WW2 SAAF Typhoon Pilot Albie Götze tribute page
Albert Richard Götze joined the South African Air Force in mid 1942 and was selected for fighter pilot training. After he finished flying training he was sent to the Middle East where he joined up with RAF No. 127 Spitfire squadron in April 1944.
127 Squadron moved to England and from there they operated as a UK defence unit . They flew patrols and bomber escorts to mainland Europe but also did some fighter-bomber work. During this time Albie was involved with shooting down German V-1 flying bombs and also did cover flying on D-day.
In August 1944 Albie was transferred to RAF No.137 squadron flying Hawker Typhoon ground attack aircraft. He participated in the Market Garden- and the Rhine crossing operations.
137 Squadron always operated at low altitude ("on the deck") and was mainly employed to attack targets such as armour, anti-aircraft installations, specific buildings, transports and enemy personnel.
Flying in the Typhoon squadron was dangerous and high risk. The losses were extreme and hence replacement pilots were usually filled with volunteers. Albie's aircraft was hit on occasions and he made a few crash landings with damaged aircraft.
After the war Albie participated as a navigator in the Berlin Airlift of 1949 where they flew around the clock supply flights from West Germany.
In 1951 Albie completed a combat tour with SAAF No. 2 squadron to Korea as part of a US Air Force formation where he flew P-51 Mustangs.
Albie had a long and successful career in the SAAF and ended with the rank of Brigadier General. He was responsible for the introduction and implementation of the South African air defence system with the underground head station at Devon. He was also responsible for the system to be fully computerised.
Albie was also the personal secretary of the State President of South Africa for 4 years.
He retired from the Air Force in 1978
This is a living web site. Any input and/or participation will be much appreciated regarding additional information, correctness, information from relatives of members who served with Albie, photographs, stories etc. Please e-mail me.
If you perhaps have a family member who served as a SAAF fighter pilot during WW2 and you would want to find out more about his war service please contact me, hopefully I can be of some help.
Tinus le Roux
September 2014
On the day of the interview, 14 June 2014 at Albie's house in Hillcrest KwaZulu-Natal.
Flying Career
02/06/1942 75 Air School Lyttleton, ground training
08/05/1943 5 Air School Witbank, Elementary flying training, 80h Tiger Moths
18/05/1943 First Solo after 7 hours flying
17/07/1943 23 Air School Waterkloof, Advanced flying training, 160h Harvards
04/12/1943 Qualified for wings.
22/01/1944 5 A.R.C. Middle East
22/01/1944 71 O.T.U. Ismailia Egypt
12/03/1944 22 P.T.C. Almasa Cairo
20/03/1944 127 Squadron RAF, St Jean, Palestine
23/04/1944 127 Squadron RAF, North Weald, England
17/05/1944 127 Squadron RAF, Lympme, England
19/05/1944 First operational sortie, bomber escort over France
28/05/1944 Crash landed
06/06/1944 D-day Convoy patrol
23/06/1944 Shoot down a German V-1 flying bomb
27/06/1944 Shoot down 2x V-1's
28/06/1944 Shoot down a V-1?
04/07/1944 127 Squadron RAF, Tangmere,
12/07/1944 127 Squadron RAF, South-End, Gunnery course
23/07/1944 127 Squadron RAF, Tangmere,
31/07/1044 Landed at airstrip B-6, Normandy
03/08/1944 Last Spitfire mission, bomber escort from B-6
07/08/1944 Typhoon training, 3 T.E.W. Aston Down
12/08/1944 Accident with Typhoon, brakes failure
26/08/1944 Typhoon training, 83 G.S.U. Bogner
28/08/1944 137 Squadron RAF, Typhoons, Creton
02/09/1944 Squadron moved to Amiens
06/09/1944 Squadron moved to Brussels
17/09/1944 First wave of attack vs AA installations MARKET GARDEN
31/12/1944 Destroy FW190, badly hit by flak, fellow pilot Colton helped Albie to get back with the shot up plane, crash landed.
01/01/1945 Eindhoven aerodrome attacked by German fighters, many Typhoons destroyed on the ground.
13/01/1945 Squadron moved to Helmond, Holland
24/03/1945 Crossing of the Rhine operations, 11 gun positions destroyed.
04/04/1945 Last operation
21/04/1945 End of operational tour, 103 sorties, 106 ops hours.
27/04/1945 Back to England, Instruction at 59 OTU
21/11/1945 Back in SA
March 1949 Berlin airlift, navigator in Dakota
29/04/1949 Prime minister Dr. D F Malan as passanger in the Dakota
21/04/1951 Operational service in Korea with SAAF No. 2 Squadron, Mustangs P-51
28/08/1951 Operational tour ended, 70 sorties, 122 ops hours.
VIDEO INTERVIEW
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALBIE'S FLYING LOG BOOK
Harvard trainer
Operational Training Unit Ismailia, Albie in front row 2nd from right.
Albie with 127 squadron, seated 2nd from the right.
Typhoons of 137 squadron, Eindhoven.
Note the halo's indicating the persons were killed.
Albie seated 2nd from the right
Typhoons after the war at Acklington where Albie gave instruction.
Berlin Airlift 1948-1949
Albie on the left with the reunion ....
Berlin Airlift memorial
Korea 1951
Photographs courtesy John Colton
John Colton was a fellow pilot in 137 squadron. On 31 of December 1944 Albie's plane was hit by ground fire and the rudder trim cable was cut. This meant that Albie had to fly at full rudder to keep the Typhoon stable. He could not sustain the constant pressure with his one foot on the rudder bar and supported the force by hand and thus unable to have proper view of where to fly. Colton then flew in a top postion of Albie and thus guided him back to base. Albie eventually made it back and safely crash landed the aircraft. Albie had regular communication with John until he passed away in 2013. The following photographs below courtesy of John Colton.
John Colton passed away in 2013.
Eindhoven 1944
The 24 cylinder 2200 hp Napier Sabre engine powered the Typhoon aircraft.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF FELLOW PILOT HAROLD WALKER
Thanks to Martin Walker who sent these photographs to me
King George visits the squadron.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY FACEBOOK TYPHOON PAGE
