Beyond Courage: Air Sea Rescue by Walrus Squadrons in Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas 1942-1945
Grub Street | 2003 | 224 pages | ISBN: 190401030X | ePub (e-book) | 6 MB
This book is an account of the adventures of 283, 284, 293 and 294 Walrus squadrons, operating from North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Sardinia. These airmen risked their lives on a daily basis to rescue fellow pilots from a very hostile environment. The pilots, like their counterparts in England, knew of the dangers of landing on the sea. It was a daunting task attempting to rescue downed airmen, as they often had to operate in bad weather, and near hostile coasts. Airmen who were bobbing about in dinghies, or even just in their Mae West life jackets, were difficult to locate. Rescues from the cold seas needed to be speedy affairs, especially those of survivors who were not in dinghies, and the Walrus aircrew were always aware that time was of the essence. Moreover, rescues near a hostile shore often resulted in gunfire from German or Italian gunners. Missions were always treacherous. Many Walrus pilots have added personal recollections to the narrative and so too have some of those airmen who were rescued. As well as RAF and SAAF airmen, there were numerous USAAF units involved in the air war over the Mediterranean and Italy. The men who flew the Walrus amphibian single-engine biplanes knew only too well that to pick up more than two or three airmen generally meant a hard sea-borne taxi-ride back to base.
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