Album MGIn the lighter moments of World War II, the Spitfire was used in an
unorthodox role: bringing beer kegs to the men in Normandy.
During the war, the Heneger and Constable brewery donated free beer to the
troops. After D-Day, supplying the invasion troops in Normandy with vital
supplies was already a challenge. Obviously, there was no room in the
logistics chain for such luxuries as beer or other types of refreshments.
Some men, often called "sourcers", were able to get wine or other niceties
"from the land" or rather from the locals. RAF Spitfire pilots came up with
an even better idea.
The Spitfire Mk IX was an evolved version of the Spitfire, with pylons under
the wings for bombs or tanks. It was discovered that the bomb pylons could
also be modified to carry beer kegs. According to pictures that can be
found, various sizes of kegs were used. Whether the kegs could be jettisoned
in case of emergency is unknown. If the Spitfire flew high enough, the cold
air at altitude would even refresh the beer, making it ready for consumption
upon arrival.
A variation of this was a long range fuel tank modified to carry beer
instead of fuel. The modification even received the official designation
Mod. XXX. - Propaganda services were quick to pick up on this, which
probably explains the "official" designation.
The Spitfire had very little ground clearance with the larger beer kegs.
Typically, the British Revenue of Ministry and Excise stepped in, notifying
the brewery that they were in violation of the law by exporting beer without
paying the relevant taxes. It seems that Mod. XXX was terminated then, but
various squadrons found different ways to refurbish their stocks. Most
often, this was done with the unofficial approval of higher echelons.
In his book "Dancing in the Skies", Tony Jonsson, the only Icelancer pilot
in the RAF, recalled beer runs while he was flying with 65 Squadron. Every
week a pilot was sent back to the UK to fill some cleaned-up drop tanks with
beer and return to the squadron. Jonsson hated the beer runs as every man on
the squadron would be watching you upon arrival. Anyone who made a rough
landing and dropped the tanks would be the most hated man on the squadron
for an entire week.
In his book "Typhoon Pilot", Desmond Scott also recalls Typhoon drop tanks
filled with beer but regretted that it acquired a metallic taste.
Less imaginative techniques involved stashing bottles wherever space could
be found on the aircraft, which included the ammunition boxes, luggage
compartment or even in parts of the wing, with varying results. Champagne
bottles in particular did not react well to the vibrations they were
submitted to during such bootlegging trips.
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Album MG
