Coventry / Baginton Airport

Mike H, wouldn't it have been nice if we all had been commended for obeying orders. No, what rankles me is, if they were cleared for night fighting, then why not send them up earlier before the bombers reached the target, it was common knowledge that the Polish boys were quite mad about the whole thing. Dutchman, news did filter through about the casualties, you can understand their anger.

The opinion of the Polish airmen was that the background of blazing buildings made the German bombers an easy target to attack from above. I don't believe there was any kind of conspiracy though, just the usual chain-of-command blunders which happen in war.

They say that they weren't sure at the time that Coventry was the target, but where else would it have been. The Germans were not dumb enough that they didn't know what Coventry was making and the progress of the bombers would have been tracked before they made landfall. They left the door open for conspiracy claims even if there was little or no truth in it. Personally, I think that it was more deliberate than a blunder.

This belongs in the Blitz section rather than Baginton but since the German code letter for the town to be attacked was "W" there was every reason to believe the target was either Walsall or Wolverhampton and not Coventry.

Dutchman, I agree with the airmen and I'm not suggesting a conspiracy, and I don't believe there were any blunders. But you can't have friendly aircraft in all that gunfire. The 'brass' had a choice, aircraft or gunfire against the bombers. They chose gunfire. Dutchman, I was about two hundred yards away from one of those guns, it broke windows, shook the ground, at times it stopped firing we were told because the barrels got too hot. Maybe there is some record somewhere that tells how much we did throw into the air that night, or any other night. May I say here, I was twelve years old when it started, and I was twenty-one when I finally got rid of gunfire, and explosions, so it took a great part of my youth in that kind of a conflict.

Norman, hi. Right opposite the power station, we had I believe a 3.7 ack-ack gun, think it was the largest anti-aircraft gun at the time, right opposite us we also had pom-pom guns behind us, top of the lane by the slough. Now earlier Greg mentioned walking by the power station to Sutton Stop, where he crossed the railway line there used to be a huge mound of turf, from the gun site. As I mentioned earlier we had to take in two soldiers, so did our friends before the gun or huts was ready. I believe that was in the first two weeks of war declared or maybe before. Now people said there was also large mobile guns, travelled the streets but I never actually saw one. Norman, I don't know statistics on artillery, but I think the shrapnel would have landed the other side of Brum. Do you remember the barrage balloons going on fire. The wire came down like a whiplash. Hey, did they not start the blackout on the Sunday war was declared, to me it transformed the conditions of life more than any thing else in the war. The pitch darkness people fell over the kerb, ran in to each other, lamposts, etc, fell off bikes, conductors couldn't see to give change, scores of minor injuries, as winter advanced trying to ride home in the total darkness was a nightmare, as vivid in my mind now as it was then.

Now I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread, but once again the joy of flight. How about a fifty minute joyride in a Lancaster with freedom to try the various crew positions, while in flight, and to boot an emergency landing with half the undercart collapsing, and it was all free. Daren't tell you about Dakotas.

Vulcan Bomber landing at Coventry airport on YouTube

Mike H, guess people didn't like me, took me up in them old Dakotas, then made me step outside. The yanks even missed the park, put us in the trees, took the smile off my face, but I loved the flying. I suppose I'm old fashioned, but the Lancaster bomber for looks and performance was 'the' plane of my day. Guess the Vulcan would do it for you.Tell me your dream, if it's not too personal.

None of my dreams include flying, jumping out of flying anythings to order, or landing where I personally don't think that there is enough room. I would sooner sail around Cape Horn in a Wayfarer dingy.

I was put off flying after a flight and back to Majorca in a Vickers Viking (converted Wellington bomber), a Bristol 170F or two into Le Touquet (geez, it's just a collection of parts flying in loose formation), a Vickers Vanguard into Gibraltar where I was assured that the net would save us if the aircraft came in too fast, a BAC One-Eleven into Luca (at three in the morning, Malta did not look big enough to land a kite), and a flight to Bordeaux in a Trident where the pilot tried picking grapes with the port wing as he turned the aircraft into the Gironde Estuary for a low level sortie on what appeared to be small fishing boats.

I have also flown in 737s, 777s, 747s, but I really don't like flying.

I would be terrified if I was told that I was flying into Baginton. It didn't look large enough when I was a kid watching Cessnas and Pipers go in and out and it still doesn't look large enough now.

Mike H, hey really enjoyed that, a net, wow that beats Hong Kong. I like the history of Coventry people as well as the buildings, and I certainly am glad I asked you that question, the box bomber, an ugly brute. Yes thank you Mike. Regards, Kaga. p.s have no idea how you put those stickers on.

Mike H, that's incredible news, never knew that, was planning to go there this summer, with my age think I'll swop it for a cruise now. Thank you again. Kaga.