On 29 October, during the Luftwaffe’s last substantial daylight effort, 253
Squadron scrambled three times and encountered the enemy in its third
interception. At 4.30 p.m., eight Hurricanes left Kenley in company with 501
Squadron. They had been ordered to patrol the Kenley−Brooklands line at 15,000
feet. Peter, in his third sortie of the day, was flying Hurricane V7301.
Looking back over his time in 253 Squadron, John Greenwood, who had been
with the squadron since it reformed in late October 1939, recalled that throughout
the Battle of Britain 253 had clung to the rigid Fighting Area Attacks they
had practised so diligently in pre-war training. Because of the hectic days it
had had no opportunity or time to change. Greenwood recalled that:
‘Our tactics
remained the same throughout the Battle, four flights of three aircraft, in vic
formation, which could be either turned into either line abreast or line astern
for attacking purposes. It showed no imagination, it was discussed between us
several times, but nothing was done.’
Despite this recollection, it seems that by late October, the squadron
had implemented some changes to battle formation. On 29 October, the squadron flew
with one section of four and line astern of it was another section of two. Two
pilots were acting as weavers, keeping a close eye out for the enemy. The
squadron climbed to 21,000 feet and there altered the formation to three pairs
in a shallow vic, but still with the weavers. Near Dover 501, Squadron attacked
a formation of Messerschmitt 109s at 15,000.
During their attack, 253 sighted eighteen 109s in two formations
of nine at 28,000 and 30,000 feet. The first gaggle of Messerschmitts was
flying in a wide fan to 253’s west. The second was position in two lines
abreast of five and four astern. 253 continued to climb and when it was at 27,000
feet circled beneath both enemy formations whilst 501 Squadron engaged and
dispersed Messerschmitts at 15,000 feet.
The two
formations above 253 Squadron then turned south east and east. 253 found it
impossible to engage either formation so split into pairs to hunt isolated
enemy aircraft. One of the weavers, Pilot Officer Guy Marsland, sighted one of
the Messerschmitts at 16,000 feet travelling south towards Horsham. He closed
and attacked from slightly below and astern. The enemy aircraft did a half roll
and the Horsham Observer Corps later reported a crashed 109 at the time of
engagement. Pilot Officer Nowak sighted a Dornier Do 17 (or Z) at 200 feet with
a Spitfire circling above it about 1000 feet, apparently out of ammunition.
Nowak delivered four separate attacks and the Dornier crashed into the sea.
The pilots
landed between 17.25 and 17.35 p.m., when Peter Moore landed. The squadron had suffered
no losses and claimed Marsland’s destroyed over land and Nowak’s Dornier. There is no combat report for Peter and he is not mentioned in the
squadron’s operation record book so if his machine gun fire had struck at any
enemy aircraft no noticeable damage had been done. But he had finally
encountered the enemy, and he had survived.
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