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No.3 3.9.44 Target Eindhoven Airfield, Holland.

Daylight Operation. Allocated to PM-X (N having been severely damaged on our last sortie) A straight forward attack on the airfield, one of six airfields in Southern Holland attacked by .675 aircraft a mixture of 348 ‘Lancasters ‘ and 315 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitoes, all very successful raids and only one Halifax lost.

This was my first experience of the 'Oboe' target marking system now used by Pathfinders flying Mosquitoes.. A very accurate system - the markers were right in the middle of the runway intersections. Very impressive.

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No.4 5.9.44. Target - Defensive positions around LE HAVRE.
Aircraft allocated PM-W. Bomb load 15,000 Ibs High Explosives. Daylight
operation.

This attack was in support of Canadian troops who were demanding the surrender of the German garrison. The first phase of ‘ Lancasters ‘orbited the target awaiting the outcome. This was negative and the attack took place, in clear visibility our aiming point was 2000 yards in front of the Canadian troops and the area around the aiming point was completely destroyed.
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No.5 10.9.44 Target - LE HAVRE again. Daylight operation. Aircraft allocated PM-E Bomb load 15000 Ibs High Explosive. Daylight operation.. 992 aircraft attacked 8 different German strongpoints only yards in front of Canadian troops. All were bombed accurately. No aircraft were lost.
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No.6 12.9.44. Target FRANKFURT. Night Operation.

Aircraft allocated PM-G. Bomb load 1 x 40001b Cookie plus incendiaries.
This was an unusual operation in that we were one of several crews who were briefed to bomb 5 minutes ahead of main force, identifying the aiming point ourselves. The object was to occupy the defences whilst the pathfinders went in low to mark the aiming point for main force. Our route to target took us South into France, near Strasbourg and then a turn North East towards Frankfurt. Our navigator Ron at some point realised we were well off track because he was getting wrong positions due to distortion of the 'Gee chain', either by jamming or almost out of range.
As well as being bomb-aimer I was also the H2S radar operator and so I switched this on to try to verify our position I managed to identify Mannheim on the screen and was then able, with Ron, to fix a course to the target. As we approached the target there were. Hundreds of searchlights but instead of combing the sky they were laid along the ground in the direction of our track. It took a few minutes to realise that what they were doing was putting a carpet of light on the ground so that any fighters above us would have us silhouetted against the light.
Gunners be extra vigilant! I dropped the bombs and we headed for base without incident. Intelligence reports said it was a very successful attack.

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Rod Aldwinckle of the CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Derek Bailey and has been added to the site with his / permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions

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