Formation Flying - 3 (P)AFU RAF South Cerney - Nov. 1942

South Cerney Control Tower

So, seventy three years ago, my Grandfather H. C. Kelsey, was nearing the end of his training course at South Cerney airfield. The training was accomplished in twin engined Airspeed Oxford aircraft and having been trained in this type, the trainee pilot would usually go on to join either a night-fighter or a bomber squadron. My Grandfather had his sights set on night-fighters.

Airspeed Oxfords in starboard echelon

During the second week of Nov. 1942, the training consisted of formation flying. This was a high precision form of flying but it had become an integral part of R.A.F. flying since the First World War, when larger and larger numbers of aircraft started to be sent out over the enemy lines.

From his Log Book, we see that the main formations were Line Astern, Echelon and Advanced Formation. There's also a reference to R.T.A and R.T.A.A., which I'm not sure the meaning of. I presume it's something to two with R/T (Radio Telephony) between aircraft so the formations can be formed and tightened up. The trainees would have to be very proficient flyers to be able to move easily between these formations, but my Grandfather had 1,240 flying hours by this time, so he certainly knew how to handle an aeroplane.

Two Airspeed Oxfords flying in very close formation

I haven't found a lot written about this area of the training course apart from the fact that the trainees were now allowed to fly without instructors on board. Indeed, my Grandfather's Log Book shows that after a flight with P/O Fisher on the 6th and P/O Tattersall on the 7th Nov., he flew the next three formation flights on his own. However, without the presence of an instructor, the exuberance of youth meant that the trainee pilots would often try to show off to each other in the air by attempting to touch wings or frighten the living daylights out of their pals flying with them.

Airspeed Oxfords in Line Astern

A crowded sky with Trainee pilots in formation flying.

Inevitably, mucking about in the air whilst forming up lead to some serious accidents. Here are just a couple that I found, but there must have been many more;

• On 14 September 1941 two RAF Airspeed Oxfords collide during formation flying near RAF South Cerney, one crashed in flames.

• On 19 May 1942 two RAF Airspeed Oxfords collide while formation flying, one aircraft crashes near RAF Driffield.

Thankfully, my Grandfather came through unscathed and on 14th Nov. he was sent to 1519 B.A.T. Flight at R.A.F. Feltwell to take a Beam Approach Course.

At this time in the War, the British forces were still mostly fighting at El Alamein in North Africa. With Operation Torch, the most amazing fact is the British were actually fighting against the French in Morocco. The failure of the French to defend this allied invasion triggered the German occupation of Southern France on 11th November 1942. We now characterise the French forces as Vichy French, but the fact is that they were the French Army and Navy.

The RAF in Europe was at the mercy of the weather, which was apparently ghastly in November 1942, so bombing raids were very rare. At the same time, the Luftwaffe was putting all it's efforts into the Eastern front, leaving Britain relatively unscathed. In fact, until January 1944, the number and intensity of Luftwaffe raids on Britain dropped dramatically and it became known after the War as "The Lull".