These aircraft proceeded to make passes at him and at the moment when he turned into them his engine started rough-running. He immediately turned towards base by which time the Americans had recognised the clipped winged Spitfire and sheared off. Flying Officer Groom clawed his way to height at an indicated 140 mph and at 8,000’ over base the few remaining cylinders on which his engine had been running, finally gave up. From this height he carried out a very nice forced landing on the aerodrome, very much to his relief for such an occurrence does the pilot’s system no good at all.
Christmas was celebrated in typical Squadron style and despite the fact that the Squadron flew over the whole period it was claimed to be one of the best Christmas’s ever!
The static state of the war in the Po Valley
during the winter at least compared favourably with that experienced earlier around the River Sangro. Then the Allies had the whole Italian campaign before them; by the beginning of 1945 everyone knew that the next offensive would be the last and it was only the weather that decided the time. The interdiction policy had obviously paid off for the enemy flak positions only opened up on formations of medium bombers or on Spitfires engaged on artillery reconnaissance. They no longer fired at every opportunity on over- flying aircraft.
The 5th Army, with whom the Squadron worked, held its forward positions some fifteen miles south of Bologna and were calling for artillery reconnaissance against German gun positions in the Bologna area. It was as a result one such mission that Squadron Leader Perrens, DFC was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Earlier on in the month Squadron Leader Perrens had accompanied Major Tom Bevan MC, senior Air Liaison Officer at Florence airfield, on a visit of American artillery units. The latter were about to introduce a bigger and better gun, the 8 inch, for the purpose of long range shelling of targets around Bologna. On 22nd January, after a full briefing by Major Bevan on a suspected enemy ammunition dump 3 miles south west of Bologna, Squadron Leader Perrens took off with Flying Officer Alexander as his number two. The distance of the 8 inch gun from the target was fifteen miles, an incredible distance making the flight time of the shell well over a minute.
