European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Reluctant heroes by Dave Diehl . Bureau for at least two British pilots who flew in some of the Sto Miest skies of the Battle of Britain it Wasny to raw courage that got them through but Luck fid the will to win. Although they did no to know it then theirs was the Battle that was thought to be the toughest the turning Point that saved Britain from nazi invasion. These reluctant heroes Tell tales not of glory but of Young men pitching in to do what they had to do. Quot i done to think any of us thought that we were taking part in a Battle Quot said Sandy Johnstone. Quot people make so much of the Battle of Britain Quot says the 74-Yearold Johnstone As if to dismiss the conflict that was so crucial in keeping the German War machine off British soil Quot we just happened to be the Fellows at the top of the thing who fired the bullets. Anybody in that position would have done just As Well Quot it was an instant thing. If there were 11 chaps coming at you and you just got dug into the action he said. Quot everything was  sept 7,1940, was perhaps the most memorable Day of the Battle of Britian for Johnstone who eventually reached the rank of air marshal. On the Day of the biggest German air raid on London Quot the whole sky was filled with air planes Quot said Johnstone who was leading a group of 12 spitfires near the swarm Quot All we could do was make a dive on them and the German fighters would come after us Quot John stones Squadron lost two pilots in that fight. Johnstone thinks that bombing London was the worst mistake a in fact the misjudgement that caused the germans to lose the War turning Battle of Britain. Quot i remember thinking my god they re bombing London a Quot he said Quot that in my opinion is what lost the Battle of Britain for them Quot at that Point Johnstone who was later to become commanding officer of the British air forces in Scotland and Northern Ireland said the Raf was at its weakest and most vulnerable the germans had been bombing their airfields near and on the South coast of England and the pilots were at the ends of their tethers. Quot it gave the fighter pilots a breather Quot he said. But Johnstone then the 24-year-old commander of the 602 City of Glasgow fighter so at Raf Westhampnett believes the London raid was also a turning Point in the country a and the rafts morale Quot there was a marvelous spirit not just in the Squadron but in the country Quot he said. A when we saw what the people of London were going through we said if they can put up with it we can a a retired Squadron Leader Bob Beardsley who flew spitfires out of Raf Biggin Hill in the Battle As. An no agrees with Johnstone that flying and fighting in the Battle was not always the terror filled Nightmare that Many people believe it was. Daily air patrols Over and around London often yielded Little More than a routine flight for spitfire pilots. Quot there were a lot of times that you did no to see anything Quot said Beardsley who now lives in Woodbridge just below one of the flight paths of . Air Force a-10 fighters based at Raf Ben Waters and Raf Woodbridge. But he added there were some periods that business picked up. Like the Day he was returning from a patrol Over France when he tallied one of his three kills of the War a Messerschmidt me-109, fighter Quot when i got Down to 2,000 feet and saw the 109, i fired my remaining shots at him. As i watched him going in to the drink i saw a half dozen 109s behind me queuing up for a  Fate was along for the ride that Day As none of the Messerschm mrtle was Able to bring the Young Beardsley Down. And like Johnstone too he claims to have been Quot a bloody awful shot Quot and Lucky to have made it through As so Many of his compatriots did to Quot when i realize How Little i knew about it ail i reckon that the hand of the lord was looking after me. I was just blundering around up  Sis 0�v dlr it 2> Sandy Johnstone top and Bob Beardsley reminisce about Day a As figh Ter pilots during the a crucial Battle of Britain. Cramped cockpits by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau Allan Marsh an Raf Squadron Leader who has logged about 90 hours in them says that when he climbs into he cramped cockpit of a spitfire or a Hurricane he experiences three emotions. Quot one is the privilege that i should be flying such a rare air plane. Another is a privilege to be part of the memorial flight and the other is the sheer a  Quot its a horrendous working environment by modern standards Quot said Squadron Leader Paul Day who has logged More than 5,000 hours in fighter jets since 1963. Quot the cockpit is tight in a spit it s unbelievably noisy. It stinks of Oil or Gas All the time. It s violently hot in the summer and cold in the Winter Quot the 48-year-old officer said. Quot it makes you wonder How they managed to do what they did Quot Day said referring to the wartime feats of previous pilots. Quot there s Only one classic fighter and it s a spitfire. And its sister is a Hurricane Quot said Day a 29-year Raf Veteran. He has been flying with the flight for the past 10 years and has logged about 900 hours in the two classic planes. The systems of the planes Marsh explained Are quite simple. The pilots navigate with the simplest of instruments a Stopwatch and a map. Quot it s quite a demanding navigation task to Fly across the . With Only a  sometimes they have been blown off course by the wind in poor weather they have been known to Buzz motorists on Britain s highways while dropping Down for a Quick reference look at Road signs. Both Marsh and Day along with the three other fighter pilots Are full time Tornado instructor pilots at Raf come Gaby Home to the Battle of Britain memorial flight. Their duty with the flight is voluntary and requires them to spend Many weekends on the Road and in the air. The four navigators and three aircrew members for the flight s sole Lancaster bomber Are also stationed at the base in Lincolnshire which was known As bomber county during the War because of the High number of bomber bases there the Captain of the bomber Squadron Leader Colin Paterson is the Only one of the aircrew members pulling full time duty with the flight As its commanding officer a three year Raf assignment. Eighteen Raf engineers and mechanics assigned to the flight perform the routine maintenance on these planes of bygone glory. The difficult task of finding spare parts Falls on the chief Engineer warrant officer Barry Sears a 34-year Veteran of the Raf. The planes some of which saw service during world War ii Are expected to continue As a memorial to the Battle of Britain the Raf s Quot finest hour Quot for several years to come. Quot they really Are As Good As they were Back then probably better Quot Sears said a saturday july 28, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 17