Charlie Rose, youngest daughter of WWII RAF pilot Caleb Griffiths, recalls a story her father would tell about coming face to face with an enemy aircraft in the clouds, and the surprising consequences of both pilots’ actions on that fateful day.
Dad loved old, classic cars. After the war, he left the RAF, although he continued to fly, and by the early 60’s he’d built a business selling vintage cars. There was a big market for such vehicles in Europe – and especially in Germany.
One memorable trip, he’d arranged to meet a prospective buyer in his hotel bar. As it turned out, a former Luftwaffe pilot. They had an immediate connection. They were soon laughing and sharing stories of their war experiences as if they’d known each other for ever. They got onto the subject of ‘near misses’, and dad told his German customer about the time he really thought his number was up.
He was flying back to base in a Mosquito, through thick clouds. He was glad of the cover. He was being very cautious as he was extremely low on fuel and had run out of ammo. After a while, the clouds became less dense and, as he flew through them, he saw another aircraft flying out of the clouds towards him. It was a Messerschmitt!
Dad thought that was it. He was a sitting duck. He’d run out of ammo so he couldn’t defend himself; very little fuel so he couldn’t outfly it. The Messerschmitt was getting closer, and all he could do was turn the Mosquito and fly back into the clouds, hoping to lose the enemy in the poor visibility.
Just as he began this manoeuvre, to his absolute amazement, the Messerschmitt did the exact same thing, a mirror image of the Mosquito, turning back into the clouds. He couldn’t believe it. What was the German pilot thinking? He couldn’t have missed him. The two aircraft had been so close. Very relieved and shaking his head in wonderment at his luck, he quietly, safely returned to base.
The German customer had listened intently to the story, and dad raised his glass of wine and said: “To this day, I have no idea why the pilot turned back – although I’m very glad he did – I honestly thought I was a goner!”
His customer laughed: “Oh, that’s easy” he said in his excellent and heavily-accented English. “He too had run out of ammo and was very low on fuel. And he, too, thought that he’d met his end. All he could do was turn back. I should know. I was that pilot!” And he raised his glass to my father. They clinked glasses at their great good fortune and at the extraordinary coincidence of their happy meeting. The customer bought the car, and he and my dad stayed in touch for many years after.
Sometimes there are wondrous things in life which can never truly be explained, only enjoyed. This is one of them.
Caleb Griffiths, © Family archive
Mosquito in flight, 1944. © IWM (CH 14266).
© Ewan Brace: Brad Lee of R.Max
Stories such as this help to engage new generations and expose them to the history of the RAF. This illustration is by Ewan Brace, who was inspired to create it after hearing the story from Charlie Rose.
