How many died needlessly?

Most accounts I have read of Commonwealth pilots shot down over the Channel during the Battle of Britain have, according to the author of an upcoming book titled "The Many", glossed over an almost incomprehensible faux pas committed by the British High Command during that action. For some reason no one in the Navy or Air Force seemed to have given serious consideration to the rescue of pilots that were unfortunate enough to be shot down over water. If the author, Dr. North, is correct in his facts and figures, 80% of the pilots who went into the Channel died there. Admittedly many of those men were dead when they hit the water, but over land the percentage of fatalities dropped to 50%. It was even reported that a frustrated New Zealand pilot, a Flight Lieutenant R.F. Aitken, commandeered a Walrus flying boat and personally rescued 35 Allied and German airmen during the summer of 1940. North also asserts that it wasn't until late in 1941 that the number of Royal Navy rescue launches in the Channel finally reached a total of 600 as compared to the measly 18 that had been on duty during the Battle of Britain. If anyone can dispute North's story, please do, for if he is right the lives of many brave men were wasted for no reason other than that other men failed to do their jobs. So what's new?

 

Interesting reading her: RAF Search and Rescue (SARF) - Events

".......In October 1940, yellow-painted Sea Rescue Floats code-named ‘Lobster Pots’ were placed by the Germans in waters where air emergencies were likely. The highly visible buoy-type floats held emergency equipment including food, water, blankets and dry clothing, and they attracted distressed airmen from both sides of the war. The British equivalent code-named ‘Cuckoos’ were rumoured to have had some design features from Churchill himself. A model float is on display to this day at the SARF HQ at RAF Valley. Both German and British rescue units checked the floats from time to time, picking up any airmen they found, though enemy airmen were immediately made prisoner of war. In British waters moored navigational buoys were fitted with a hatch where crews would find rations, a first aid box and a flag to hoist to indicate it was occupied. Sixteen larger floats containing food, clothing, a cooking stove, bunks and blankets for six men were provided around the South East coastline......."

 

Another interesting link regarding air-sea rescue: Air-Sea Rescue page. Aircraft information Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945

 

I thought i'd state the obvious, the weather played a big part in rescue attempts, the boats couldn't take off in anything remotely rough...and during the battle of Britain, the Germans had a noose around the surrounding waters...anything close to the french side faced a very high chance of being shot down. Thats before one talks about how hard it is to "find" anyone in that muck!

 

Didnt help that the British attacked the red cross amphibs of the Germans, and declared them enemy combatants.

 

I have gained in respect the Search and Rescue Crews that have had an ever expanding role in air rescue as time goes forward and cite as an example the heavy losses Search and Rescue endured in Operation Anaconda, where Search and Rescue personnel, some who were former seals, worked hard to save many and gave their lives in the process. I will point out that in WWII we were still a developing Alliance in that even some of the fighter planes may have had faults not remedied until many hours of in service experience pointed out the areas that needed correcting. Yet our fliers continued to climb into the cockpits and learn and develop their on-the-job skills with these quickly produced aircraft. In fact the odds were immensely against those that fought and flew over Germany, notwithstanding the lack of rescue available to the many crews. Yet these airmen continued mission after mission to engage the enemy. I have always been at awe at these airmen.

 

When this came up in another thread somewhere it was noted that the German planes weren't abiding by the requirements for exclusion from attack. I forget the details but the point was well made as I recall.