Joey ?If there's one constant in all the centuries of warfare, it is the common soldier's ingenuity and resolve when it comes to supplementing his supplies. After the invasion of Normandy, it fell to individuals nicknamed "sourcers" to scrounge up, barter for, or otherwise acquire booze, better food and other small luxuries for their comrades during the advance through Europe. When faced with the perilous dwindling of ale reserves, the Royal Air Force rose to the challenge in true British fashion, elevating improvisation to official levels.
The Henty & Constable brewery in Sussex was offering free beer to the troops even before Normandy, but after the invasion they had no way of getting it to the frontlines, as transport planes and ships were busy ferrying higher priority cargoes from Britain to France. Under such circumstances, it was the RAF who rode to rescue of the parched soldiers on the ground.
Spitfire carrying beer kegs
The Mark IX version of the legendary Spitfire fighter was equipped with pylons under the wings designed to carry bombs or reserve fuel tanks, and it was quickly discovered that the latter could be easily modified to hold beer rather than fuel. In fact, on some planes the pylons themselves were modified to carry wooden kegs, which in turn were sometimes supplemented with pointed cones to make them more aerodynamic. By this point in the war, the Luftwaffe was no longer a threat over the Channel, so pilots sent back to Britain for maintenance or liaison duties could carry booze on the return leg with impunity.
It is perhaps understandable that top brass would turn a blind eye to "sourcing," but in this particular case, British command went one step further and embraced the practice, recognizing it as good propaganda. The specially modified planes and their payload were officially designated "Modification XXX Depth Charges."
According to an unsubstantiated (but quintessentially British) story, official support for the practice was eventually cut short by His Majesty's Customs & Excise board on the grounds that it constituted international export but failed to pay the appropriate taxes.
Of course, the end of official support didn't mean the end of the practice, and the tradition of bootlegging alcohol onboard planes went on to have a long and distinguished history well past the war.
Colin Farago
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