Warbird Information Exchange

National Post Article – Rediscovered WWII Pictures

My brother-in-law forwarded this link to me... Mr. Ford was on the same floor that my brother-law’s Dad Earl was. Earl flew on Hudsons for British Coastal Command... he passed away this summer. Some great pictures in this article I knew most here would be interested in seeing.

Thanx for posting these! I love the 'day to day' stuff that makes up so much of an average soldiers life. My first impression on seeing Churchill with the cigar and the two pilots was 'which one's pink?'.
Seems a bit risky to have Churchill flying into France just after D Day in a Fiesler Fi-156 'STORCH' wouldn't a LYSANDER have been a more safe choice?
Again, great stuff!

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

I agree - "Great stuff indeed"!

Although I don't think there really was any risk of Churchill flying in a Storch as depicted, I would say this was a posed shot for the media of the day. In the front seat of the Storch is the 'pilot', Air Vice Marshall Harry Broadhurst, commander of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. I'm not sure if AVM Broadhurst would have had the time to be checked out in a captured enemy aircraft and then take the risk of aviating with his VIP passenger in the back around an active war zone. He would possibly have been more focussed on other things in his job specification - like managing the air support for the allied ground forces.

There's a chance I could be wrong as Harry was famous for being a 'hands-on' leader rather than an 'arm-chair General', but I'm still betting it was a posed photo.

Anyone else with an opinion?

Barry

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Little Johnny : "When I grow up I want to be a pilot!"

Johnny's Mother : "Don't be silly Dear - you can't do both!"

The word was always sent out clearly where Broadhurst and the Storch were going to be flying. I wouldn't doubt he took Churchill up to look around.

After a quick Google and a sniff around the web, I have found my assumptions in my previous post to be quite incorrect.

Harry Broadhurst 'liberated' this particular Storch whilst serving in North Africa and it became his own personal mount. Amazingly he did fly Churchill across the English Channel in it to inspect troops at an advanced landing ground not long after 'D' Day.

He later crashed it in April 1945 when the engine failed after take-off and he landed directly on to a hangar. Walked away with minor scratches.

Remarkable man,

B

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Little Johnny : "When I grow up I want to be a pilot!"

Johnny's Mother : "Don't be silly Dear - you can't do both!"