I went over to see Doc. Koenig at Wing this morning and gave him my candid (layman’s) opinion that our older aircrews were suffering from severe strain and required a few days rest to prevent them breaking up altogether. Doc Venn also went over and agreed with me that something had to be done. Doc. Koenig was sympathetic and promised to do what he could.
Later in the day Doc Venn was called over to wing and told that several crews could be given extended leave provided a sufficient reserve were retained in the squadron. Chick and self worked out how we could release the maximum number and finally we arrived at the point of releasing four complete crews and eleven odd members of various crews and still managed to get 13 serviceable crews for operational duty.
It gladdened my weary heart to see the hope, relief and joy on the fellows faces when they were told that they could disappear for 14 days. “Never was schoolboys, happier than they, since holidays first began.." Arranged for transport and they were on their way pronto, without further argument! They will return as giants refreshed. The footling idea 48 hours leave would only aggravate their condition.
Our advance party moved off this afternoon for SIDI REZEGH Wish to Heaven we would move from this accursed neighbourhood soon! Had a sing-song in the evening in Dug Out but the old spirit is hard to recapture and everyone seems to be suffering from a severe mental strain and on the down grade physically too.
The air mechanics, the real heroes of this squadron badly need a rest, day after day they are on their jobs and with Jerry stooging around most nights they get little rest. Five of our original aircraft remain with us and each is due for complete overhaul with engine change. They have each done over 200 hours engine time flying.
A wonderful testimony to the American Twin Wasps, their construction and most of all to the wonderful standard of maintenance on the part of Buck and his gangs. 200 hours operational flying is the equivalent of more than 500 hours normal civil flying, no crash of ours can be attributed to engine failure and the engines have one and all stood up to the hard and rough work wonderfully well.