- Contributed byÌý
- Major Clixby Fitzwilliams
- Background to story:Ìý
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:Ìý
- A8669127
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 19 January 2006
This is an extract from my diary at the time:
31st December 1943 - the first photos taken by Pilots of 613 Squadron over France show a new type of long range rocket sites being constructed. From then on we carried out spot patrols at low levels to watch progress.
13th February 1944 — No announcement has yet been made but already RAF Reconnaissance Planes have spotted 108 sites where construction work has been carried out, initially by French forced labour and later by German air force personnel when anti-aircraft defences are quietly installed.
Photographic evidence was brought to the interpretation at RAF Old Sarum by our pilots flying at ‘zero’ feet over the French coast. All the sites pointed towards London and varied from 3 miles and more from the coast. The rocket was estimated at 12,000 lbs and we estimated that each site could be fired from once in 24 hours.
Although the bomb blasting was extremely inaccurate, they did a great deal of damage around London in 1944. All known sites were destroyed by British Bombing raids before 6th June 1944.
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