Peter Bodle

Bertie Boulter

A biography of the heroic Bomber Command pilot who made his mark flying de Havilland Mosquitoes on air raids into Nazi Germany during World War II.

When Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett formed the Pathfinder squadrons in 1942, the majority of the chosen pilots were highly experienced aircrew. Some, however, were exceptions and found themselves flying with this elite band with no previous combat experience. "Bertie" Boulter was one such pilot.

After being accepted for pilot training with the RAF and learning to fly in Canada, Bertie was posted to No. 11 Radio School at Hooton Park as a staff pilot flying Avro Ansons and the lugubrious Botha. In October 1944, he was posted to No. 128 Pathfinder Squadron based at Wyton and flying the legendary de Havilland Mosquito XX. He was now in the thick of Bomber Command's destruction of Germany's industrial centers and communications system.

November saw the first of his nineteen visits to Berlin and the first bale-out. Flying at 7,000 ft, with seriously malfunctioning Merlins, Bertie and his navigator were forced to abandon the aircraft and landed safely close to the front line. Another bale-out occurred because of dense fog near his home base in January 1945. This was on his return from a raid on Berlin made by 36 aircraft, twelve of which failed to return.

Bertie's logbook records that he flew 48 combat operations during which 128,000 lb of ordnance was dropped on enemy territory. He was still flying a Stearman biplane fifty years later and he still meets regularly with survivors of the Pathfinder squadrons.

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