Airplanes never went empty. It was possible to take hand luggage, but leg room was definitely lacking. And although the flights always took place at night, passengers could not even think of a quiet nap. Learn the history of the weirdest airline of World War II.
The British Special Operations Command (SOE) was a secret agency of His Majesty's government dealing with, inter alia, subversive operations and supporting the resistance movement in German-occupied countries. One of the most important areas of its activity was occupied France. The British transferred highly trained agents (including saboteurs, spies and telegraphists) to the Seine, who, together with the Résistance, made the Germans' lives as difficult as possible.
Before they set foot on French soil, the agents underwent murderous training (men and women were just as hard). When the moment was right, they infiltrated enemy territory and began operating under an assumed identity. Hundreds of agents, including 39 women, have been flown to France by air . This group included Violette Szabo, who began her first mission on April 6, 1944.
Self-confidence and self-control were features that Violette often saved the skin. Photo from the book "Beautiful and brave" (Bellona 2017).
Her stay was not long, but the German police began looking for her and her return to England became a matter of life or death. On April 30, 1944, after gathering key intelligence and providing money to the families of those arrested in the aftermath of the underground network, Violette's mission was completed. The only thing left to do was get out of the country and "Lizzie" had to help her.
Special purpose aircraft
The Special Operations Command cooperated with the RAF, which assisted in the transfer of agents using light, single-engine airplanes described by this very caressing name. The first spy boarded the Lysander (with a pilot from the 138th Special Squadron at the controls) on the night of September 4-5, 1941, followed by a host of others.
These machines, manufactured by Westland Aircraft Limited, were a means of transport ideally suited to SOE's needs. Planes always crossed the English Channel carrying cargo. Mostly passengers - both on the way to the Seine and back.
The article is based on, among others, the book by Tania Szabó entitled “Piękna and brave. Churchill's Favorite Agent ”(Bellona 2017).
Arriving in France on board the Lysander had one major advantage over parachute jumps:the latter were sometimes very inaccurate and the drop could land even several dozen kilometers from the target, and thus fall directly into the hands of the Germans. As Tania Szabó writes in the book "Beautiful and brave. Churchill's favorite agent ” :
These little machines had no radio or navigation systems. They were guided by a compass, moonlight, and ground signals. They flew far into the territory of occupied France. They had a range of just over a thousand kilometers. They flew on two fuel tanks - one of which was mounted under the fuselage - and without any weapons. They made extremely risky flights.
Airports for the brave
Lysanders sneaked across the Luftwaffe-controlled skies. Their pilots were well aware that the enemy had a huge advantage over them - German night fighters and anti-aircraft artillery constantly looked for them in the sky. Fortunately, the black-painted machines were unobtrusive. The pilots could count on the moonlight and looked out for landing sites where a welcoming committee waited for them with L-shaped torches to indicate the landing point. The field did not have to be large, preferably less than 550 meters. It was enough for Lysander to take off. After landing, it was turned over and the machine, using the same piece of land, could pick up and move towards England.
Westland Lysander in the photo of Charles Daniels.
Lysander planes were relatively small. With their weapons dismantled, they could take either a transport of Resistance supplies or a maximum of four passengers cramped like sardines. As Tani Szabó writes in the biography of her mother Violette, when a mixed company flew through them, "hands began to wander, there were sharp slaps, muffled laughter and giggles".
Hand luggage and little legroom
On April 30, 1944, Violette Szabo flew alone, which allowed her to take more luggage. After the low rumble of the incoming plane's engine reached her ears from the darkness, everything happened very quickly. The arriving passengers were unpacked from the machine, the agent boarded, and the experienced pilot quickly prepared the machine for re-take-off. Every moment was worth its weight in gold. The action had to be carried out at such a pace that a possible German unit, which would have noticed the plane, would not reach the place before the members of the resistance movement disappeared into darkness. At stake was the lives of all those taking part in the airdrop reception.
When Lysander took off, it was only halfway through a hard night. He still had to get to England. The driver of Violette Szabo Bob Large knew perfectly well that it was not the end of the nerves. He was too close to the Luftwaffe base as he flew towards the English Channel and was spotted. All hell broke loose.
A pre-war poster of the British airline. It might as well be used by SOE in the middle of a war…
The night sky was criss-crossed by the lights of huge searchlights and the fiery streaks of anti-aircraft missiles. It was only thanks to the iron nerves and excellent skill of the pilot that Lysander got more or less unscathed from the trouble. Violette Szabo and Bob Large were very lucky. None of the shells that hit the hull of the machine penetrated it, and the pilot managed to land despite the damaged landing gear.
Lysander planes became such an indispensable element of the special operation that they came to be called SOE Taxi. As stated by Martin Bowman in his book The Bedford Triangle:Undercover Operations from England in the Second World War , in total, the "Lizzie" carried 304 agents to France and transferred 410 back to England. The losses were thirteen aircraft and six pilots.
