Charlesworth, Albert Maxwell (Oral history)

British aircraftman and officer trained as pilot with Royal Air Force in GB, 1940-1941; pilot served with 118 Sqdn, No 10 Group, Fighter Command, RAF in GB, 1941; served with 602 Sqdn, Kenley Wing, No 11 Group, Fighter Command, RAF in GB, 1941-1942; served with Merchant Navy Fighter Unit in North Atlantic and Mediterranean, 1941-1943; served with 124 Sqdn, Special Spitfire Flight, RAF in GB, 1943-1947; served with 601 Sqdn, Royal Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1949-1950; served with 185 Sqdn, RAF on Malta and in Middle East, 1950-1951; served as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Air Vice-Marshal Gerard Combe of Maintenance Command, RAF in GB, 1951-1953; served with 88 and 16 Sqdns, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF in West Germany, 1955-1959; served as instructor with Bomber Command in GB, 1959-1961; served as Assistant Air Attache in Polish People's Republic, 1961-1963

REEL 1 Background in Chesterfield and Leicester, GB, 1922-1940: family; education. Aspects of enlistment and initial training with Royal Air Force, 1940: reasons for enlistment; selection procedure; reception at No 2 Reception Unit, RAF at RAF Cardington; posting to No 6 Initial Training Wing, RAF at Aberystwyth; pattern of training. Aspects of flying training as aircraftman with Royal Air Force in GB, 1940-1941: reaction to first flight in De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth; sequence of instruction; relations with instructor; story of forced landing in De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth during first solo flight and subsequent accident and punishment; spinning; theory of flight training. REEL 2 Continues: taxiing De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth; pre-flight checks; taking off and landing De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth; forced landing practice; cross-country navigation; selection of pilots for different roles; move to advanced flying school; flying Miles Master; instrument flying; use of hood in Miles Master to practice instrument flying; handling Mile Master; method of bailing out of Miles Master; failure rate on course; rolls and loops; accidents during training; examination at end of course and commissioning. REEL 3 Continues: character of Hawker Hurricane; comparison between flying Miles Master and Hawker Hurricane; move to No 58 Operational Training Unit, RAF at RAF Grangemouth to train on Supermarine Spitfire; character of Supermarine Spitfire Mk I; formation flying; description of pitch; Supermarine Spitfire engines. Aspects of operations as pilot with 118 Sqdn, 10 Group, Fighter Command, RAF in GB, 1941: firepower of Supermarine Spitfire Mk II; gunnery practice and technique of deflection firing; firing cannon shells; categories for claiming aircraft; story of Squadron Leader Paddy Finucane not claiming aircraft; Sergeant George 'Screwball' Beurling's shooting skills. REEL 4 Continues: role of squadron; first action. Recollections of operations as 602 Sqdn, Kenley Wing, No 11 Group, Fighter Command, RAF at RAF Kenley in GB, 1941-1942: posting to squadron commanded by Squadron Leader Al Deere; nature of fighter sweeps over France; account of first operation over Northern France; sergeant pilot who had nerves prior to operation; attitude to carrying out operations over Northern France and psychological stress involved; actions prior to taking off; knowledge when German radar had located his aircraft; loss of Australian wingman Flying Officer Collin Tait, 8/6/1942; question of German Air Force being one step ahead in the quality of their aircraft; formations flown; organisation of squadron; later dive bombing operations in Supermarine Spitfire in 1945; incident of being targeted by German anti-aircraft fire in 1943. REEL 5 Continues: shooting down of first Messerschmitt Bf 109; second occasion when he shot down Messerschmitt Bf 109 during escort duties and returning at low-level; after effects of negative gravity on his engine; third occasion when he shot down Messerschmitt Bf 109; performance of various marks of Supermarine Spitfire against German fighters; behaviour during aerial combat; memories of Squadron Leader Al Deere; memories of station commander Group Captain Victor Beamish; effects of fatigue on pilots; qualities need by squadron commanders; need for pilot fitness; degree of alcohol abuse; composition of his wing; cosmopolitan nature of squadron; attitude of Polish pilots towards Germans. REEL 6 Continues: story of fellow pilot who was shot down and captured by Germans in Netherlands; post-war invitation to visit Dutch town; volunteering for secret work. Recollections of operations as pilot with Merchant Navy Fighter Unit in North Atlantic and Mediterranean, 1942-1943: being fired from catapult on merchant vessel; training at RAF Speke; method of firing aircraft; use of old Hawker Hurricanes; role of unit to attack Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft; living conditions on board merchant vessels. REEL 7 Continues: supplementing rations; behaviour of Lascar seamen on abandoning ship; standing down during Operation Torch, 11/1942; torpedo hit on ammunition ship; narrow escape from torpedo on route to Bone, French Algeria; going ashore at Bone, French Algeria; meeting with Randolph Churchill in Bone, French Algeria; joining Royal Air Force squadron; transfer to Gibraltar; story of court martial for misbehaviour in night club in Gibraltar; violent weather in Bay of Biscay during voyage to GB; damage to Hawker Hurricane on flying off in Irish Sea. REEL 8 Continues: flying damaged aircraft to RAF Speke; discovery of disbandment of unit; North Atlantic convoy escort duties; sitting in cockpit during stand by; opinion of his ground crew and servicing aircraft; attitude to serving at sea; manning ship's anti-aircraft guns; playing poker during bombing of ship in Mediterranean; contents of survival pack; organisation of unit; need for security; presence of cockroaches on board ship; opinion of Merchant Navy activities; passing time during convoy duties; question of ditching in Hawker Hurricane; losses of pilots on Arctic convoys; memories of George 'Screwball' Beurling. REEL 9 Continues: Recollections of operations as pilot with 124 Sqdn, Special Spitfire Flight, RAF in GB, 1943-1946: posting to squadron at RAF West Malling for long range escort duties, 9/1943; use of long range tanks; character of high altitude Supermarine Spitfire Mk VII; initial high altitude patrols with squadron; taking off in Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX; conditions on long range escort patrols; changes in canopy hoods on Supermarine Spitfire; briefing for long range escort duties; sight of United States Army Air Force formations; Royal Air Force bombing of Heligoland, Germany, 1945; frequency of American bombers opening fire on Royal Air Force fighter escort; lack of air opposition on escort duties; German anti-aircraft fire; occasional low-level attacks. REEL 10 Continues: German anti-aircraft fire during dive-bombing operations; flying through debris of squadron members aircraft; bombing of V2 Rocket launch sites in The Hague, Netherlands; attacks on hay carts suspected of transporting German V2 Rockets; loss of friend Flight Lieutenant Christopher Maltby during low-level attack on railway line and subsequent Dutch civilians treatment of his remains, 26/3/1945; post-war treatment of squadron members by Dutch civilians; personal morale towards the end of the Second World War; incident when his wingman crashed into his aircraft in icy conditions on an airfield in France, winter 1944-1945; use of personal aircraft; characteristics of individual aircraft; effects of constant active service at end of Second World War, 6/1945. REEL 11 Continues: attending jet conversion course flying Gloster Meteor Mk 1, 8/1946; taking off in Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX; character of De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.5; story of later exercise against United States Navy in Mediterranean in 1951; leaving Royal Air Force, 1947. Aspects of period as officer with 601 Sqdn, Royal Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1949-1950: background to joining squadron at RAF North Weald including interview with Wing Commander Paul Richey; first flight in De Havilland Vampire; character of squadron membership; applying for permanent commission. Aspects of period as pilot with 185 Sqdn, RAF in Malta and Middle East, 1950-1951: posting to squadron on Malta flying De Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.5; climatic conditions in Iraq; proposed role of squadron in Iraq; firing rockets; use of tricycle undercarriage; preference for flying jet aircraft. REEL 12 Continues: formation of aerobatic team and incident when Pete Shore thought he would crash during manoeuvre; socialising with Royal Iraqi Air Force. Aspects of period as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Air Vice-Marshal Gerard Combe of Maintenance Command in GB, 1951-1953: posting to duties; Air Vice-Marshal Gerard Combe's reaction to not being promoted to Air Marshal; unusual duties performed as Aide-de-Camp (ADC). Recollections of period as pilot with 88 and 16 Sqdns, 2nd Tactical Air Force, RAF in West Germany, 1955-1959: conversion course on English Electric Canberra at RAF Bassingbourne, GB, 1955; crewing up with navigator; incident when he made single engined landing in English Electric Canberra; character of English Electric Canberra B8; role delivering atomic bomb; Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) technique for escaping blast of atomic bomb; story of problems with aircraft during poor weather during exercise from RAF Laarbruck. REEL 13 Continues: Aspects of period as instructor with Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 1959-1961: training crews on Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) movement on return to GB, 1959; story of failing senior officer on instrument training; opinion of effective of Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) technique. Recollections of period as Assistant Air Attache in Polish People's Republic, 1961-1963: background to posting; character of espionage activities; ambassador's talk on arrival in Poland; incident when he was stopped by guards near nuclear dump; relations with Polish liaison officers and Polish Air Force pilots. REEL 14 Continues: encounter with Polish Air Force pilots on airfield; social activities; precautions taken to avoid bugging of conversations; attempts to shake of Polish Secret Service tails; building up battle order of Polish Air Force; taking photograph of first Polish MiG 21 aircraft; final duties with Royal Air Force writing the history of the Arab-Israeli air war, 1967; countries with which intelligence would be shared; equipment carried on expeditions; taking his wife on expedition; incident when Polish Army troops confronted his children in tent; behaviour of Polish Ministry of Public Security personnel during camping expeditions; attitude of Polish civilians and Soviet military personnel; attitude towards duties.