay Left and Squadron CO Wing Commander Muller in "normal" dress



This is Evans own battledress



This was taken by Roy Montrowe 148Sq in N.Africa in 1942 and may be an X Flight aircraft

[Dave Homewood]

Wow, fantastic stuff!! Thanks Peter. Is Evan Williams still alive?

[Dave Homewood]

Interesting that they were doing supply dropping and also normal bombing operations, but by day and night by the look of the red pen for night ops.

[pjw4118]

Sadly Evan died last year. The mix of supply drops and bombing raids seems to have been common with all SOE squadrons in Europe as well . Even those based at Tempsford carried bombs at times and some linked mining trips with supply drops .

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks.A pity he's not still around, I should have been more onto it and got to see him earlier, but he never actually came onto my radar range. Dang.

Interesting about the bombs as well as SOE drops, I'd not picked up on that before as the SOE squadron guys I have met were with No. 267 Squadron flying Dakotas, so no bombs involved.

[mattr]

Hi guys, really interesting to find this thread. I'm Jacko Madill's grandson and I've just been looking into his war history (again!) after going to the RAF museum outside of London to see the types of planes he flew in the flesh. He died when I was 16 but I still remember him talking about his time during the conflict. He was pretty open about it, unlike my other grandfather who was a torpedo boat captain. Not that he glorified it, but for him I think the war was an amalgam of adventure and fear... his stories were usually tempered by statements like "he didn't make it", but I think for a boy from the colonies to spend so many years flying such advanced machines in such exotic locations was as thrilling as it was scary. It was certainly a dominant chapter of his life. He was very much shaped by his time in the Middle East/Mediterranean theatre, esp the Special Liberator Flight. There is a really good book called Conquest Without Victory by William Jordan (mentioned above). It begins with Jacko asking Jordan up to the cockpit for a smoke as they were approaching the drop zone. Jacko took a film camera to war and his films have been used in a few documentaries, including the Colour of War. I think the films are out at the Air Force museum at Wigram. They have his flight log as well, which mum and I have taken home a few times to look over. My dominant memory of those is how often they got near drop zones over Yugoslavia/Greece only to have to turn back, delaying the agony and forcing repeated nights of flying. We have his medals (miniatures), flying helmet, some of his scarf maps and lots of photos at home. When I am back in NZ I will dig the pics out and post them here if there is any interest. From memory there are quite a few of him and the rest of those mentioned above and lots of the planes as well. He became a farmer after the war and used the serial number from his favourite plane (a B-24... he liked them more than the B-17) as his brand for the wool from the farm. He kept flying for a few years but he gradually let it slip. It is really nice to find that people are still interested in Jacko (and others) after so many years. The more I have looked into his air force career the more amazed I am at what he achieved, I know most in that generation buck the 'Greatest' tag but I'm not sure I'd be able to pass the same tests as well. He was a humble man, but I think he would be pretty chuffed to know that people are still interested in his contribution. My only regret is I can't ask him all the questions I have. Thanks, Matt.

[Dave Homewood]

Welcome Matt,and thanks so much for posting this info. It's great to hear from you. We'd love to see those photos please when you get a chance. I'd love to read Jacko's logbook too someday. If you ever gain access to it again, it would be great to get digital photos of the complete logbook.

[Dave Homewood]

I have now reinstated Peter's photos at the top of this page, and mine in the first post, having been lost previously in the Photobucket switch off.

[Dave Homewood]

It's really interesting to note the different noses on the Liberators in Peter's photos. One has a turret, one has a glass front, and the one with the nose art has a faired over nose where the turret has been removed.

[Dave Homewood]

Here is a less cropped version of the photo that appeared in the first post on this thread, from the National Library of New Zealand's collection.



Date: [ca 26 Sept 1943]



Ref: DA-08696-F



Members of New Zealand Air Transport squadron of the Royal Air Force, and dog mascots, beneath the wing of a transport plane, Egypt, during World War II. (From left ?): F/Lt Smith (Dannevirke), F/O S G Culliford (Norsewood), and W/Commdr M J Earle (Wanganui). Photograph taken circa 26 September 1943 by M D Elias.

Ref: DA-08696-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22747528

Note you can see more of the aircraft and it reveals the C-47 is wearing an engine cover.

[davidd]

Good stuff Dave H, great to see these "lost" images popping up again, better than new!
David D

[rosalind]

Hi Matt. I am another person who is interested in your grandfather especially (and another 3 pilots involved in the same incident). I would really like to find out about the September 30 1942 flight into the mountains of Greece from Cairo. There were 3 planes and 4 pilots. It was a BMM and I suppose the 12 Harling men were picked up from Maadi Camp. Among the men were two Kiwi sappers - Arthur Edmonds and my father, Tom Barnes. Each plane carried a leader, an interpreter, a sapper and wireless operator. Do you know the names of the men in your grandfathers plane?

How can I get in touch with the rest of his descendants? Do you know why there were 4 pilots - not 3 or 6? This was a multiple flight mission since the pilots could find the fires they were told would be lit for signals - and also because one of the Brits would not jump. Was this where the fourth pilot came in?

Have you ever received any feedback about the landings of the men - some quite eventful?

Do you have any contact with the other 3 pilot's families/ descendants? They were Malcolm "Golfball" Rolph-Smith, "Hach" Smith, and RWL (Bob) Smith? I am interested in inviting you all to the 75th Harling anniversary in Gorgopotamos, Greece on November 25th this year.

There is a great photo of your grandfather in a book by Arthur Edmonds on page 9. It is attributed to your father - a group of the 4 airmen who flew the Harling men in to Greece. Your grandfather is on the right second from the end. If you have lost this photo, I can scan it for you. My email is [e-mail].

[Dave Homewood]

I am pleased to say I was able to track down several members of Malcolm Rolph-Smith's family and put Rosalind in touch with them. And it turns out his nephew Kim Rolph-Smith is a warbird owner and pilot in Aussie!

Kim has supplied me some great info from Malcolm's logbook. For the record the aircraft that he flew on the Special Liberator Flight included:
Liberator AL506
Liberator AL510
Liberator AL511
Liberator AL517
Liberator AL530
Liberator AL534
Liberator AL536
Liberator AL552
Liberator AL564
Liberator AL566

Halifax W1174 (test flight only)

Wellington DV500
Wellington DV561
Wellington DV651
Wellington DV652
Wellington ES981
Wellington ES988
Wellington ES989
Wellington X9734
Wellington Z8761
Wellington Z9102

Lysander R2612

All the familiar Kiwi pilot names from above come up as co-pilots on various flights.

The period covered here is 35 March 1942 through till 14 September 1942.

It's interesting that at different times these guys seem to have been part of different units, so the Special Liberator Flight was not a stand alone unit it seems. The monthly sign off block in he logbook has them as thus:

March 1942 - No. 108 Squadron RAF
April 1942 - No. 108 Squadron RAF
May 1942 - No. 108 Squadron RAF
June 1942 - No. 159 Squadron RAF (ATTACHED)
July 1942 - nil mention
August 1942 - G(R) Flight
September 1942 - not mentioned

So given the previous post by Peter Wheeler showing that Evan Williams flew with special duties Liberators with No. 178 Squadron it almost seems like the Special Liberator Flight was passed from squadron to squadron wherever it was needed most, Does that make sense?

It's really interesting to learn they operated Wellingtons and a Lysander too.

[Dave Homewood]

I found this in the Imperial War Museum's online archive:

"Consolidated Liberator B Mark II, AL530 'Q', of 'B' Flight, No. 108 Squadron RAF based at Fayid, Egypt, in flight. On the disbandment of the Squadron in December 1942, this aircraft was transferred to the Special Liberator Flight."

[Dave Homewood]

Here's another of the aircraft that Malcolm flew regularly, AL511, from the IWM

:The crew of Consolidated Liberator Mark II, AL511 'A', of No. 108 Squadron RAF walk from their aircraft at Fayid, Egypt. Note the "Dumbo" motif painted on the nose. AL511 failed to return from a bombing sortie over Tripoli on 3 May 1942."

[Dave Homewood]

There is no date on this and copyright won't allow it to be posted here, but this link shows a photo of, as the IWM caption reads, "Flight Sergeant Bill Gunn of No 159 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force in the tail gun of his B-24 Liberator."

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205369367

That almost sounds like they mean the squadron is RNZAF, rather than Bill Gunn. I don't see Gunn listed as flying with Rolph-Smith but I wonder if a) he was RNZAF and b) if he flew with the Special Liberator Flight.

[Dave Homewood]

Actually this also indicates that the IWM considered No. 159 Squadron to be RNZAF!
www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205369390

[Dave Homewood]

And this one does have an RNZAF member in No. 159 Squadron

"Flight Sergeant Alby Read of No 159 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force in the top turret of his B-24 Liberator. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Flt Sgt Alby Read RNZAF (159 Sdn).'"

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205369379

[errolmartyn]

Sept 23, 2017 17:38:33 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

And this one does have an RNZAF member in No. 159 Squadron

"Flight Sergeant Alby Read of No 159 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force in the top turret of his B-24 Liberator. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Flt Sgt Alby Read RNZAF (159 Sdn).'"

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205369379

From Colin Hanson’s By Such Deeds – Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1923 – 1999:

READ, Flying Officer Albert Reginald, mid.
NZ404619 & 133098; Born Christchurch, 11 Sep 1917; RNZAF 24 Nov 1940 to 28 Sep 1945, Res. 12 Oct 1950 to 11 Sep 1972; Air Gunner.
Citation Mention in Despatches (14 Jan 1944): For meritorious service. Served with 159 Sqn RAF (Liberator) in Palestine and North Africa, then India. Also flew with 355 and 215 Sqns RAF (both Liberator).

Errol

[errolmartyn]

Sept 23, 2017 17:33:26 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

There is no date on this and copyright won't allow it to be posted here, but this link shows a photo of, as the IWM caption reads, "Flight Sergeant Bill Gunn of No 159 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force in the tail gun of his B-24 Liberator."

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205369367

That almost sounds like they mean the squadron is RNZAF, rather than Bill Gunn. I don't see Gunn listed as flying with Rolph-Smith but I wonder if a) he was RNZAF and b) if he flew with the Special Liberator Flight.

From Colin Hanson’s By Such Deeds – Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1923 – 1999:

GUNN, Pilot Officer William Thomas, DFM.
NZ411214; Born Invercargill, 22 Jun 1918; RNZAF 16 Feb 1941 to 13 Apr 1945; Air Gunner.
Citation Distinguished Flying Medal (16 Jun 1943): [159 Sqn RAF (Liberator)] Throughout his duties with this Squadron Sergeant Gunn has displayed outstanding skill and courage as an air gunner. In the face of enemy opposition he has set a fine example. During one operation in November, 1942, his turret was badly damaged by cannon fire from a Japanese night fighter. In spite of this, he continued to fire and probably destroyed his assailant. His record throughout his operational career has been most meritorious.
Plt Off Gunn flew 34 sorties with 159 Sqn, then joined 1673 HCU RAF (Liberator) as an instructor, during which time he flew a further four sorties. Died Invercargill, 29 Jun 1992.

Errol