During World War I, combat pilots endured incredible hardships. Not only did they face extreme conditions and danger from enemy planes, many pilots were left no escape if their plane was crippled by combat. Parachutes small enough to fit inside the cockpit were not invented until late in the war. Resulting pilot shortages proved the only thing more important than airplanes are trained airmen to fly them.
After the experience of World War I, military air services like Britain's Royal Air Force recognized the need for improvements in pilot safety. Unlike their unprotected predecessors, World War II RAF pilots were issued parachutes, life preservers, and in some cases small inflatable life rafts. In addition, they were trained to jump clear of damaged planes and use their parachutes and safety gear to survive.
In order to retrieve downed pilots, the RAF developed a simple rescue service. However, the growing number of men needing rescue from the English Channel and North Atlantic Ocean during the Battle of Britain, required the Air Ministry to quickly expand their search and rescue system.
A pilot parachutes to safety.
The new, highly organized Air Sea Rescue Service divided the British Isles into four regions. Each zone, headed by a group of senior officers was responsible for initiating a sea search at a moment's notice.
Upon receipt of a "Mayday" or "SOS" call, the Air Sea Rescue Service would dispatch an airplane to search and report on the position of the downed pilot or airmen. Then, a high speed motor launch was sent to pick up the survivors. If possible, the search plane would watch over the area until the boat arrived.
Reports of downed men could come from the pilot himself, another pilot, the Coast Guard, Coast Watchers or Royal Observer Corps. In some cases, the local police or general public living in the area would call to inform the service of needed rescue. In order to retrieve survivors, the Air Sea Rescue Service used the RAF Fighter, Bomber, and Coastal Command, as well as the Royal Navy. In addition, Air Sea Rescue also relied on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and members of the merchant and fishing fleets located all along the coast of England. Anything that could fly or float carried some degree of responsibility for search and rescue.
Outdated aircraft like Westland Lysanders were typically used in off-shore aerial searches for downed pilots. Equipped with life raft and sea markers attached to their undercarriage, the short-field take off and landing capabilities of the Lysander proved useful in coastal rescue operations. For searches farther from the coast, medium range Avro Anson and Lockheed Hudson aircraft were dispatched. Primarily used for long range patrols in the North Atlantic, the Short Sunderland flying boat hunted submarines, protected convoys, and rescued survivors of torpedoed ships far out at sea. The Sunderland's range and size made it the ideal search and rescue plane for vast stretches of open ocean.
Short Sunderlands rescued survivors from the North Atlantic.
Although aircraft proved most effective at finding pilots downed at sea, boats were most often used to retrieve them. Specialized rescue launches used by Coastal Command were fast and well equipped. After an air search determined the position of a survivor, a motor launch could race to the area and pick him up. In the event a launch was unavailable, the Air Sea Rescue Service called on local merchant and fishing boats to retrieve pilots as well.
Retrieving survivors from a float.
In all air-sea rescue operations, time is critical. Low water temperatures surrounding the English coast could prove fatal depending on the time of year. Recognizing the danger of survivors succumbing to the effects of hypothermia, the Air Sea Rescue Service developed an elaborate system of large floats, similar in design to a houseboat. Survivors could swim to the float and climb inside. Painted with brilliant red and yellow banding and Red Cross markings to make them easy to spot, the floats were equipped with radio, food, dry clothing, bunks, and first aid supplies. Outside, a flag was raised to alert patrolling aircraft or surface vessels to the presence of a survivor. Anchored at strategic positions offshore, floats dotted the English Channel from the straights of Dover up to the North Sea.
An ironic compliment to the RAF's Air Sea Rescue Service and their dedication to saving lives, the German Luftwaffe realized the value of floating rescue stations. They attempted to run a similar rescue scheme. However, the German system was smaller in scale and less efficient. Rescue vessels from both sides often found German airmen inside a British float and RAF pilots in German floats. In each case, the survivors were made prisoners-of-war.