Station Battle Orders for two Mandrel Force operations

Station Battle Orders for two Mandrel Force operations

Operations are for 171 and 199 Squadrons on the 9 March and 22 April 1945, included are the crew / aircraft allocations, take off times, locations and timings, route and tactics.

1945-03-09

1945-04-22

Two typewritten sheets with hand written notes

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PThompsonKG15010084, PThompsonKG15010085, PThompsonKG15010086

MANDREL FORCE 9TH March 1945
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
6 G F/L Green 4957N 0620E
6 H F/L Lind
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
7 F F/L Harker 4944N 0620E
7 S F/O Broadfield
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
8 N F/O Brown 4930N 0620E
8 Z F/O Paddon
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
5 Q F/O Arkinstall 5010N 0620E
5 V W/O Sharples
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
4 A F/S Dawson 5024N 0620E
4 Z F/L Dove
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
3 C W/C Philipson 5038N 0620E
3 P W/O Digby
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
2 L S/L Robertson 5051N 0620E
2 N F/L Thomas
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN Pos’n ‘A’[/underlined]
1 B F/L Dickenson 5105N 0620E
1 X F/S Allen

Ground Reserves
199 Y F/O Ward
199 P F/L Chilcott
171 J F/S Austwick
171 F/L Butler

[underlined] ROUTE [/underlined]
Base – Gravesend – Dungeness
5030N 0200E – POSITIONS -
5030N 0200E – Reading – Base
Mandrel on: 1920
Mandrel off: 2110
Time at Position ‘A’ 1925 – 2100
Psn Height I. A. S.
A FLIGHT 17000 160 & 155
B FLIGHT 175000[?] 17500 160 & 155
L S/L ROBERTSON Master W/V Finder
Z F/O Paddon Deputy W/V Finder
BROADCAST 1922 – Deputy at 1923 if Master is not heard.
TACTICS [underlined]Height I. A. S.[/underlined]
Base Gravesend 5/10000 160
Gravesend – 5030N 0200E 10/17000 160
5030N 0200E – POSITION 17000 165
Position French coast 17/10000 200
French coast – English c.10/7000 200
English coast – Base 7/3000 200
[page break]

[underlined] MANDREL FORCE. 22ND April 1945. [/underlined]
[underlined] T/O Nr. A/C CAPTAIN POSITION[/underlined]
2045 1 D F/L BROGAN 5506N 0702E
2045 1 X F/L COPE
2047 2 E W/O WARNER 5454N 0657E
2047 2 Z F/L STEELE
2049 3 F F/L HOMER 5443N 0643E
2049 3 P F/O CALLON
2051 4 J F/S AUSTWICK 5432N 0630E
2051 4 S F/S TAYLOR
2053 5 K W/O LAW 5424N 0612E
2053 5 L F/O TOWNSEND
2055 6 B F/L SIMON 5418N 0553E
2055 6 P P/O SHARPLES
2057 7 C F/L IVES 5412N 0532E
2057 7 R P/O CURRELL
[underlined] RESERVES [/underlined]
A F/O BAKER
V P/O ALLEN
L P/O PEARCE
P F/L BLEAKLEY
MASTER WIND FINDER P/O CURRELL
DEPUTY WIND FINDER W/O WARNER
Master broadcast at 2317 hrs.
Deputy broadcast at 2318 hrs.
[underlined] POSN HT I. A. S.[/underlined]
‘A’ Flight 12000’ 140K
‘B’ Flight 12500 140K
[underlined] TACTICS [/underlined]
BASE – 0600E 2500’ – 150K
0600E – POSNs – 2500 – 12000’ – 140K
POSNs – 0300E- 12000’ – 160K
0300E – BASE – 12000’ – 2000 – 185K
[underlined] ROUTE [/underlined]
BASE – 5500N
0400E – 5500N
0600E – POSN’s – BASE
MANDREL ON: 2315 hrs.
MANDREL OFF: 0035 hrs.
A/C IN STNS 3 and 4, JAMMERS OFF 2330 – 2340
TIME AT POSN ‘A’ 2315 - 0025