Don Bennett
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| Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett | |
|---|---|
| 14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986 (aged 76) | |
 Bennett as an air officer |
|
| Nickname | Don |
| Place of birth | Toowoomba, Queensland |
| Allegiance | Royal Australian Air Force Royal Air Force |
| Service/branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1930–1936 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commands held | 77 Squadron 10 Squadron Pathfinder Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
| Other work | Director of British South American Airways |
Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett CB CBE DSO RAF (September 14, 1910–September 15, 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder Force" (No. 8 Group RAF) from 1942 to the end of the Second World War in 1945. He has been described as "one of the most brilliant technical airmen of his generation: an outstanding pilot, a superb navigator who was also capable of stripping a wireless set or overhauling an engine".
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[edit] Early Flights
Donald Bennett was born the youngest son of a grazier in Toowoomba, Queensland. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1930 and transferred to the Royal Air Force a year later, starting with the flying boats of 20 Squadron. Bennett developed a passion for accurate flying and precise navigation that would never leave him. After a period as an instructor at RAF Calshot, he left the service in 1935 (retaining a reserve commission) to join Imperial Airways. Over the next five years, Bennett specialised in long distance flights, breaking a number of records and pioneering techniques which would later become commonplace, notably air-to-air refueling. In July 1938 he flew the Atlantic in the experimental Mercury-Maia composite flying boat; this flight earned him the Oswald Watt Gold Medal for that year.
[edit] Second World War
During 1940 Bennett's long-distance expertise was set to work setting up the Atlantic Ferry, the organisation tasked with the wartime delivery of thousands of aircraft manufactured in the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom. At that time, a transatlantic flight was a significant event, but the Atlantic Ferry project proved remarkably successful and demonstrated that with suitable training even inexperienced pilots could safely deliver new aircraft across the North Atlantic.
Bennett was recommissioned in 1941, promoted to Wing Commander in December of that year, and appointed to the command of 77 Squadron, based at RAF Leeming flying Whitleys for Coastal Command.
In April 1942 Bennett was given command of 10 Squadron (Halifaxes) and shortly afterwards led a raid on the Tirpitz. Shot down during that raid, he evaded capture and escaped to Sweden, from where he was able to return to Britain.
[edit] Pathfinder Force
In July 1942, Bennett was appointed to command the new Pathfinder Force, an elite unit tasked with improving RAF Bomber Command's navigation. At this stage of the war, Bomber Command had begun to make raids deep into Germany, but had not yet been able to cause significant damage, largely because only about a quarter of the bomb loads were delivered "on target" — and this at a time when "on target" was defined as within three miles of the aim point.
Pathfinder Force was set up to lead the bomber stream to the target areas and drop markers for the remainder of the force to aim at. Later in the war, the Pathfinder Force would be equipped with a range of newly developed and often highly effective electronic aids, but the initial object was to simply take picked crews with standard equipment and hone their navigation skills.
Having already demonstrated that he could pass on his meticulous navigational ability to others, Bennett was an obvious choice for the role, yet nevertheless a surprising one. The Air Ministry's Directorate of Bomber Operations had for some time been pushing to establish an elite precision bombing force, but Bomber Command chief Air-Vice Marshal Arthur Harris was implacably opposed to the idea, on the grounds that an elite force would "lower the morale" of the other squadrons. When Harris learned that Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Sir Wilfred Freeman planned to order the change, and that the strong-willed Basil Embry would probably be given command of the new force, Harris bowed to the inevitable, but took the opportunity to appoint a younger and more malleable officer of his own choice: Wing Commander Don Bennett. Over the following years, Harris would discover that malleability was not one of Bennett's virtues.
[edit] Promotions
During 1943, Bennett was awarded the DSO and promoted twice, to Air Commodore and then Air Vice-Marshal — the youngest officer to ever hold that rank. He remained in command of the Pathfinder Force until the end of the war, overseeing its growth to an eventual 19 squadrons, working relentlessly to improve its standards, and tirelessly campaigning for better equipment, in particular for more Mosquitos and Lancasters to replace the diverse assortment of often obsolete aircraft the force started with.
Bennett was not a popular leader: a personally difficult and naturally aloof man, he earned a great deal of respect from his crews but little affection. As Harris wrote, he could not suffer fools gladly, and by his own high standards there were many fools. Nor did Bennett get on well with the other RAF Group Commanders: not only was he 20 years younger, he was an Australian in an era when colonials were not to be considered for high command[citation needed]. Indeed, Bennett saw his own appointment in those terms: it was, he believed, a victory for the "players" over the "gentleman".
[edit] After the war
Despite the unquestioned achievements of No. 8 Group, at the end of the war Bennett was the only bomber Group Commander not to be knighted. He returned to private life and pursued a variety of activities. He became a Director of British South American Airways, and designed and built both cars (Fairthorpes) and light aircraft.
Bennett became one of the shortest-serving MPs of the 20th century when he was elected at a by-election in 1945 as Liberal Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough West. He was defeated soon afterwards at the 1945 General Election - his parliamentary career having lasted all of 73 days. An attempt to return to the House of Commons at the Croydon North by-election, 1948 was unsuccessful. A later attempt at the Nuneaton by-election, 1967, standing for the obscure National Party, resulted in his losing his deposit.
In 1958 an autobiography entitled "Pathfinder" detailing his experiences throughout the war was published by Frederick Muller Ltd.
Don Bennett died at the age of 76 on Battle of Britain Day: September 15, 1986.
[edit] References
- Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - AVM Bennett
- D.C.T. Bennett, Pathfinder, Goodall paperback, 1988, ISBN 0 907579 57 4
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Group re-established
|
Air Officer CommandingNo. 8 Group 1943–1945 |
Succeeded by J R Whitley |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Harcourt Johnstone |
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough West 1945–Jul. 1945 |
Succeeded by Geoffrey Cooper |
