Auction Catalogue

22 September 2000

Starting at 12:00 PM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

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Lot

№ 778

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22 September 2000

Hammer Price:
£1,900

An outstanding Spitfire and Typhoon Pilot’s ‘Normandy’ D.F.C. group of five awarded to Flying Officer Sydney ‘Crusher’ Croft, Nos. 72 and 247 Squadrons, Royal Air Force

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1945; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France & Germany; Defence & War Medals, together with his R.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book for the period January 1941 to January 1947, excellent content with notes of more than 20 of his fellow pilots being shot down, and eleven original photographs, good very fine (5) £1200-1500

D.F.C. London Gazette 10 April 1945.

The recommendation states: ‘Warrant Officer Croft is a Pilot of more than average ability, and has led the Squadron on many occasions with great success.

On the 26th January he was detailed to lead an attack on an enemy strong-point in the Roermond area. Over the target the section was engaged by intense light and medium ‘flak’, but despite this, and showing a complete disregard for his own safety he led the aircraft in at low level to inflict heavy damage to the enemy. Not satisfied with this partial success he again led the formation into the attack, and on return to Base it was reported that the strong-point had been completely destroyed.

Warrant Officer Croft has flown 92 operational sorties since ‘D’ Day, in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He has always shown the utmost enthusiasm, and his aggressive spirit has helped considerably to maintain a high morale in the Squadron.’

After completing his flying training at various establishments, Flight Sergeant Sydney Croft was posted to No. 123 Squadron in August 1941, completing further formation and dog-fight training on Spitfires. On 1 September he was posted to No. 72 Squadron at Biggin Hill to commence his first tour of operations in Spitfires. On 2 October, twelve Spitfires encountered a group of 15 Me-109’s and several dog-fights ensued in which Croft thought he may have damaged one enemy aircraft: ‘Fired 3 bursts c & m/g. 1 Me.109F possibly hit, smoke stream from fuselage. Camera confirmation. 200 yds full beam.’ He had flown on a total of 17 operational sweeps and convoy patrols by the end of November when he was posted to No. 1 P.R.U. at Benson, for two months. Returning briefly to 72 Squadron in February 1942, but not engaged in flying, he was posted to No. 116 Squadron, where he was flying Lysanders and Ansons on A.A. and S.L.C. Calibration Flights until the end of October 1943. Refresher courses and further training and air tests on Spitfires, Hurricanes and Typhoons engaged him until the beginning of July 1944 when finally he was once again posted to an operational squadron - No. 247 Squadron based at St Croix.

On Typhoons he excelled himself as a pilot, earning the nickname from his fellow pilots of ‘Crusher’ Croft. During June the squadron flew 410 sorties in support of the invasion fighting and

throughout July and August the squadron was engaged in continuous Armed Reconnaissance and Rocket Projectile attack sorties against tanks, gun emplacements, troop concentrations and transport convoys in the area of the Falaise Gap, an historic period for the rocket firing Typhoons. The squadron was officially engaged on V.C.P. (Visual Control Post) flying in co-operation with the advancing Army formations which directed the strike aircraft on ‘cab-rank’ duty on to specific ground targets. The loss of pilots was heavy, the Typhoons being highly vulnerable to ground fire in their low level attacks and almost every page of ‘Crusher’ Croft’s Log Book records the loss of yet another of his comrades. On September 17 the wing attacked concentrated flak positions at Arnhem prior to operation ‘Market Garden’, 64 machines taking part with no losses, and on this day it is recorded in the squadron’s Operations Record Book that W/O Croft and two others were recommended for commissioning. On the following two days the weather was too bad to allow much flying as the Airborne invasion of Holland got underway with an almost continuous stream of gliders and heavies landing with supplies for the airborne forces. However, from the 22nd attacks resumed against targets around Arnhem, Eindhoven and the Reichswald forest. By early October, Croft was leading his own patrols as ‘Blue 1’ but by now activity was cooling down a little and squadron morale hit a low point, both because of losses amongst the pilots and because of the high failure rate amongst the replacement Typhoons being sent out from England.

On New Year’s Day 1945, the Luftwaffe struck back in a concerted effort to destroy the menace that was coming from our advanced airfields in Holland. As recorded in the Operations Record Book: ‘Then, out of the blue, came the whistle of bombs, the scream of diving planes, the chatter of machine guns, the heavier thump of cannon, and it seemed as though the flood gates of Hell had suddenly swung back to release old Nick’s devilish horde. First came the jet bombers, and after bombs away, the M.Es and J.Us. Wave after wave they came in, strafing the airfield from end to end - twenty three minutes of hell that paralysed everyone... Petrol dumps were set on fire, a bomb dump of 143 Wing was set on fire and 1000lb bombs exploded every few minutes, individual kites in dispersals were set on fire, rockets ignited and flashed in all directions, equipment section went up in a glorious mass of flames, Austers flapped their wings and joined in the conflagration, and slowly a pall of smoke settled in the air above the airfield and blotted out the sun, to turn the morning light into evening twilight. Ammo finished and their Devil’s bag of tricks empty, the Hun made for home, and found, probably to his amusement, hordes of Spits and Tempests waiting to bounce him. It is estimated that of the 100+ that attacked the airfield, 44 were shot down. Of the 900+ that operated today on all fronts, 385 were shot down. Damage on the airfield was quite extensive: 247 had 5, 137 had 11, and 181 had 8 aircraft serviceable. 182 had all u/s. A day to remember.’

New aircraft having arrived and damaged ones now repaired, Croft is back in business by the 14th January and on 24th March ‘Crusher’ Croft flew his 100th ‘Tiffy’ operation, on the day of the 2nd Army’s commando assault across the Rhine to be followed by big Airborne landings. On that day the squadron flew 34 sorties and Croft noted in his Log Book: ‘Blue 1. Attack on strong point at Ringenburg as Airborne troops landed. Wizard! Engaged flak positions in support of Dakotas. Kites pranging right & left. Cliff Monk down (captured 30 Huns).’ On the following day 26 sorties were flown and on the 26th another 30 sorties, all inflicting great damage on the retreating enemy. Throughout April the onslaught continued and on the 15th the Operations Record Book records: ‘A pretty quiet day today, marked only by the good news that ‘Crusher’ Croft is now P/O Croft - his health was duly drunk in the mess - this piece of news was closely followed by the information that ‘Nick’ Carter is also P/O, two days junior to ‘Crusher’. We are all pleased, as ‘Crusher’ has been trying for two years to get the thin ring, and he has certainly done some fine work indeed towards ending the war.’

On 1st May Croft entered: ‘Blue 1. Armed Recce Schwerin area. Terrific! M.E.T. all over the place. 5 destroyed, God knows how many damaged. Total cliams 22-25. Falaise all over again with no flak. Wacco!) On the 2nd he entered in his log: ‘Red 1. A.R. Plön area. Bags of M.E.T. no flak. 3 destroyed, 10 damaged. Total claims 15-30,’ and beside he wrote, ‘upon visiting target area it was found that Jock McTavish & myself destroyed 17 vehicles in a 200yd stretch & I didn’t claim them!’ This was ‘Crusher’ Croft’s final operational sortie and two days later the war in Europe was over. The group is accompanied by a substantial number of copied pages from the Operations Record Books of 72 and 247 Squadrons.