Four episodes

Four episodes

Written accounts of various incidents, described as episodes.

Two page handwritten document

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MTownsleyH994575-180615-01

EPISODE 1
Operations HAMBURG 30-1-43
On reaching the target area we had no response from the bomb aimer. I went down and found him with [underlined] no oxygen [/underlined] mask on. I revived him and he eventually released the bombs.

EPISODE 2
Operations FRIEDRICHSHAVEN 20-6-43
SPEZIA ITALY 23-6-43
The first Shuttle raid of the war planned to take place from Scampton

Four PFF aircraft flown from 97 Sqn to mark the target

On our way there we hit an electric storm for some 15 minutes

The heavily defended target was [underlined] marked [/underlined] from [underlined] 10,000 [/underlined] feet. I received flack in my left arm. We then flew over the Alps and Italy to Maison Blanche, Algeria.

On landing 3 A/C were damaged; two badly damaged and unfit to fly.

I checked the [underlined] magnetoes [/underlined] on the engine and had a dead cut on one which we reported to the Engineering officer. No repair was effected, however the A/C was bombed up for the flight to Spezia

I decided to do the repair myself.

I removed the cowl and mag points and they were welded solid. A little thought and I removed the points from damaged A/C and fitted them.

Without my endeavour [sic] only one A/C would have been left to mark the target.

[page break]

Episode 3
1661 CON UNIT
6/11/43 Circuits and bumps with pupil Sgt Phipps Staff pilot and self on board

Pupil pilot crash landed the A/C How?

13/11/43 Circuits and bumps with pupil Phipps Staff pilot and self on board

A/C lands and staff pilot leaves me in for a further flight & Phipps crash lands again. How?
I should not have been left in that A/C

Ep[missing letters]de 4
97 Squadron Coningsby
8/9/44 PILOT F/LT Baber[?] DFC, ENG W/O Townsley DFM
Collided in mid-air with master A/C ? Impact [indecipherable word]
Port wing and fuselage damaged A/C [indecipherable word] A/C
Master A/C crashed with 2 killed.

I warned Baber he was getting too close.