LEADING THE WAY

Description

On August 15th 1942, under the leadership of Don Bennett, a new group was formed from Bomber Command to develop specialized target – finding and target – marking. Made up purely from experienced volunteers, this elite and highly trained group of men were known as the Pathfinders.

Pathfinder crews used a combination of personal skill and technical equipment to locate their targets. Often flying against overwhelming odds and in appalling conditions they transformed the performance of a bomber force that in 1941 was dropping almost half its bombs on open countryside. The first Pathfinder unit to fly the Halifax was 35 Squadron based at Graveley. With some of the greatest Bomber Aircrew among their number the unit quickly gained a reputation for excellence that was second to none.

This superb painting from one of the worlds most highly regarded Aviation Artists, Gerald Coulson, depicts a Halifax B.MkII series 1A of 35 (PFF) Squadron on an operation over occupied Europe. Flying at around 20,000 feet and completely alone and unprotected, the crew navigate their bomber well ahead of the main force, leading the way to their target.