Goodman, Jack Richard (Oral history)

British officer served as pilot with 37 and 99 Sqdns RAF in GB, 1940-1941; served with 15 Operational Training Unit during thousand bomber raids on Germany, 1942; served with 139 and 627 Sqdns, Pathfinder Force, RAF in GB, 1943-1944

REEL 1 Background in Northampton, 1921-1939: family; education; employment. Period of training with RAF in GB, 1939-1940: flying training on Blackburn B2s at Brough, 1939-1940; reasons why he was sent to train with Bomber Command; gaining wings, 5/1940. Recollections of operations as pilot with 37 Sqdn, 1940-1941: bombing Channel ports, summer 1940; flying Vickers Wellington; effect anti-aircraft fire and fighter attacks on Vickers Wellington; difficulty of finding targets in Germany; description of target terms 'Semo' and 'Mopa'; attack on ammunition train at Soest; use of Gee and H2S; end of first tour of operations, 5/1941. Aspects of operations with 99 Sqdn, 1941: posting to unit; allocation of unit's jinx aircraft R-Robert; story of 'The Broughton Bomber'; question of morale in unit and case of low moral fibre he experienced in Second World War; question of his luck as pilot. REEL 2 Continues: story of operation with 37 Sqdn in which his aircraft was hit by flak during raid on Rotterdam. Recollections of thousand bomber raids on Cologne and Essen, 1942: training aircraft sent to raid; length of tours; Hamish Mahaddie's role headhunting for Pathfinder Force, 1943. Recollections of operations as pilot with 139 Sqdn, 8 Group. Pathfinder Force, 1943: posting to unit RAF Marham, 8/1943; presence of Professor R V Jones; use of Oboe; background to 139 Sqdn forming nucleus of Light Night Striking Force. Recollections of operations as pilot with 627 Sqdn, RAF, 1943- 1944: first operation to Berlin, 11/1943; his role during Battle of Berlin; role attempting to draw off nightfighters from heavy bomber stream; Leonard Cheshire's idea to use De Havilland Mosquitoes for low marking; transfer of squadron to 5 Group at RAF Woodhall Spa; role slowing down German reinforcements to Normandy, 6/1944; raid on Juvisy Marshalling Yards, Paris, 18/4/1944. REEL 3 Continues: raid on aircraft factory, Usine Lictard at Tours, 1/5/1944; character of raid on tank repair depot at Mailly le Camp, 3/5/1944-4/5/1944; narrow escape on return journey; sight of Avro Lancaster losses during Mailly le Camp; occasion when comrade's aircraft hit balloon cable; his appreciation of voice of WAAF guiding him in to GB from Berlin raid; character of AOCs briefings; character of his last operation on Saumur Marshalling Yards; low level marking of German targets including Brunswick, 22/4/1944; memories of Leonard Cheshire and Guy Gibson. REEL 4 Continues: memories of Don Bennett and Ralph Cochrane; Don Bennett's reaction to Stewart Macpherson's BBC recording of raid; Ralph Cochrane's reaction to raid which went wrong; second-hand story of George Platt was shot down by V1 in Pas de Calais, whilst marking for 617 Sqdn.