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Reader Tour with

TOUR EXTENDED

11 Now Now days! days!

in 2009

in 2009

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Paris, Deauville &

D-Day

May 29 to June 8, 2009

A PILGRIMAGE TO FRANCE TO MARK THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS Our 11-day tour, accompanied by the Assistant Editor, takes in the annual Jean-Baptiste Salis Collection airshow (where an FW 190 is set to make its debut), visits to aviation and WW2 museums, stays in Paris, the historic resort of Deauville, and Dieppe; visits to Mont St-Michel; and probably the last chance to see D-Day veterans taking part in offi cial commemorations

Provisional Itinerary:

DAY 1 Morning coach departure from London for Channel Tunnel rail service from Folkestone to Calais and on to Paris for a three-night stay DAY 2 A full day at the Jean-Baptiste Salis Collection airshow at La Ferté-Alais, where an FW 190 is scheduled to fl y! DAY 3 A free day for sightseeing in Paris DAY 4 Morning visit to the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget; afternoon by coach to Mont St-Michel for an overnight stay DAY 5 Morning exploring at leisure in Mont St-Michel. Afternoon drive to St Mère-Eglise and visit museum; then on to Deauville for a fi ve-night stay

DAY 6 Visits to the Musée des Epaves tank museum in Port-en-Bessin, then Arromanches for the 360 Museum DAY 7 A free day to enjoy Deauville DAY 8 Visits to Pegasus Bridge; Museum of the Atlantic Wall at Ouistreham; and Musée de la Batterie de Merville DAY 9 Saturday, June 6: The 65th Anniversary of D-Day. Morning free; afternoon drive to Carentan to see evening commemorative para-drop DAY 10 Morning drive to St Mère-Eglise for more para-drops; overnight Dieppe DAY 11 Morning departure for Calais, V1 launch site and “Chunnel” rail crossing; teatime arrival in London

TOUR PRICE PER PERSON £1,425 Based on sharing a twin-bedded room, on a bed and continental breakfast

basis (and one evening dinner at Mont St-Michel) £425 Single room supplement

£425 Single room supplement

AND IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A LONG-HAUL HOLIDAY . . . . . . Turn to page 86 of this issue for details of our Canada Centenary Tour on September 2–15, which takes in 12 museums/collections and two airshows

TOP A great Normandy landmark, Mont St-Michel, is on our itinerary! TOP RIGHT This FW 190 is scheduled to debut at La Ferté-Alais! MIDDLE RIGHT A Morane Saulnier MS.138 (nearest camera) and Morane AI of the Salis Collection over La Ferté. LOWER RIGHT C-47s at a D-Day commemoration.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: ■ All transfers and transportation ■ Ten nights’ accommodation ■ Admission to museums and La Ferté-Alais Air Show as detailed in the itinerary ■ Services of an Ian Allan Tour Manager

TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: ■ Meals, other than those stated ■ Travel insurance (ask for details) ■ Personal expenditure, for example, telephone calls, laundry, drinks etc ■ Admission to any museums other than those stated in the itinerary; ■ Gratuity for the coach driver ■ Other tips and gratuities

A £250 deposit (make cheques payable to Ian Allan Travel) will secure a place. The tour is arranged with Ian Allan Aviation Tours, ATOL registered No 0288 ■ The tour will be subject to minimum numbers

PLEASE NOTE All prices and details provisional at time of press

TO BOOK or for further information, or to request a detailed itinerary, call Deborah at Ian Allan Aviation Tours on 01932 255625 or write to Aeroplane 2009 Aviation Tours, Ian Allan Aviation Tours, Terminal House, Shepperton, Middlesex TW17 8AS HIDDEN HISTORY: D-DAY

YANKS OVER NORMANDY

Why were US Navy pilots fl ying RAF Spitfi res on Why were US Navy pilots fl ying RAF Spitfi res on

Why were US Navy pilots fl ying RAF Spitfi res on D-Day? RON JONES reveals a little-known story

IN THE EARLY part of 1944, as the Allied invasion of Normandy was fast approaching, the planners of Operation Neptune, which was to cover maritime participation, decided that additional artillery spotters would be required for the large number of bombardment ships scheduled to attack targets on the French coast. A request was made to the US Navy (USN) for assistance, and the result would claim a unique place in the annals of the US Navy’s history.

Realising that the spotting aircraft carried on American ships — Curtiss SOC Seagulls and Vought OS2V Kingfi shers

— would be no match if intercepted by Luftwaffe fi ghters, the American airmen selected would fl y that most British of fi ghters, the Supermarine Spitfi re.

Yanks in Hampshire Some 17 pilots from the American ships USS Nevada, Texas, Arkansas, Quincey, Augusta and Tuscaloosa were ordered to fl y from their ships in their Kingfi shers and Seagulls to the seafront at Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire, where their aircraft were slipped and parked in open storage behind the blister hangers on the north-east side of the Royal Naval Air Station, HMS Daedalus.

These pilots, followed by 40

THESE FEATURES

THESE FEATURES aim to bring lesser-known historic aviation stories to a wider audience through the pages of Aeroplane. If you have such a story to tell, get in touch with us!

enlisted men from the ships, were assigned to form a new Squadron, VCS-7, under the command of Lt H.W. Calland of the US Naval Reserve, from USS Nevada. Training was to be undertaken at RAF Middle Wallop with pilots of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (TRG) of the Ninth Tactical Air Force, which was equipped with Spitfi re Mk Vs. A total of 25 Spitfi re VBs was made available by the RAF for VCS-7, and fl ight training commenced at the beginning of May, covering defensive tactics, aerobatics, navigation, formation fl ying and spotting procedures. It was decided that the Royal Navy (RN) method of spotting, using the

Groundcrew of VCS-7 pose with one of

the unit’s Spitfi re Mk Vs, all of which were marked with the number “4” and a letter on the nose, at Lee-on-Solent

in June 1944. The Spitfi res retained their standard RAF colours — and their

previous individual kill markings, as

seen on this example.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS VIA AUTHOR

AEROPLANE JUNE 2009

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