First, a brief bit of history. You can skip this bit
Operation Starkey was a mock invasion of the Pas de Calais region, carried out in September 1943. No. 263 Squadron’s role was attacks on naval guns and flak positions at Hardelot in order to protect the ships of Operation Menagerie, carrying out a feint towards Boulogne.
To avoid confusion, identification markings were applied to all Allied aircraft. These are not the ‘special markings’, known as ‘invasion stripes’ applied for the real landings in Normandy in 1944. Surprisingly, the Starkey markings obscure the national markings (roundels), something expressly forbidden in the orders for Overlord (‘Stripes will on no case be painted over the national markings, which take precedence’).
‘Appendix F’ to the Air Force Operational Order for Starkey states that the area outboard of a datum line taken at the point where the wing Chord was 5 feet (263 Squadron just took this as outboard of the engine nacelles) was to be painted in black distemper (33B/382) with two stripes in white distemper (33B/376), 18” wide on single-engine types and 24” wide on twin-engine types. In addition, the nose on twin-engine aircraft was to be painted white, 5’6” back from the tip of the nose but not covering any Perspex panels.
No. 263 Squadron flew to Manston on 7 September and eventually flew two missions in support of the operation. On 10th September the squadron returned to Warmwell, where the special markings were removed. The squadron diary for this day noted:
“The afternoon was spent in removing the zebra stripes bestowed on us for yesterday’s operation. The removal degenerated into a fair scale water fight and everyone got very wet.”
So apparently war was not always hell.
So here is Whirlwind P6974, an aircraft delivered to the squadron way back on 9 September 1940, so in terms of WW2 fighters it was getting on a bit. It has undergone various changes to its camouflage scheme. It’s coded HE-M and appears as flown by F./Lt. David George Ross (A Flight Commander) on Operation Starkey on 8th and 9th September 1943.
The stories of the men who flew these things are far more important than the aircraft themselves. Dave Ross is the man arrowed in this photograph.
On the evening of 5 June 1944, flying in support of the invasion, he abandoned his Typhoon (MN761) about 15 miles south-east of the Isle of Wight. Despite desperate search efforts by other pilots of his Wing and the numerous ships making up the invasion fleets in the area, he was never found. He was just 24 years old.
When that photograph was taken there were about eighteen months of the war to go. Four of the men standing (including Ross) and two of those sitting did not survive the war.
Lest we forget.
Operation Starkey was a mock invasion of the Pas de Calais region, carried out in September 1943. No. 263 Squadron’s role was attacks on naval guns and flak positions at Hardelot in order to protect the ships of Operation Menagerie, carrying out a feint towards Boulogne.
To avoid confusion, identification markings were applied to all Allied aircraft. These are not the ‘special markings’, known as ‘invasion stripes’ applied for the real landings in Normandy in 1944. Surprisingly, the Starkey markings obscure the national markings (roundels), something expressly forbidden in the orders for Overlord (‘Stripes will on no case be painted over the national markings, which take precedence’).
‘Appendix F’ to the Air Force Operational Order for Starkey states that the area outboard of a datum line taken at the point where the wing Chord was 5 feet (263 Squadron just took this as outboard of the engine nacelles) was to be painted in black distemper (33B/382) with two stripes in white distemper (33B/376), 18” wide on single-engine types and 24” wide on twin-engine types. In addition, the nose on twin-engine aircraft was to be painted white, 5’6” back from the tip of the nose but not covering any Perspex panels.
No. 263 Squadron flew to Manston on 7 September and eventually flew two missions in support of the operation. On 10th September the squadron returned to Warmwell, where the special markings were removed. The squadron diary for this day noted:
“The afternoon was spent in removing the zebra stripes bestowed on us for yesterday’s operation. The removal degenerated into a fair scale water fight and everyone got very wet.”
So apparently war was not always hell.
So here is Whirlwind P6974, an aircraft delivered to the squadron way back on 9 September 1940, so in terms of WW2 fighters it was getting on a bit. It has undergone various changes to its camouflage scheme. It’s coded HE-M and appears as flown by F./Lt. David George Ross (A Flight Commander) on Operation Starkey on 8th and 9th September 1943.
The stories of the men who flew these things are far more important than the aircraft themselves. Dave Ross is the man arrowed in this photograph.
On the evening of 5 June 1944, flying in support of the invasion, he abandoned his Typhoon (MN761) about 15 miles south-east of the Isle of Wight. Despite desperate search efforts by other pilots of his Wing and the numerous ships making up the invasion fleets in the area, he was never found. He was just 24 years old.
When that photograph was taken there were about eighteen months of the war to go. Four of the men standing (including Ross) and two of those sitting did not survive the war.
Lest we forget.
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