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Re: Question about RAF /SOE Lysander Nav methods
ALEX L.,
Well I managed to have a look at my own copy of Verity's book "We landed by moonlight".
Answering your questions:
PAGE 16: To volunteer to fly with both 138 and 161 Squadrons one had to have at least 250 NIGHT flying hours on his Logbooks....(some did not have, but managed to be posted as the author inform us). This was a huge amount by the standards of that time....
PAGE 22: The "technique" adopted by the old-hands of the Squadron was to prepare (for each mission it seems so) a flight plan with 1:500,000 maps cut, so that the track the pilot wished to follow with be in the middle with some 50 miles of terrain to each side of it (in each panel = page of the map) as Verity said: "I folded up the map so that I could hold it in one hand and study 2 panels while flying the aeroplane with the other hand....the last two panels were on twice the scale (1:250,000) to give more detail around the target."
I hope it solves the question about the Navigation problems those airmen were faced...and the caliber of courage, skill, determination, self control, IFR training required for this kind of mission. As I told you, as a former comercial pilot, I do have the greatest admiration for those airmen of SD (RAF and USAAF) Squadrons...they did a "helluva" job and not so much was written about those Squadrons...I mean a full Squadron History, etc...
OBS: If you do manage to buy and read the book "Black Lysander", please do inform me your commentaries of it...
Most sincerely yours,
Adriano S. Baumgartner
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