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Among the unusual units that took part in
the Normandy landings were the squadrons of
No. 34 Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. Prior to
D
-
Day, ten squadrons - five from the RAF, four
from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA), and
one from the American VCS-7 - were assembled
at the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Lee-on-
Solent to provide aerial observation for the
naval bombardment in the Utah and Omaha
beach sectors, and later in the Cherbourg
area. Two RAF squadrons (Nos. 26 and 63) were
equipped with Spitfires, while the other three
(Nos. 2, 268, and 414) flew Mustangs. The FAA
squadrons (Nos. 808, 897, 885, and 886) used
Naval Seafire IIIs. This group of units, including
VCS-7, was also known as the The Air Spotting
Pool.
VCS-7 was formed in February 1944.
It consisted of 17 pilots from the cruisers
USS Quincy (CA-39), USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37),
USS Augusta (CA-31), and the battleships USS
Nevada (BB-36), USS Arkansas (BB-33), and USS
Texas (BB-35). After unpleasant experiences
with German fighters during the Sicily landings
in the summer of 1943, they traded their
Seagulls and Kingfishers for Spitfires Mk.V.
They were retrained by the USAAF's 67th TRG
photo reconnaissance unit at Middle Wallop,
Hampshire.
The unit was initially commanded by Lt.
Robert W. Calland (USS Nevada) and, from May
28, 1944, by Lt. Cdr. William Denton Jr. (USS
Quincy). Observation missions were always
flown by a pair of aircraft: the lead pilot acted
as the observer, while the other provided escort
and protected the leader from enemy attacks.
The standard altitude for these missions was
1,800 meters, but bad weather often forced
pilots to operate between 450 and 600 meters.
Occasionally, missions were flown at even
lower altitudes.
From 6 June to 26 June, VCS-7 conducted
a total of 209 sorties over Normandy, mainly
as part of the Western Naval Task Force, which
was under the control of the U.S. Navy. VCS-7
lost nine Spitfires to various causes, with flak
being the greatest danger. The squadron´s
planes were attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft just
four times. A member of this unit, Ens. Robert
J. Adams, became the first American aviator to
land in liberated French territory, albeit due to
damage to his aircraft.
The unit's only casualty was Lt. Richard
M. Barclay of the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa.
On D
-
Day, the cruiser’s mission was to support
the invasion force on Utah Beach. Barclay
went into action in place of his subordinate,
with Lt. (jg) Charles S. Zinn, also from the USS
Tuscaloosa, as his wingman. Unfortunately, they
were hit by flak during the flight. Barclay was
killed, but Zinn managed to return to base with
a damaged right wing and a damaged aileron.
VCS-7's last combat mission took place
on 25 June in the Cherbourg area, and the
unit was disbanded the following day. During
the twenty days of combat deployment, its
members received nine DFCs, six Air Medals
and five Gold Stars. Ten members of the unit
participated in the August 1944 landings
in southern France, and three took part
in the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
However, the only aerial victory with a VCS-7
Spitfire was not achieved by an American pilot,
but by a British member of No. 897 Squadron
FAA, Slt. D. W. Barraclough, who shot down
a Messerschmitt Bf 109 on June 7th. This
dogfight is captured by Piotr Forkasiewicz on
the box art. Another Bf 109 was credited to
Lt. R. M. Crosley in a Seafire III from No. 886
Squadron FAA. However, five other Seafire
IIIs from the The Air Spotting Pool were shot
down or damaged by German and Allied flak or
German fighters during the day, with one pilot
falling into captivity. To make it short, flying
artillery spotting missions over Normandy was
a very risky task.
Text: Jan Bobek a Michal Krechowski
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
From warship to Spitfire
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