Blue Birds of the 30th PRS--part two

THE DAY- TO-DAY LIFE OF A LOCKHEED F-5 LIGHTNING PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON IN ACTION OVER EUROPE

PART TWO

Time was at a premium. The squadron didn't realize it but they began to get the idea when a request for a dicing job off the north coast of France came down from higher headquarters. It looked like an "impossible" but the Operations Officer, Capt. Mitchell, took it on. Supplied with invaluable data secured by Capt. Monk, the Intelligence Officer who even traveled to London to see the British War Ministry in his policy of not overlooking any possible source of information.

Captain Mitchell chose 303 as his ship. He was airborne at 1700-hr heading east. At 1900-hr, he was a half-hour overdue. There was considerable consternation and apprehension in the air, but it was a case of much ado about nothing for the captain had gone down right on the deck to take the pictures of the year. There was no obvious reaction by the Hun outside of a possible freedom from constipation in German quarters in the locality. Lightning 303 became an overnight sensation but the courage and ability of the man who flew her could not be overlooked, and was not overlooked, for a DFC followed.

The DFC presented to Capt. Mitchell was the occasion of an impressive ceremony at Chalgrove. All the group pilots who had earned the Air Medal were formally presented them by Gen. Nugent. Thirtieth's pilots predominated, there being 18 of them who were recipients of awards. Although the marching precision of the 30th might have left something to be desired, it nevertheless was an evident approval of the efforts of the men who had flown the 30th into the spotlight.

This affair could be construed as a parting gesture to Chalgrove. The 30th was eager, and all roads pointed south. For once, Dame Rumor had it right and the squadron was ready to move again, but not before Lt. Miller took 303 on its second shot at dicing the beaches. His pictures proved he clipped the underbrush on the shores of France but he never got any lower to terra firma than he did when he brushed the shingles off Operations' roof and broke up a gas drill in the process.

Fortunately, the squadron was wellprepared for the move to Middle Wallop. Three weeks previously, a brief bivouac had been held across the field which had gained for the men valuable experience in the problems of an anticipated move. Supply had the happy inspiration to conduct a dry run on loading and unloading. Chalgrove was hard to leave; those nightly runs into Watlington would be missed and the prospect of sleeping in tents did not enhance the prospects of life at the new base. For the first time, someone said "C'est la guerre!"

Communications formed the vanguard of the advance party, lumbering out in two DF trucks with a jeep to guide them. Lieutenant Ferguson, Sergeants Wade, McBride, Smith and Kenny and Cpl. Lee raced the sun to Newberry and maintained a fast pace through Andover and into Middle Wallop. It was their job to set up the DF truck and the transmitter, as the 67th Group's were, and the boys gulped when they heard this one, being waterproofed. The remainder of the advance party pulled in that afternoon, and uncomfortably, the men began erecting tents in a wooded area set close to a huge gasoline dump. This coupled with the inevitable stories told by 67th Group boys of intermittent air raids made everybody feel as though they were setting up quarters on a powder keg.

It was a move that demanded both parties being operational at the same time. This placed the main burden on the Photo Lab and they responded nicely. The equipment was all packed and ready the minute the advance party's orders for movement came through 24 hours later. When the operations ceased at Chalgrove, most of the personnel boarded C-47s and flew down to Middle Wallop. Engineering left a crew, headed by MSgt. Montag, at Chalgrove to make some engine changes on a couple of recalcitrant ships. The ship situation was becoming serious with only six Lightnings available.

Four days after arriving at Middle Wallop, the squadron completed 15 missions in twelve hours. A couple of more dicing missions were flown. Lieutenant Donald F. Thompson and Lt. Joseph Smith took 303 and pin-pointed the Hun's hopes for defense against airborne and seaborne invasions.

Many personnel changes were affected at Middle Wallop. Captain Monk left the squadron and went to group. Captain Greene was put in charge of the PI and CI sections which were combined by order of Maj. Leghorn into one section. Staff Sergeant Sperisen was named as section chief. Sergeant Landsbaum was also sent to group as a photo ops clerk and Sgt. Atwood was named as 30th Operations section chief.

As the weather grew milder, tent life became very pleasant. Softball games became a nightly occurrence; great rivalry sprung up between the Communications and Engineering sections with honors about even. Some of the boys hit upon the idea of filling water cans with beer from the Group PX, returning to drink it around an open fire. This became a popular pastime and it even induced Sgt. Wade to sing World War One songs that no one had ever heard before. Down the winding path from these gatherings, Corporals Byron Waring, Albert Young, Edgar Lackner, Leonard Drill and Sgt. Albert Sperisen used to concoct meals that vied with the feasts prepared by SSgt. Hugo Bishop's Mess Hall. The Mess Hall, incidentally, was set up in a Blister. It actually was the first opportunity that the 30th cooks had to show what they could produce for, at Chalgrove, they were swallowed by the Group Mess Hall for the most part and the short time that the squadron operated its own Mess allowed no permanent set-up. At Middle Wallop, both officers and men were fed at the same Mess. Sergeant Bishop divided his men into two shifts. Sergeant Newsome heading one, and Sgt. Joseph Bevil assuming control of the other. Sergeant Augustine Foy took charge of the night meals which were mandatory due to the long British evenings which provided for late operations. Mess at Middle Wallop brings to mind thoughts of pancakes. It seemed as though the famous flapjack was SOP for breakfast and many disputes arose as to who provided the more tasty pancake Sergeants Newsome, Bevil or Foy. These were the days of squadron meetings prompted in the beginning by the desire to get acquainted with the two officers who wore big "As" on their shoulders. Major Dillon and Capt. Kittinger proved interesting speakers and confirmed the general belief that the Ist Army would be the outfit's boss frm here in. Then Gen. Quesada visited the squadron one evening, awarded a few Good Conduct Medals to some of the men and, in a short talk to the squadron, he caused some trepidation in the hearts of the men as he warned them that many in the gathering that night would not be around six weeks after the invasion of Festung Europa.