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Doug Reich at Sawbridgeworth 1943.
Doug Reich flew Mustang 1's From Sawbridgeworth airfield.
He now resides in North Wales, and sent these items for inclusion on the website.
"I joined No 2 squadron at the end of May
1943, and served with the squadron untill crashing into the river Seine on June the 15th 1944. I was only at Sawbridgeworth
a short time, as we moved on July 1943 to Gravesend as part of 2nd TAE.
I am not in contact with former comrades, many
of whom were KIA or MIA, as a POW I lost touch with the others. I spent the rest of the war as a POW at Stalag Luft 1 on the
Baltic coast.
The Mustang MkI had two .5 machine guns which fired
through the arc of the prop. These guns were to be cocked when airborne. However, they were extremely difficult to cock when
airborne: I sometimes had to let go of the stick, put my feet on the instrument panel and use both hands to cock them.
The photo below is of me flying over Sawbridgeworth.
I am waiting as F/Lt George Kenning changes his A/C after shooting holes in his prop. He had cocked the two .5 guns while
on the ground. They had fired as he hit a pothole on the perimeter track - at low revs the guns were not synchronised , so
he nearly shot his prop off!, Once F/Lt Kenning got airborne we were off to the Friesian Islands on a shipping recce".

"On a later occasion when returning from an op, I decided to
do a front wheel landing in which you actually fly the A/C onto the runway at 120 mph, then cut the throttle. I had cocked
my guns but not fired them, and when the wheels touched the runway, the guns fired through the arc of the prop. As there was
no report of anyone being shot, I breathed a sigh of relief, and from then on stuck to three-point landings!"
Photo two is of a group of ‘B’ Flight,
(2 Squadron), pilots at Sawbridgeworth in early July of 1943. The pilot third from the left, (Andrews), was KIA shortly after
this photo was taken. In this picture, the .5 machine gun can just be seen at the left edge of the fuselage.
From left to right
F/Lt George Kenning; F/Lt Wakefield; F/O Andrews; F/O Doug
Reich; F/O Redman; F/O Stephen Shayle-George.

Flt/Lt Stephen John Shayle-George 1943.
Shortly after the declaration of war against Germany, Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage announced New
Zealand’s war aims in a radio broadcast on 5 September 1939. Towards the end of that address, he declared that: "Both
with gratitude for the past and with confidence in the future we range ourselves without fear beside Britain. Where she goes,
we go, where she stands, we stand."
In New Zealand a Ballot system was introduced based on birthdates, where all eligible young men were called
up. December 1940 Stephen’s name came up and immediately enlisted himself into the Air Force and started instruction
courses around New Zealand. September 1941 Stephen left New Zealand, by sea on the MV Monowai, for Canada and further training.
Got his commission on 7 December 1941, on the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour.
With German "U-Boats" patrolling the Atlantic seas between USA/Canada and the UK getting from Canada now
proved more perilous. Avoiding the big escorted convoys and anxious to join the war effort, Stephen volunteered to go to England
on a Norwegian 3,000 ton freighter carrying a cargo of Bacon with about 12 others and arrived in Liverpool on February 1942
and given 2-weeks R&R. He spent this time wisely on a farm around Gloucestershire, (his New Zealand upbringing showing
here!). This method of transport was the ‘way’ to avoid the German U-Boats! It was rumoured that on
the next sailing this Freighter was sunk with the loss of all on board.
After 1-week on the farm he was called into service being sent to RAF Old Sarum, where Stephen was introduced
to the Lysander, and not the Spitfire that he had hoped for!. After the initial disappointment at not being assigned to a
Spitfire Squadron Stephen became adept at handling the Lysander in all aspects of its idiosyncrasies!
Particular memories were of the long periods they spent training on ‘instrument flying’
where the instructor sat in the front and the rear compartment was blacked out to simulate the conditions. The Lysander was
coming to the end of its time and Stephen moved onto the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk. These US manufactured aircraft had been manufactured
for the French Air Force and were in metric configuration which posed a few problems of their own.
Unfortunately Stephen caught a severe bought of Pneumonia which saw him admitted to the Air Force Special
Hospital at Wroughton. After a long time he was advised not to go to the convalescence centre at Torquay but spend
time on a farm. He only knew one farm, in Gloucestershire. The approach was made and accepted and so a wonderful relationship
developed, staying for a month, to return to the Squadron where they all thought they would never see him again. This being
around May/June 1942.
(Just a note here; It was the Farmers niece that Stephen was later to marry, and bring back to New Zealand
to settle down with.)
Soon after the Tomahawk, the P-51 Mustang arrived and it was in the middle of 1943 that Stephen was assigned
to No: 2 Squadron, Army Co-operation Command, at Sawbridgeworth flying the P-51. These beautiful high speed aircraft, well
suited for Army support, with their aerodynamic lines, were cut about to mount cameras to cover every angle. Even accommodating
the Pilots parachute had to be modified so as to ensure the operation of another camera! Such were the trials of the Army
co-operation pilots at that time.
Stephen left Sawbridgeworth at the end of 1943 after approx 6-months there, and went to Gravesend At Gravesend where
he was involved in instruction work with pilots from Canada prior to them joining the RAF.
Stephen Shayle-George still resides in New Zealand. One of that Countries sons who made the long
journey to Great Britain to do his duty.
It is with sad regret that the website must announce that 412745 Flight lieutenant Stephen
John Shayle-George, passed away in New Zealand on the 3rd of July 2009 aged 92 years.
| 'B' flight of II(AC) Squadron at Sawbridgeworth |

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| Photo© Stephen Shayle-George |
'B' flight of II(AC) Squadron RAF Sawbridgeworth.
Pilots and ground support staff pose for a photo sometime in mid 1943. Help in identifying
any of the groundcrew will be welcome!.
Seated from left to right are:
Unknown Sergeant - Flt/Lt Redman-flt/Lt Wakefield- B flight commander Flt Lt George Kenning-unknown
officer-F/O Andrews-F/O Stephen Shayle-George- F/O Doug Reich-and lastly F/O Hope.
RAF Sawbridgeworth page four
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