Worthy of his own thread -
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Air Commodore Peter Cribb, who has died aged 92, was one of the most successful and gallant master bombers of the Pathfinder Force; he flew more than 100 wartime operations, including one when he made an unauthorised raid on Hitler’s retreat at Berchtesgaden.
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On promotion to group captain at the age of 25, Cribb was appointed to command the Pathfinder airfield at Little Staughton in Bedfordshire, and shortly afterwards he was awarded a Bar to an earlier DSO. Frustrated at being desk-bound, he flew unofficially on a number of operations. On April 24 1945 he learned that a force of Lancasters was to bomb Hitler’s Bavarian retreat at Berchtesgaden, but the Lancaster squadron on his airfield was stood down.
Determined not to miss this final attempt to eliminate Hitler, Cribb commandeered a Lancaster and some bombs and made up a crew from the senior executives on his station. He took off at dawn, catching up with the main force as it was approaching the target. He dropped his bombs and obtained an excellent aiming point photograph.
Anxious to get back to Britain before anyone realised what he had had been up to , Cribb returned on a direct route at top speed — but to no avail. Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett, head of the Pathfinder Force, had tried to contact him and his deputy, only to be told that they were airborne on “a 10-hour navigation exercise”. It was said that, when he learned the truth, Bennett “hit the roof”.
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During this period he shared a bleak Nissen hut with his Canadian colleague, “Shady” Lane. The winter of 1942-43 was especially cold, and both men were anxious to avoid being the last into bed, and thus responsible for switching out the lights. Eventually Cribb circumvented this problem by shooting them out instead with his .38 revolver. Due to the cold and an alcoholic haze, he frequently missed. In the morning his batman would wake him with a cup of tea and inquire: “Shall I reload, sir?”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...uaries/8592459/Air-Commodore-Peter-Cribb.html
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Air Commodore Peter Cribb, who has died aged 92, was one of the most successful and gallant master bombers of the Pathfinder Force; he flew more than 100 wartime operations, including one when he made an unauthorised raid on Hitler’s retreat at Berchtesgaden.
*
On promotion to group captain at the age of 25, Cribb was appointed to command the Pathfinder airfield at Little Staughton in Bedfordshire, and shortly afterwards he was awarded a Bar to an earlier DSO. Frustrated at being desk-bound, he flew unofficially on a number of operations. On April 24 1945 he learned that a force of Lancasters was to bomb Hitler’s Bavarian retreat at Berchtesgaden, but the Lancaster squadron on his airfield was stood down.
Determined not to miss this final attempt to eliminate Hitler, Cribb commandeered a Lancaster and some bombs and made up a crew from the senior executives on his station. He took off at dawn, catching up with the main force as it was approaching the target. He dropped his bombs and obtained an excellent aiming point photograph.
Anxious to get back to Britain before anyone realised what he had had been up to , Cribb returned on a direct route at top speed — but to no avail. Air Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett, head of the Pathfinder Force, had tried to contact him and his deputy, only to be told that they were airborne on “a 10-hour navigation exercise”. It was said that, when he learned the truth, Bennett “hit the roof”.
*
During this period he shared a bleak Nissen hut with his Canadian colleague, “Shady” Lane. The winter of 1942-43 was especially cold, and both men were anxious to avoid being the last into bed, and thus responsible for switching out the lights. Eventually Cribb circumvented this problem by shooting them out instead with his .38 revolver. Due to the cold and an alcoholic haze, he frequently missed. In the morning his batman would wake him with a cup of tea and inquire: “Shall I reload, sir?”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...uaries/8592459/Air-Commodore-Peter-Cribb.html
