Squadron Leader John Crampton (21 August 1921 – 12 June 2010) was a British pilot who conducted
spy flights into the Soviet Union in the early 1950s.
Early life
John Crampton was born in
Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
,
Surrey in 1921 and was educated at
Harrow. He joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
in 1940 and trained as a pilot in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He qualified as a flying instructor and instructed at the Royal Air Force flying school in
Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javian ...
. On his return to England he joined
76 Squadron in
RAF Bomber Command flying
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.
The Halifax has its orig ...
bombers. The Halifax squadrons flew their last bombing operation on 25 April 1945 when they pounded the heavy gun emplacements on
Wangerooge Island, which guarded the entrance to the key port of
Bremen. When the war ended, Crampton was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
Spy pilot
In the early postwar years, Crampton transitioned from
piston-engined bombers to
jet fighters, piloting the
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...
as part of
12 Group at
RAF Horsham St. Faith and later the
de Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by ...
. In July 1951 he was selected to lead a special duty
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
that would train on
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft. After extensive training at
Barksdale Air Force Base, his crew which included his navigator
Rex Sanders and two others began covert operations. Code-named
Operation Ju-jitsu, four
North American RB-45C Tornado aircraft were stripped of their USAF markings and repainted in RAF colours. Based at
RAF Sculthorpe
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, the aircraft were tasked with flying deep level reconnaissance missions over the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
to gather
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
and
photographic intelligence. The special duties flight conducted missions during the period 1952–54. It was not until 1994 (under the "fifty year rule" of the
Public Records Act 1958
The Public Records Act 1958 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom forming the main legislation governing public records in the United Kingdom.
It established a cohesive regulatory framework for public records at the Public Record Off ...
) that the existence of the spy missions became public knowledge. During the final mission, Crampton's aircraft came under anti-aircraft fire and was nearly intercepted by
MiG 15s. In the aftermath, the Jiu Jitsu flights were folded up. Initially, Squadron Leader
Micky Martin of
Dambusters fame was chosen to lead the operations but he failed a mandatory high altitude pressurisation test and Crampton was selected instead. He was awarded the
Air Force Cross on 10 June 1954.
Later career
After the Jiu Jitsu missions came to a temporary close, Crampton was posted to
101 Squadron flying
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...
s at
RAF Binbrook
Royal Air Force Binbrook or RAF Binbrook was a Royal Air Force station, now closed, located near Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England. The old domestic site (married quarters) has been renamed to become the village of Brookenby. RAF Binbrook was pri ...
in 1952. He took part in several formation air displays around Europe to show off the Canberra's abilities. He retired from the RAF in 1957 and joined
Hawker Aircraft where he became Technical Sales Manager. His main assignment was to promote the
Harrier jump jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey, it was originally developed by British ma ...
. He retired from the aviation industry in 1983.
Crampton became vice president of the British Model Flying Association in 1974.
A motor racing enthusiast, Crampton owned a
Maserati 8C which he used to compete at the
Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in 1948.
References
*
''Timewatch: Spies in the Sky.''BBC2 1994.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crampton, John
People educated at Harrow School
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
1921 births
2010 deaths
British expatriates in Canada