by
Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss KCB KBE FRAeS FRGS
This book is a most welcome addition to the bibliography of military aviation and is long overdue. Observers and Navigators at long last pays tribute to the thousands of non-pilot aircrew, the often unsung heroes of two World Wars and the years between and since. It is a remarkable and impressive story and one that will, without doubt, both enlighten and surprise readers from outside and inside the Service.
It is quite clear from the evidence within these pages that both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force have good reason to be ashamed of their treatment of their non-pilot crew. ‘It’s a pilots air force’ has been the mantra of the back-seater for many years and, although an ‘equal careers’ policy for pilots and navigators was introduced in 1948, pilots have always been more equal than others. In the context of equality, it is, of course, not without significance, that the RFC and RAF have always insisted that their non-pilot aircrew should wear the strange ‘half wing’, unlike the more enlightened RNAS and USAF, which never adopted it, and the RCAF and RAAF, both of which inherited the design but subsequently abandoned it.
But in real terms, apart from the relatively limited world of single-seat fighters, it never has been a pilot-only air force. Had it not been for its very large numbers of observers, navigators, wireless operators, air bombers, flight engineers and air gunners the Royal Air Force would have played a very limited role indeed in the world of air power.
From the earliest days of the First World War, observers were playing a vital role in the bloody battles on the Western Front. Readers will be astonished to discover that more than 10,000 men flew as non-pilots during that war and that 25% of all commissioned aircrew were wearing the observers badge at the time of the Armistice.
As the size, complexity and range of aircraft grew so did the roles that they were capable of carrying out, but this potential could be realised only by a substantial increase in the numbers and specialisation of non-pilot aircrew.
With the introduction during the Second World War of heavy, four-engined aircraft into Bomber, Coastal and later Transport Commands, the requirement for rear crew was considerably increased. The standard bomber crew at that time consisted of two air gunners, a flight engineer, a wireless operator, an air bomber and a navigator; six crewmen to one pilot. Of the 55,500 aircrew that were killed during the bomber offensive fewer than 10,000 will have been pilots.
In addition to braving all the risks associated with flying, whether in peace or in war, ‘other aircrew’ must place their lives unreservedly in the hands of the pilot and in a full career they will fly with a great variety of different pilots of varying level of skills. As Capt J M Steel, the Commandant of the large RNAS training establishment at Eastchurch, wrote to the Admiralty’s Director of Air Services in 1917, being non-pilot aircrew ‘requires a standard of courage which the majority do not possess.’
The requirement for large numbers of ‘other’ aircrew continued well into the post-war years with the V-bombers, Shackletons, Hercules, VC10s, Nimrods and Tornados. In this era air electronics officers and air electronics operators were introduced into the V-bomber and maritime patrol fleets. But with the introduction of increasingly sophisticated electronic devices and a reduction in the numbers of aircraft in service the requirement for ‘other’ aircrew began to decline during the 1990s.
Now, the Air Force Board in its ‘wisdom’ has decided to abolish the historic, prestigious and highly valued title of navigator and replace it with the totally inept ‘Weapons Systems Operator’. This was a decision that could only have been reached by a Board composed entirely of pilots. It is significant that, in the entire history of the Royal Air Force, no navigator was ever appointed to serve on the Air Council, and only one to the Air Force Board. Indeed, despite their oft proclaimed ‘equality’, only three navigators have ever been promoted to air marshal.1 In terms of prestige, influence and recognition it really has always been a ‘pilots air force’.
Thanks to this book, however, some degree of recognition has been finally been given to all of the very many ‘other’ aircrew who gave invaluable service, and often their lives, to their country, the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force.
________________________
1 At the time of writing these were (had been) Air Marshals Sir Charles Ness, Sir Barry Duxbury and Sir John Curtiss. Since then the total has increased to five with the addition of Air Chief Marshals Sir Stuart Peach and Sir Simon Bryant, the latter being only the second navigator (after Charles Ness) to serve on the Air Force Board.