The Extremely Rare ‘Cold War Spy Flights’ D.F.C., A.F.C. & Bar Group of 6 awarded to Squadron-Leader John Crampton, R.A.F., who won the D.F.C. for flying bombing missions over Germany with No. 76 Squadron, and later led the very first top-secret high-altitude ‘special duty’ spy missions over the Soviet Union with 91 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, under the codename Operation Jiu-Jitsu. Commanding this small, elite force of British airmen, Crampton and his team flew rebadged American B-45 Tornado reconnaissance aircraft deep into the airspace of the U.S.S.R. in two highly significant clandestine flights in 1952 and 1954 (and others) – for which he received an A.F.C. & Bar respectively. On the second occasion, Crampton’s aircraft came under heavy, sustained anti-aircraft fire after taking its reconnaissance photographs, and was being tracked by ground radar. Applying full power and making haste back towards Germany, it was only years later that Crampton learned that Soviet Mig-15 night fighters had been sent out in pursuit to shoot him down, comprising: Distinguished Flying Cross, reverse privately engraved ‘S/Ldr. J. Crampton 76 Squadron, 1945, and to my crew’; Air Force Cross, reverse dated ‘1953’, with second award bar, engraved to the reverse ‘1954’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, 1939-1945; Group swing-mounted upon bar with pin for wear, also offered with five ‘Pilot’s Flying Log Books’ relating to his career, lightly toned, good very fine (6) D.F.C.: London Gazette: 22 May 1945 A.F.C.: London Gazette: 1 January 1953 Bar to A.F.C.: London Gazette: 10 June 1954 Squadron-Leader John Crampton (1921-2010) was born 21 August 1921 at Weybridge, and was educated at Harrow. He joined the R.A.F.V.R. at the age of 18 and undertook initial training in Canada, becoming a Flying Instructor at the R.A.F. flying school in Moose Jaw. He was appointed Pilot Officer on Probation (Sergeant) on 1 Sept 1941, Flying Officer on Probation 1 September 1942, and then Flight Lieutenant (War Subs.) on 1 September 1943, and returning to England he then undertook bombing runs over Germany and the Ruhr in 1944 (including at Wilhelmshaven, Essen, Duisberg and Cologne) late in WW2 while serving with No. 76 Squadron, flying in Halifax bombers. For his service in WW2 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was confirmed in his rank as Flight Lieutenant (extended service) on 9 September 1947, and in the early post-war years Crampton flew in various of the R.A.F.s jet aircraft, including the Meteor and Vampire, largely serving with No. 1 Squadron at R.A.F. Tangmere. As recorded in his obituary in the Daily Telegraph, Crampton was an excellent engineer and a technically gifted airman, reaching the rank of Squadron Leader on 1 July 1950. Meanwhile, hamstrung by Presidential decree not to undertake flights over the U.S.S.R. owing to the shooting down of a U.S. Navy aircraft over Latvia two years earlier, but still desperate to gain an edge in the ongoing Cold War with the U.S.S.R., the United States Air Force made requests at the very highest level for British forces (who had made no such promises) to undertake these clandestine photographic reconnaissance flights instead, and using their very latest aircraft. In 1951 Crampton was commanding No. 97 Squadron (of Lincoln B2 Bombers) at R.A.F. Hemswell when he was summoned to meet with the Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, with the instruction that he was to set up an R.A.F. special duty flight, top-secret in nature (his obituary, written by The Telegraph, refers). It is reported that initially, Squadron Leader Micky Martin of Dambusters fame had been considered favourite for this important role, but having failed a mandatory high-altitude pressurization test, it was Crampton who was picked as the right man for this dangerous and sensitive task. Soon after, three crews were sent to the U.S.A. in order to train in the new four-engined North American RB-45C reconnaissance aircraft. Returning to Britain, and based at R.A.F. Sculthorpe and under the overall command of General Marion Hack Mixson, U.S.A.F., Crampton undertook a test flight through an air corridor over East Germany on 21-22 without incident (his logbook simply remarks Special X/Country), and without any undue attention from Soviet radar. Soon after, Crampton and his team received written over-flight approval for the first clandestine flight from Winston Churchill, sending out three rebadged aircraft with R.A.F. roundels on the night of 17-18 April 1952. Each aircraft had its own route, but all were sent to seek out the operating bases of Soviet long-range Bomber Forces the first flying over the Baltic States, the second flying towards Moscow, and Cramptons lead aircraft (with Wing Commander Rex Sanders as Navigator, and Sergeant Joe Acklam completing the crew) taking the most dangerous yellow route over Ukraine. Flying at approximately 40,000 feet for over 10 hours (Cramptons logbook entry simply states Special X/ Country underlined boldly in red), and equipped with night-vision cameras, the mission was considered a great success, obtaining significant amounts of photographic and electronic information, but the Soviets tracked the flights, and were enraged. For this mission Crampton received the A.F.C., with his 8 fellow airmen receiving either the A.F.C. or A.F.M. These awards were published in the London Gazette somewhat later on 1 January 1953, and for obvious reason, without citations. In late 1952 Crampton assumed command of 101 Squadron the R.A.F.s first jet squadron, flying the new Canberra jet aircraft based at R.A.F. Binbrook between July and October that year. Quite apart from the political concerns, Crampton then returned again to Sculthorpe, attached to 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing for further clandestine flights (over X/Country) in October and November 1952. Proposals for a second additional deep-penetration flight over the U.S.S.R. (codenamed Pepsin) came under greater scrutiny from members of the British cabinet, uncomfortable with the political fallout that could occur in the event of a crash or capture, and indeed with the ongoing pressure from the U.S.A., as the need for further flights seemed to focus more upon nuclear targets in anticipation of a nuclear war (such as the Soviet testing site at Kapustin Yar, near Stalingrad), than more typical Soviet Bomber Command targets which posed a more immediate strategic risk to Britain. Returning to 101 Squadron in the last days of 1952, Cramptons logbook confirms that one special duty flight - apparently the first in an R.A.F. Canberra - took place over X/Country on 22 January 1953 (which has previously been speculated, but not confirmed, in an online article by Suart Fowle). Flying almost exclusively in Canberras in early-mid 1953, he spent a period of time with Headquarters No.1 Group at R.A.F. Bawtry, before being recalled in late March 1954 to fly once again with his special duties unit. Having received word of the new over-flight being approved, Crampton reportedly called his colleague Rex Sanders and said Rex its on again. Between 22 March and 28 April, Cramptons logbook includes no fewer than 13 entries for flights over X/Country in American RB45c reconnaissance aircraft, with one final, more significant flight on 28-29 April, underlined in Cramptons logbook, again in red (X/Country + 1 F.R. 3300 gells). With similar routes to the first deep-penetration flight of 1952, Cramptons flight went further still this time, encountering heavy anti-aircraft for much of the duration, covering some 30 enemy targets. In addition, as was later discovered, Soviet MIG-15 night fighters were also despatched to engage him, but failed to reach him. Having been forced to modify his route, Crampton landed to refuel at the American airbase in Furstenfeld Beck at 4.00am, to the surprise of a handful of local residents who had unwittingly witnessed a small part of a top-secret operation. For this second mission, Crampton received a bar to his A.F.C. No more missions were sanctioned, as Kruschev is alleged to have giving the warning to a U.S.A.F. Chief: To you I must say quite frankly that if something like a Canberra comes in our airspace it will be shot down. All your Canberras are flying coffins. The highly-sensitive details of Operation Jiu-Jitsu remained secret until as recently as February 1994, and caused a storm in the newspapers of the time of their release, which reported the headline British pilots flew spy missions for America. After this final special duty flight, Crampton was posted to the Ministry of Supply, itself often a cover given for top-secret work, and which had taken over responsibility for nuclear weapons research. Retiring from the R.A.F. in 1957, and having served in three commands (Bomber, Fighter, and Transport), he later undertook related work with H.M. Government for three years, and latterly worked as technical sales manager for Hawker Aircraft Ltd. During this time he was closely involved in the development of the vertical take off designs that led to the creation of the Harrier. He retired, for the last time, from British Aerospace in 1983. A motorsports enthusiast, he owned a Maserati 8C-3000, which he would take out on Wednesday afternoons at R.A.F. Hemswell. A man with a reputation for his upright manner, he died in 2010 at the age of 88. A comparable group, to Cramptons Navigator - Wing Commander Rex Sanders - was recently listed and sold by War Sons Ltd., and while the aforementioned group contains other subsequent decorations and ephemera, the group offered here to Squadron-Leader Crampton is without doubt the most significant awarded to any member of 91 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, as its lead pilot and commander.

Estimate: GBP 7000-10000