The close involvement of the Pathfinders in the radar war waged by the Allies is symbolised by the service of two USAAF airmen – 2nd Lieutenant J.E. Russell (Jack) and 2nd Lieutenant R. Wright (Dick) – with 97 Squadron in the summer of 1943. The Americans were at the squadron to learn the latest route-finding and target-marking techniques and equipment. Their service culminated in a great honour and a highly unusual entry in 97 Squadron’s ORB, in which the commander of the Pathfinders, Donald Bennett, made a medal award to both the Americans in front of the entire squadron. :
18.9.43 HL Bombing, fighter affiliation and “Y” cross country training carried out in the morning. At 1415 hours all aircrews were paraded on the airfield in front of the Watch Office and inspected by Group Capt N.H. Fresson. 2nd Lieut J.E.Russell USAAF and 2nd Lieut R.Wright USAAF, late of 57 squadron, were presented with the DFC medals by the AOC 8 Group, Air Commodore D.C.T.Bennett CBE DSO.
Jack Russell and Dick Wright apparently fell out, around this time or not long afterwards, and they were not flying together when less than two months later Jack Russell was killed in a terrible crash in England. Dick Wright would survive the war.
2Lt John Edmund Russell RCAF, RAF, USAAF – born 30 January 1920, Nassau County, New York, USA; died 10 November 1943, Brome, Suffolk, UK.
Jack Russell joined the RCAF before Pearl Harbour. He later flew with the RAF’s 57 Squadron where he earned a DFC. He then moved on to 97 Squadron of the Pathfinders, stationed at Bourn in Cambridgeshire.
In October 1943, he transferred to the Eighth Air Force, USAAF, and its fledgling 482nd Bomb Group (P), the “P” standing for Pathfinder, meaning the 482nd would lead the Eighth Air Force on operations over Europe using radar and other electronic navigational devices.
Jack Russell died in a tragic accident only thirteen days after his transfer. He was the co-pilot on B-17F (serial number 42-5793), the first B-17 Flying Fortress to carry H2S radar pathfinding equipment. Previously, the aircraft had been sent to RAF Defford, the airfield nearest TRE (the Telecommunications Research Establishment, based at Malvern College) for the installation of H2S EQUIPMENT. It is also thought that the OBOE installation on the aircraft may have been taken place at the Pathfinders’ main airfield, RAF Wyton.
Russell’s B-17 crashed shortly after take-off from RAF Thorpe Abbotts. For unknown reasons, a critically serious fire had developed onboard. The crew tried to get to nearby Eye airfield, Suffolk, which was still under construction, but ran out of time and crashed at nearby Broome, killing all thirteen American servicemen on board, together with four English workmen and their horse on the ground.
See THE MEMORIAL TO THOSE KILLED ON 10 NOVEMBER 1942
Much of the information for this article comes from Steve Andrews on behalf of the B-17 Pathfinder Memorial, Brome, Suffolk. Photograph of Jack Russell courtesy of Wendy Rust.
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