Immediate DFC Swing Mounted Group of 6 With Log Book to a Spitfire Pilot in Italy

A VERY FINE SPITFIRE PILOT'S IMMEDIATE D.F.C. GROUP OF SIX AWARDED TO A ROYAL AIR FORCE FLIGHT LIEUTENANT WHO SERVED WITH 601 (MILLIONAIRES) SQUADRON AND LATER 241 SQUADRONS IN ITALY, 1944-5, FLYING OPERATIONS OVER THE CASSINO FRONT IN MAY 1944 AND CRASH LANDING AFTER BEING HIT BY FLAK. DURING THE REST OF HIS OPERATIONAL SERVICE, HE TOOK PART IN 146 SORTIES; A LARGE NUMBER GROUND ATTACK, BOMBER ESCORT, ARMED RECONNAISSANCE, ROVERS ETC ETC, CLAIMING MANY TARGETS AND ENEMY VEHICLES. DURING HIS FINAL SORTIE, FOR WHICH HE WAS AWARDED THE D.F.C., HIS SPITFIRE WAS TWICE HIT DURING STRAFFING ATTACKS ON A CONVOY BUT HE CONTINUED TO ATTACK UNTIL ONE ARMOURED FIGHTING VEHICLE AND THREE M.T. WERE LEFT BLAZING AND THE REMAINDER OF THE CONVOY, COMPRISING FOUR M.T. AND 2 GUNS, HAD BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED. POST WAR HE FLEW METEOR AND VAMPIRE JETS.

DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, G.VI.R., THE REVERSE OFFICIALLY DATED 1945; 1939- 45 STAR, ITALY STAR; DEFENCE & WAR MEDALS, CORONATION 1953, MOUNTED AS WORN. TOGETHER WITH HIS VERY DETAILED AND COMPREHENSIVELY ANNOTATED PILOT'S FLYING LOG BOOK FOR THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 1943 TO AUGUST 1951. All in very good condition.

D.F.C. London Gazette 29 June 1945:

‘This officer has participated in a large number of varied sorties. He has set a fine example of skill and courage and has invariably pressed home his attacks with accuracy and determination. On his Last sortie in April, 1945, Flight Lieutenant Russell took part in an armed reconnaissance. When nearing Padova a convoy of enemy vehicles was sighted. In the face of considerable light anti-aircraft fire a good attack was pressed home. In the first run over the target, Flight Lieutenant Russell's aircraft was hit. Despite this, he made several more runs over the target. He afterwards flew back to an airfield where he executed a perfect landing although one of the wheels was punctured?’

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT (86703) RICHARD GERALD CRUICKSHANKS RUSSELL

Flight Lieutenant Richard Gerald Cruickshanks Russell joined the R.A.F.V.R. in 1939 and underwent pilot training in the U.K. before proceeding to South Africa in 1941. He served as an instructor at No. 21 Air School in 1943, and, having converted to Spitfires at 71 O.T.U., Ishmalia, joined No. 601 (County of London) Squadron, also known as the "Millionaire's" on 8 May 1944, flying sorties in support of the Allied offensive on Monte Cassino and would continue serving on the Italian front for his entire operational service. His initial sorties were over Anzio from 9 May 1944, notes patrolling the beachhead and experiencing his first dose of flak; and on 18 May, the day the Polish flag was finally planted on the summit of Cassino, at the cost of one thousand Polish dead, Russell recorded in his Log Book: "Nothing seen in the air but lots of shelling at Cassino early morning dead quietness there in the evening" The rest of the month consisting of offensive patrols, straffing, practice bombing, armed reconnaissance's, some escorts. On 19 May, during a patrol over Ripido bridges, Russell's aircraft was hit by flak and he crash landed but he was uninjured and resumed flying on following day, flying a sortie to the same area.

Posted to Air Gunnery School, Ballam (ME) where he flew spitfires and Hurricanes between 25 July 1944 and 18 August 1944 when he was posted back to 601 Squadron. His first operational sortie on his return was on 20 September 1944; a "Rover Paddy", when he ‘bombed and straffed infantry strongpoint’, attacks on gun positions, notes various bridges attacked, Self propelled guns,Motor transports, enemy strongpoints, railway lines. On 22 November 1944, he flew his last sortie with 601 Squadron, a ‘Rover David’ which was his 87 th sortie with the squadron (all Spitfires).

‘ROVERS’

There are lots of ‘Rover Paddy’s ‘Frank’ and ‘David’s’ noted in his logbook.

‘Rovers’ are described as such: "By the time the Italian Campaign had reached Rome, the Allies had established air superiority. They were then able to pre-schedule strikes by fighter-bomber squadrons; however, by the time the aircraft arrived in the strike area, oftentimes the targets, which were usually trucks, had fled. The initial solution to fleeing targets was the British "Rover" system. These were pairings of air controllers and army liaison officers at the front but able to switch communications seamlessly from one brigade to another- hence Rover Incoming strike aircraft arrived with pre-briefed targets, which they would strike 20 minutes after arriving on station only if the Rovers had not directed them to another more pressing target. Rovers might call on artillery to mark targets with smoke shells, or they might direct the fighters to map grid coordinates, or they might resort to a description of prominent terrain features as guidance. However, one drawback for the Rovers was the constant rotation of pilots, who were there for fortnightly stints, leading to a lack of institutional memory. US commanders, impressed by the British tactics at the Salerno landings, adapted their own doctrine to include many features of the British system"

TO 241 SPITFIRE SQUADRON

Joining 241 Squadron on the same Front, both squadrons being based at Fano (both 244 WING), his first sortie on 24 November 1944, also a "Rover David" against targets at Rimini, which he describes as "ordered to pancake, weather duff". His sorties in December are pretty much the same with 601 squadron, bombing Nebelwerfers, field guns, medium guns, various "Rovers" etc. In January 1945 he took part in armed Reconnaissance, Escorts to Baltimores and Kittyhawks, a couple of Air Sea Rescue searches for "Curly", found oil slick and wreckage but no pilot etc. After an Air Test, he notes "Flew Wes Mac ,flies like a bird"; Also notes meeting to FW190s had 2 second squirt at one but he dived for deck, Gus clobbered second one well. February much the same, lots of targets mentioned; "Jumped by 10-12 FW190s and ME109s;No damage or hits". March was mainly bombing and escort, occupied buildings etc "scored either DH or VM and * house and straffed it madly!!, dive bomber a battalion HQ at Soladol, "direct hit and 3**. POW captured later. Stated battalion commander wounded - Polish Corps sent congrats", another entry notes "Straffed madly and really clobbered house".

In April 1944, Russell flew a large number of sorties, again lots of dive bombing against dugout, mortars, enemy held houses etc, a number of armed reconnaissances, straffing, several "Timothy operations" and back to "Rover" sorties (various). A huge amount of detail of these sorties crammed into this page ; mortar stongpoints, tanks, troop carriers, various claims of hits of AFVs, MT, trucks, tank transporter etc "chased and bombed four tanks, damaged one with a VALM"

On 28 April 1945 he flew his final sortie of his tour, and, on the recommendation of his commanding officer, was awarded an immediate D.F.C.

Squadron Leader A. J. Ratcliffe recommended

F/Lt. Russell took off on the 28th April 1945, briefed to take four long range Spitfires to the Padova area on an armed recce. Just S.E. of the town he saw a convoy of enemy vehicles. Light flak was intense and on their first straffing run F/L. Russell was hit in the cannon and his subsection leader in the hydraulic system. He told the fourth member of the formation to look after the subsection leader on his way back to our lines and then proceding to do four more runs on the enemy convoy with his three remaining guns, during which he was hit once more. When he and his No.2 finally broke away from the aera, one armoured fighting vehicle and three M.T. were left blazing and the remainder of the convoy, comprising four M.T. and 2 guns, had been severely damaged. On returning to base his No.2's A.S.I. was found to be u/s so F/L. Russell, although very short of fuel, told him to formate on him and twice led him into land before flying off to a strip where he did a perfect landing with his burst tyre...

In his logbook he notes "straffed 1 AFV, a tank and several MTs" part is hard to read but clearly talking about his own damage. He then goes on to note "claimed 1 AFV destroyed, 3 MT destroyed, 3 MT and 2 guns damaged 2Y "clobbered the tank". In a different ink, clearly added later "Awarded immediate D.F.C". these are just some examples of targets he destroyed or damaged, there are a great many others throughout the logbook

POST ITALIAN FRONT SERVICE AND BEYOND

Russell left 241 Squadron on 27 May 1945 by which time he had taken part in a total of 146 sorties between both squadrons, all piloting spitfires. He joined 164 Squadron on 20 July 1945 and 235 Squadron on 5 December 1945 (both Spitfires). In February 1946 he was posted to 1335 conversion unit where he trained on Meteor III jets and on 6 April 1946, he joined 1 Squadron, flying spitfires and Meteors. Russell was demobbed in December 1946 but on 16 June 1949 he joined 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force flying Vampire jets from Filton, his last flight being on 30 August 1951.

THE LOGBOOK

Russell's logbook is extremely well detailed, indeed Russell seems to have squeezed as much info as possible into details of flights; mentions where his targets were and then details of targets, if there was flak, hits on targets, enemy aircraft etc. This continues throughout his logbook for operational sorties and may be the reason he stuck with the S.A.A.F logbook rather than switching back to an R.A.F. one, ie they are bigger logbooks and more info can be crammed in! 

Logbook starts on 1 February 1943, which was when he was serving as an instructor in South Africa and is fully filled bar a couple of pages, his last flight being in 1951. His first R.A. F logbook, consisting training and his first 6 months as an instructor, was presumably fully filled. Spine of lookbook was loose but has now been professionaly repaired. It really is one of the most fully filled logbooks I have seen.

Sold with copied of D.F.C. recommendation and digital copies of Operational logs for 601 and 241 Squadrons for Russell's service. Photographs included are later copies from the internet.

A very fine Spitfire pilots gallantry group.

PROVENANCE. Sold by Noonans Mayfair, 22 September 2000 as lot 777 

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