A Fateful Rhubarb

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

Cat. No. 70206

When the Spitfire Mk.Vs of the Biggin Hill Wing returned shortly after noon on 28 January 1942 from a Channel sweep, their commander, W/Cdr Robert S. Tuck, was far from satisfied. The sortie, which had lasted less than an hour, was intended to provide cover for a convoy, yet no contact with the enemy had been made.

Together with No. 401 Squadron RCAF, he therefore planned two Rhubarb operations. This type of mission involved one or two aircraft making a low-level attack on ground targets.

Shortly before 1600 hours, two pairs of Spitfires took off from Biggin Hill. One was led by the future American ace P/O Don Blakeslee. Accompanied by his wingman, Sgt Morrison, he crossed the French coast near Étretat and, after strafing ground targets, returned safely to base.

The second pair was led by Tuck himself, with P/O Harley covering his tail; they took off roughly a minute after Blakeslee. Their objective was a distillery located approximately 20 miles from Le Touquet. They made landfall near Berck-sur-Mer, where the cloud base lay at 600 feet with 10/10 overcast. Records of No. 401 Squadron RCAF state that the pair turned northeast over Auxi-le-Château before reaching the target and proceeded into the area northeast of Boulogne. There, both Spitfires came under anti-aircraft fire. Harley observed a stream of glycol pouring from Tuck’s aircraft; the wing commander broke to the right, and his wingman lost visual contact. Harley attacked a flak position on the coast and crossed back over the sea south of Marquise. He landed back at base at five minutes past five but could provide no further information on the fate of the Biggin Hill Wing commander.

In his autobiographical book Fly for Your Life, Tuck states that he succeeded in attacking the distillery, hitting storage tanks and a nearby building resembling barracks. Near Boulogne, he spotted a target that was hard to resist, a train. During his attack, he came under heavy fire, which brought the engine of his Spitfire “RS-T” to a halt.

Gliding down, Tuck searched for a suitable landing site. He spotted a field, but a truck mounting an anti-aircraft gun lay in his path. He fired at the Germans and moments later, his aircraft touched down, and Tuck struck his face against the gunsight.

German anti-aircraft troops pulled him from the cockpit and brought him to their vehicle. To Tuck’s surprise, they showed him, almost admiringly, how he had hit their gun: one of the barrels, split open at the muzzle like a peeled banana, had taken a direct strike from the Spitfire’s cannon.

It was immediately clear to the Germans that they had captured an important officer, as Tuck’s aircraft bore 29 white swastikas marking his aerial victories. What the occupiers did not realize, however, was that the opponent they treated with such respect was Jewish. Had Tuck’s family lived in Germany or occupied territories, they would almost certainly not have survived the Holocaust.

News of Tuck’s capture was released by the Germans several days later. Until then, the RAF had kept his disappearance secret, as the possibility of his escape could not be ruled out. His capture caused a considerable stir in Great Britain, as he was a well-known and popular fighter leader. Tuck’s brother, serving as an artilleryman,was already in German captivity since the fighting at Dunkirk. British authorities maintained close contact with the family while also dealing with intense public interest. People wanted to send messages or gifts to Tuck in captivity. In one case, this even involved a mentally unstable man who had previously harassed Tuck with unsolicited letters.

After his capture, Tuck was briefly confined in a cell, where a doctor treated his injured nose; only then did the physical effects of shock begin to manifest. What followed, however, took an unexpected turn. He was collected from his cell by personnel of Jagdgeschwader 26 on the orders of their former Kommodore, Adolf Galland, who had recently become Inspector of Day Fighters.

At the JG 26 base, Galland arranged a dinner for Tuck attended by eight other officers. The gathering turned into a surprisingly pleasant evening, with good food, wine, and even a bottle of Scotch. The German airmen showed interest in Tuck’s Polish pilot badge, a gift from a Polish friend. Tuck, however, did not reveal his lucky talisman: he carried a German Iron Cross, given to him by a Luftwaffe pilot he had shot down.

Tuck’s experiences in captivity, which would even lead to cooperation with the Red Army, form yet another remarkable chapter in his career. After the war, he became friends with Adolf Galland; they worked together as advisors during the filming of The Battle of Britain. They frequently went hunting together, and Tuck became godfather to Galland’s son, Andreas.