…... several attempts to cross the Po but was caught each time. However he had become so Italianised that the Germans took him for an Italian and did not arrest him. He continued living and fighting with the partisans until the front line moved past them, which as it happened was at Villa Franca. It was pure coincidence that when reporting, his old Squadron was on the airfield to which he went.
Read Ken Pugh’s account of ‘Judy’ Garland at this link:
On the same day news came through that Flying Officer Groom had been reclassified a POW and so that night there was much rejoicing in the Squadron.
Meanwhile the
Allies had been chasing the retreating Germans before they reached the mountains of Austria and Bavaria and the Squadron’s Spitfires were equipped with long range tanks in order to fly sorties to Turin, Innsbruck and Boizano but almost all activity reported was Allied. The announcement of VE Day on 8th May ended the fighting in Europe and the Squadron commenced two solid days of celebrating. By the end of May the Squadron had moved to Risano near Udine and had completed the subtle changes from being an Operational Squadron to being a Non-Operational Squadron.
The only unit of 285 Wing which was not eventually to be disbanded was 208 Squadron and in June news came through that it was to return to the Middle East.
Before leaving the Squadron was paraded in strength to hear a farewell speech from Group Captain E.G.L. Millington, DFC who commanded 285 Wing and under whose jurisdiction the Squadron had operated. The Group Captain mentioned how in reality the Squadron was now returning to “home pastures” and stressed the invaluable and heroic contribution of the Squadron towards final Victory in the Italian campaign.
Webmaster’s note: This was not to be the last time that the
Squadron served under Geoff Millington; they were to meet
up in 1964 at Muharraq in Bahrain. Read an account of this
encounter at this link:
