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SUMMARY for JANUARY |
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| TOTAL MOSQUITO DAY | 10H45M |
| TOTAL MOSQUITO NIGHT | 6H30M |
| TOTAL NIGHT OPERATIONS | 6H25M |
| TOTAL DAY OPERATIONS | 35 M |
January 1944 was a quiet month for Broody with only 7 hours of operational flying. The ORB records a generally quiet month for the whole squadron, but there are a few points of note.
On 2/1/44, W/Cdr R C Haine DFC took over command of the Squadron after W/Cdr Hamley left following a promotion to take command of 62 OTU.
On the same day, F/O Bergman & F/O Bishop intercepted and destroyed a Me 410. Bergman ended up having to land his aircraft (HK461) at Marston after several more chases following engine failure due to enemy action.
On 21/1/44, F/Lt Johnny Hall and his Navigator F/O Jock Cairns, flying aircraft HK380, scored the Squadron’s first “double” when they destroyed a Do 217 and a Ju88 on the same Patrol. As a result of this, they were ordered by “the Air Mashall Commanding Air Defence of Great Britain” to “proceed to the Air Ministry for Public Relations purposes“, where they were interviewed by the BBC and newspaper journalists.
Much to their embarrassment, the duo were photographed and described in a Sunday newspaper as “The Flying Tigers”. Leslie Hunt recalls in his book that much ribbing ensued, including being served plates of raw meat in the mess! Both men took this banter in good humour, with Jock “growling ferociously as he took our leg-pulling in good part.”
Johnny Cairns was broadcast on the nine o’clock news talking about night-fighting, which lead to more ribbing. Hunt recalls Hall’s retorts (which only served to increase the ferocity of the banter) which included “We don’t listen to the news – we make it!” and “Actually we could have got more than 2 Huns, but we knew our suppers were getting cold”
Broody's war 