First Combat Experience

Heroes Remember

First Combat Experience

Transcript

Well, that was a rather interesting, because I ended up as a, we were doing runway readiness, this was back in December, it was December the 2nd of 1943. We were sitting out at the other, the end of the runway, it was a murky day, the cloud cover was down to about a thousand feet, and suddenly a red flare goes up to tell us to scramble, so my number one and I automatically start up, take off and he calls for a heading from the controller, the controller gives us a heading and where I should have turned left with him, I turned right being an eager beaver, and suddenly when I realized I flipped back but with that we was in cloud so I never saw him again. When I dropped down through cloud again, I came out over water, I had no idea where I was but I, math was always a reasonable subject for me in school, and I just sort of recounted all of the things that, the courses that we had been told to fly on. So when it came to, with no land in sight, I called up for a heading to the controller and with that, this voice in English comes on and gives me a southerly heading. Well I knew I couldn't be heading south with all this water around so it had to be a German who was listening in on the conversation and spoke perfectly, perfect English. So I immediately put my, swung my aircraft around where was on a zero heading and then just sort of kept the faith and fifteen minutes later I came within sight of land which turned, it was England, thank goodness, and it turned out to be Beachy Head because when you're coming in on the coast you can sort of, you look at your map and say, "Oh yes, that's where it is." And then from there, I phoned the controller again asked them for a heading for base because with only a few hours on the aircraft I wasn't that familiar with where the hanger I was, or how to get to base. And he promptly gave me a homing when I called him again I said, "Could you give me a repeat on that base", and he says, "Well, would you make a circle and give me another indication", like we'd say so much on the tele, or the radio and he would be able to know where we were. And as I tipped the aircraft up, right below me was the airbase. So all I am saying is that it's incidences like that that make you realize that, you know, you become very satisfied with the people you are dealing with. It gives you a lot of confidence.

Description

Mr. Hanna describes his first combat experience and how a German radio operator tried to confuse and disorient him by posing as a British operator.

Kenneth Charles Hanna

Mr. Hanna was born in Prescott, Ontario but spent the majority of his childhood in Brockville. He was the oldest of four children and worked as an apprentice tool- maker after graduation from High School. In 1941, Mr. Hanna joined the Air Force in Ottawa. He chose the Air Force, as opposed to the Army or Navy, because he had "illusions of grandeur" and wanted to fly. Living up to his own expectations, Mr. Hanna was a successful pilot flying the Typhoon. He flew many missions in support of the Army over France and the Netherlands and his decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 03:18
Person Interviewed:: Kenneth Charles Hanna
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 181 RAF Squadron
Rank:: Sergeant
Occupation:: Pilot

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First Combat Experience

Heroes Remember