Evans, David John (Oral history)

British aircraftman served with 19 (Fighter) Sqdn, RAF at RAF Duxford in GB, 1932-1934; NCO served as flying instructor with No 12 Operational Training Unit at RAF Benson in GB, 1939-1941; officer served as pilot with 90 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 5/1941-2/1942; served with 107 Sqdn, No 2 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1942-10/1943; served with and commanded 88 Sqdn, No 137 Wing, No 2 Bomber Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF in GB and North West Europe, 5/1944-3/1945

REEL 1 Background in Talgarth and Rhosneigr, GB, 1913-1929: family; education; background to enlistment as apprentice at No 1 School of Technical Training, RAF at RAF Halton, 1929. Aspects of period as rigger with 19 (Fighter) Sqdn, RAF at RAF Duxford, GB, 1932-1934: posting to station; work with Professor Bennett Melvill Jones on air flow experiments; opinion of airfield; story of becoming sergeant pilot in 1936. Aspects of period as instructor with No 12 Operational Training Unit, RAF at RAF Benson, GB, 1939-1941: training Czechoslovakian and Polish pilots; handling pilot who lost confidence; use of cartoon strips to train Czechoslovakian and Polish pilots; German Air Force attack on RAF Benson, 1941. Aspects of operations as pilot with 90 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 5/1941-2/1942: reaction to joining operational squadron; role assessing Boeing Fortress I; freezing of lubricating oil in guns of aircraft and consequent losses; flying Boeing Fortress I. REEL 2 Continues: flying Consolidated Liberator; prior recollection of leaflet raid on Paris, France, summer 1940. Recollections of operations as pilot with 107 Sqdn, No 2 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1942-10/1943: raid on Phillips Factory at Eindhoven, Netherlands, 6/12/1942; results of the raid; tactics to avoid German fighters; opinion of Douglas Boston Mk III and reasons for preference for it over De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito; memories of Wing Commander Basil Embry; nature of low level operations including raid on Courtrai, Belgium; memories of Squadron Leader Richard England. REEL 3 Continues: end of tour, 10/1943. Recollections of operations as pilot with and commanding 88 Sqdn, No 137 Wing, No 2 Bomber Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF in GB and North West Europe, 5/1944-3/1945: use of mobile radar control post system and it's accuracy; joining squadron at RAF Hartford Bridge, 22/5/1944; improvements to Douglas Boston by 1944; American liberality of issuing medals; smoke screen laying duties over Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944; attacks against German V1 Flying Bomb sites and German Army troops in France; preference for low-level targets; move to Advanced Landing Ground B-50, Vitry-en-Artois, France, 16/10/1944; Group Captain Basil Embry's method of announcing end of operations and disbandment of squadron, 30/3/1945; weakness of German opposition towards end of war; attitude to bombing operations; belief that he would survive the war and his superstition during raid on Flushing, Netherlands, 13/2/1945.