[Routine Order] SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER No. 21/44 continued.

Sunday, 12 March 1944 Other pp. 142

Document

SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER No. 21/44 continued.
PAGE TWO.
142
(d) AMBULANCE:
The Medical Officer will be available at the Control Office with necessary crew and equipment when the Squadron takes off or returns from an operational flight.
(e) Operational Take-offs: The procedure as in the past will continue, i.e. the Squadron will be responsible for providing its own Marshalling Officer and will take-off under Squadron arrangements.
(f) Operational Landings: The Marshalling Officer will meet the Squadron on return and will be responsible for the control of the landings. Should return times of other operational aircraft overlap, the senior Marshalling Officer will assume control. The Marshalling Officer will display the Landing "T" in the direction in which he wished aircraft to land.
(g) Non-operational Take-offs and Landings: These will be controlled by the Airfield Controller and MUST be reported to the A.C.O. at Wing Operations.
(h) Verey Lights: The Airfield Controller will provide himself with a Verey Light Pistol and cartridges of the following colours:-
Green and Red.
(i) Verey Light Signals:
Green : All clear - land or take-off.
Red : Do not take-off or land.
A single YELLOW signal cartridge may be fired from Squadron Ops. Room to signal cancellation of an operation. No other Verey Lights will be fired by anyone in the vicinity of the aerodrome without permission from No. 3. Wing Operations.
Para. 87. AERODROME CONTROL : RADIO TELEPHONY.
(a) Aerodrome Control will be carried out by R/T with visual signals as standby in the event of breakdown or lack of R/T equipment.
Pilots of aircraft while taxi-ing to and from dispersal points running up, taking off, landing and while flying in the vicinity of landing grounds will keep watch on the aerodrome control frequency, whether on operational or non-operational flights.
(b) Non-operational Take-off and Landing.
No aircraft will taxi out on to the runway, take off or land until the pilot has contacted Control by R/T and received permission to do so.
(c) Operational Take-off. During taxi-ing, marshalling and take off, pilots of aircraft will be under R/T control from the Control Office but visual signals will be used where R/T is precluded for security reasons. In cases where R/T is used during marshalling and prior to take off, the word "Control" and the aircraft letter only, being used instead. Any reference to the formation "Leader" should also be avoided.
(d) Operational Landing: Complete R/T Control will be used, with visual signals as standby.
(e) Alternative and Other Landing Grounds:
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Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes:
* Airfield Control & Safety Procedures:
* The Marshalling Officer: During mass "Operational Landings" (where 12-24 bombers return almost simultaneously, low on fuel and possibly damaged), control shifted from the tower to a Marshalling Officer on the ground. This officer used a Landing "T" (a large T-shaped physical marker, often made of canvas or lit by lamps) to indicate wind direction and the active runway threshold.
* Verey Lights (Flares): The Verey Light Pistol (often spelled "Very" pistol) was the standard flare gun used for visual communication. The color codes were universal: Green (Go), Red (Stop/Abort). The Yellow flare was a specific signal from the Ops Room to cancel a mission, essentially a "Recall" or "Stand Down" signal visible to the entire airfield instantly.
* Radio Telephony (R/T) Discipline:
* Security: Paragraph 87(c) highlights the tension between safety and security. While R/T (voice radio) was efficient, it could be intercepted by German listening posts. Therefore, strict code discipline was enforced: "the word 'Control' and the aircraft letter only" were to be used, avoiding rank or formation identifiers like "Leader" which could help enemy intelligence build an Order of Battle.
* Radio Silence: Visual signals (flares/lamps) were the standby method if "R/T is precluded for security reasons," ensuring the fleet could launch even under strict radio silence.
* Medical Readiness:
* Ambulance Stationing: The order mandates the Medical Officer (M.O.) and ambulance crew be physically present at the Control Office during every takeoff and return. This grim necessity ensured immediate aid for crashes on takeoff (common with heavy bomb loads) or wounded crew returning from the target.
* Abbreviations:
* A.C.O.: Aerodrome Control Officer.
* R/T: Radio Telephony (Voice Radio).
* Ops: Operations.
* No. 3 Wing: The higher command formation to which 21 Squadron belonged (along with RAF squadrons like 13, 55, and 223).

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Verification:
Target File Verification: This document is Page Three of "SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER No. 21/44 continued," which corresponds to the order dated 12th March, 1944 on the first page (file 269-3__46.jpg).