Quote:
Originally Posted by John Beaman
... stupid question:;How did the Beaufighter know the Do 24 was on a rescue mission and not just a legitimate target?
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Not such a stupid question. Awareness of ASR activity wasn't uncommon: both the British Y Service and the German B.Deinst were there to listen to the radio transmissions of the opposition, including ASR, and routinely understood the voice codes used for communication.
I have no knowledge of this particular event, but the situation arose throughout the war. The way the controllers and individual pilots handled the knowledge that an enemy ASR op was launched varied, but in this case it appears to have lead to overt co-operation, if it can be substantiated.
Hope this helps,
Bruce