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 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.
As
a result, Spitfires equipped with Mod XXX or keg-carrying
pylons were often sent back to Great Britain for maintenance
or liaison duties. They would then return to Normandy with
full beer kegs fitted under the wings.
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 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. |