- Contributed by听
- epsomandewelllhc
- People in story:听
- Major William Smart, Capt. Wilfred Dudeney, Lt. Hugh Halsey
- Location of story:听
- Blackheath, London
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A7155001
- Contributed on:听
- 21 November 2005
The First Flying Bomb to Hit London
The author of this story has agreed that it can be entered on this website.
Night of June 13, 1944, approx 1am. Stand to. Code word DIVER. DIVER not known to AA. Gun operations room explained code word for flying bombs. Activity only in coastal area. Stood down. New alarm approx 3:30 am. DIVER DIVER. Light approaching from SE. I ordered battery to engage & BOFOR gun. Observation post officer Halsey: 鈥淒on鈥檛 fire, friendly, showing light.鈥
I overruled, due to its speed and brilliant light it couldn鈥檛 be an aircraft. We took on with rockets and BOFOR. Coming in too fast and low to engage on approach. Switched to 180掳 (Dudeney ordered to fire salvo as a receder).
Approx 100 rockets got off. Flying bomb came down in middle of salvo. Landed in Bow. Killed eight people. Activity continued for 4 or 5 days.
We brought a flying bomb down, with the Triple Lewis guns, which exploded on a school. It was Saturday. No casualties. All firing in London was subsequently stopped.
Guns moved to Kent coast. Americans supplied proximity fuse. Our best shoot was 97 out of 101 launched with the co-operation of the RAF.
(27 years old at the time of the incident)
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