[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Ian Piper, author of, We Never Slept The Story of 605 Squadron (Author, 1997 rep.) states:

" On October 10th (1944), 605 dispatched three Mosquitoes even further afield on a 2,500 mile trip deep into occupied territory to attack two German held airfields 60 miles south of Prague, Czechoslovakia and another two at Zagreb in Jugoslavia. The three crews consisted of the CO, W/Cdr Mitchell with F/Lt Stan Hatsell, S/Ldr Ian McCall with F/Sgt Tommy Caulfield and F/Lt Jack Pengelly with F/Sgt Couchman. The three departed Manston on the morning of the 10th and called at Istres (Grouppe 3 East) for fuel and a weather report . They night stopped at Jesi in Italy before setting off the following morning in an inverted vic three formation, passing over Ancona on course for their first target of Zagreb where W/Cdr Mitchell damaged an Me 110 which Jack Pengelly finished off.

Jack also shared a B.71 with Ian McCall before the CO called up ordering the three to leave the area and set course for the aerodrome at Pleso Where Jack destroyed destroyed an Me 109 and the CO claimed two Junkers Ju 87's and Ian McCall a Ju 52. As they broke away from the airfield 'Mitch' called up and said that he had been hit, so Jack and Ian formed up on him and escorted him safely back to Jesi, where they found that all three aircraft had been damaged by flak."

See:
"We Never Slept" The Story of No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force 1926 - 1957.
Piper,Ian
Tamworth(Staff.):Author,1997 (rep.)
p.201

The Players:

62259 W/C Richard Angelo 'Mitch' MITCHELL DFC*/151901 F/L Stanley Harry HATSELL DFC
39321 S/L Ian Frederick McCALL/F/Sgt T 'Tommy' CAULFIELD
60295 F/L John Isaac PENGELLY DFC/F/Sgt C R COUCHMAN

Col.