Spectrum 349 - A Job For 267 Squadron. The programmed is introduced by Alwyn Owen.
By the middle of 1944, it was clear that the defeat of Germany was simply a matter of time. Hitler's situation was hopeless, but he would not acknowledge that fact for another nine months. In the meantime, he was pinning his hopes on his armed forces, and also on new weapons - the homing torpedo, the jet fighter, the flying bomb - and the V2 rocket.
The V2 rocket was an extraordinary achievement. Once launched, there was no defence against it. So the British attacked the testing site Peenemünde. In response the Germans began flight testing the missile across occupied Poland. By a combination of luck, skill, and bravery the Polish underground managed to obtain a V2 rocket.
At this stage of the war, late July 1944, the 267 Squadron was flying DC3s out of Bari. Much of their work centred on dropping supplies to Partisan forces. Around the 20th of July, Flight Lieutenant Culliford was briefed for an operation which would take place in a week's time, a flight to Poland. He wasn't told the full significance of the operation at the time.
Culliford says they knew they had two things to do - to pick up some people; and to pick up some objects. He speaks about how the Poles got hold of the rocket - which they dismantled, studied, and made drawings of. They were then faced with the problem of getting the parts and drawings out safely.
Culliford set course for an airfield in southern Poland to uplift the "material" vital for the allied war effort - the drawings and parts for the German V2 rocket. He speaks about the journey, the landing, and the situation in the area. He then tells of the issues he had getting the plane back out, and the handing over of the material. He says the Poles deserve more credit for their planning, organisation, and bravery displayed during the operation.