Pickard

The Amiens Prison Raid – February 18th 1945

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There are multiple stories of heroism and daring stemming from the Second World War, each and everyone pushing man and machine beyond their boundaries. Many daring missions were flown in which crews performed and completed their task with extraordinary bravery and at great cost to both themselves, and to those on the ground.

Stories such as the ‘Dambusters’ have become famous and commemorated year on year, and yet another daring raid is barely mentioned or even considered by those outside of aviation history. The details of the raid remained secret for years after the event and even now, factual evidence is scarce or difficult to find; even the name of the operation can cause heated debate. The merits of the operation continue to be debated and many are still divided as to what the true purpose of the operation really was.

Whatever the reason behind it however, the historical fact is that the operation was a daring, low-level raid that helped many prisoners of war escape captivity and probably death, and one that was carried out in very difficult circumstances by a group of extremely brave young men.

It was of course the raid on the Amiens prison on February 18th 1944, by nineteen Mosquitoes of 140 Wing based at RAF Hunsdon.

As a new wing, it was formed at RAF Sculthorpe, and would consist of three multinational squadrons, a ‘British’, Australian and New Zealand unit, and all would be based at Hunsdon as part of the RAF’s Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) designed to support ground troops in the forthcoming invasion of Europe.

Group Captain P C “Pick” Pickard (centre), Commander No. 140 Wing, flanked by Wing Commander I G E “Daddy” Dale, Commanding Officer of No. 21 Squadron RAF (to Pickard’s right), and Wing Commander A G “Willie” Wilson, Commanding Officer of No. 487 Squadron RNZAF, visit No. 464 Squadron RAAF at Hunsdon, prior to a daylight raid against flying-bomb sites in the Pas-de-Calais. 464’s Mosquitoes (FB Mk VIs) have been loaded with 250-lb MC bombs for the operation: HX913 ‘SB-N’ can be seen in the background (@IWM HU 81335).

The raid on Amiens was not the only low level raid carried out by the Wing however. Between 1944 and 1945, they would attack numerous ‘V’ weapons sites, along with the Gestapo headquarters at Aarhus University and  the Shellhaus building in Copenhagen. Operation Carthage, another of their more famous raids, occurred whilst the wing was based at RAF Fersfield in 1945, but their most controversial raid, Ramrod 564 or ‘Operation Jericho’ as it has since become known, took place the year prior to that, whilst they were based at Hunsdon in early 1944.

There is a lot of speculation around Ramrod 564, many of the official records are missing, inaccurate or even vague. The operational record books for the squadrons involved  are recorded as ‘secret‘ and contain no details other than aircraft, times and dates.

The Operation, was designed to assist in the escape of 120 French patriots, who were reportedly condemned to death for assisting the Allies in the fight against the Nazis. These prisoners included key resistance fighters who had considerable knowledge of resistance operations in France, and so it was imperative that they escape.

The plan was for Mosquitoes of 140 Wing to attack from different directions, breaching the walls of the prison and blowing up several key buildings inside the prison holding German guards and soldiers. It would require each aircraft to carry 11 second, time-delay fuses in 500lb bombs dropped at very low level.

The Operation, formulated by Air Vice Marshal Basil Embry, would be critical, even the amount of explosive itself had fine limits, and time was also of the essence. The prisoner’s executions were imminent, so the attack had to be carried out quickly thus allowing only a small window of opportunity for the operation to take place.

The exact time of day that the attack could take place was also critical, there needed to be as many of the guards as possible in the key buildings at the time of attack, and the prisoners needed to be safely gathered together out of harms way. So, a time of 12:00 pm precisely on a date between 10th and 19th February was chosen, as both the guards and prisoners would be having lunch at this time, and it would be prior to the executions being carried out.

The route would take the aircraft from Hunsdon to Littlehampton, then via appropriate lattice to Tocqueville / Senarpont / Bourdon – one mile south, Doullens / Bouzincourt – two miles west-south-west, Albert / target – turn right – St. Saveur / Senarpont / Tocqueville / Hastings and return to Hunsdon.

In the attack, 3 waves of Mosquito would be used, 6 from 487 (RNZAF) Squadron, 6 from 464 (RAAF) Squadron and 6 from 21 Squadron. In addition, to record the attack, one aircraft (a Mosquito) of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) was detailed to monitor and film the entire operation. Along with them were three squadrons of Typhoons (198, 174 and 245) each protecting one of the three waves. These escorts were ordered to rendezvous with the waves one mile east of Littlehampton at Zero minus 45, 42 and 32 minutes respectively.

The first wave of Mosquitoes was directed to breach the wall in at least two places, the leading three aircraft attacking the eastern wall using the main road as a lead in. The second section of three aircraft would, when ten miles out from target, break away to the right at sufficient height as to allow them to observe the leading three aircraft, and if successful, attack the northern wall on a north-south run, immediately following the explosion of the bombs of the leading section. The time of this attack Zero Hour.

The second wave was ordered to bomb the main prison buildings, the leading three aircraft attacking the south-eastern end of main building and second section of three aircraft, attacking the north-western end of the key building. Both attacks were to be carried out in a similar fashion to the first. This would follow three minutes behind the first wave at Zero +3.

The final wave was a reserve wave intended to bomb if any of the first two waves failed to hit their targets. They would follow the same patterns as the first two, one section from east and one from north, but they would only bomb if it was seen that one of the previous attacks had failed. The details of the attacks would be determined by the leader and would happen thirteen minutes (zero +13) after the initial planned attack. If they were not required, the order to return would be given by the Group Leader or substitute.

Embry elected himself to lead the attack, but this was blocked by those higher up, As a result, and much against his wishes, Embry therefore had to choose a successor. Group Captain Percy C. Pickard (D.S.O. and two bars, D.F.C.) was chosen, but even though he was known as an expert pilot and leader, Embry was not convinced of Pickard’s ability to complete the job at such low level. Despite his reservations though, Embry duly informed Pickard of the decision and preparations for the operation began in earnest.

On February 18th that year, a day after the initial planned attack and in extremely poor weather, the Nineteen Mosquitoes took off to attack, breech and destroy the walls and a key building of the Amiens prison.

During the flight out, two Mosquitoes and three Typhoons of 198 Sqn became lost in swirling snow and were forced to turn back as they had now lost contact with their main formations. The remaining crews flew on, but whilst over France a third Mosquito, flown by Flt. B. Hanafin, suffered engine problems and was also forced to turn back. On his return journey he was attacked by Flak from which he was seriously injured. Helped by his navigator the two were able to land back at RAF Ford where he was given medical treatment for his injuries.

Just three minutes behind schedule, the first wave split and the first three aircraft followed the main road toward the prison’s eastern wall at tree top height. The second set of three waited and observed. Wing. Cdr. I. Smith, 487 Sqn, went in first, dropping his bombs with 11 second fuses against the wall. The second three then followed as instructed.

Wing Commander I Smith, Commanding Officer of No. 487 Squadron RNZAF, at Hunsdon (©IWM CH 12649)

Official reports state (edited only for fluency):

“Three Mosquitoes of No 487 Squadron attacked the eastern wall at 12:03 hours, just clearing the wall on a heading of 250 degrees with 12 bombs. The leader’s bombs were seen to hit the wall five feet from the ground, while other bursts were seen adjacent to the west wall with overshoots in fields to the north. Two aircraft of no 487 Squadron attacked the northern wall at 12:03 hours just clearing the wall on a heading of 150 degrees with 12 bombs. These attacks were directed at places later reported breached by reconnaissance aircraft. One bomb seen to hit the large building, and northern side of the eastern building was also reported hit.”

The second wave then attacked the south-eastern main building and north-western end respectively. Following the explosions chaos ensued inside the prison, guards were taken by surprise and over running bombs had caused some damage inside, prisoners began to run toward the gaps but some had been injured or struggled to escape.

The 12 foot wide breach in the south side of the prison’s outer wall, through which 258 prisoners escaped. © IWM (C 4740)

Again reports say:

“Overhead view of the prison, showing the breaches made in the outer walls. Two Mosquitoes of No 464 Squadron bombed the eastern wall at 12:06 hours from 50 feet heading 150 degrees and 250 degrees with 8 x 500lb bombs. The wall appeared unbreached before the attack. Results were unobserved.

Two Mosquitoes of No 464 Squadron bombed the main building at 12:06 hours from 100 feet heading 150 and 250 degrees with 8 x 500lb bombs. The north wall appeared to be already damaged. One of these aircraft was seen to bomb and has not returned.

The breach in the Eastern wall. One Mosquito of the PRU circled the target three times between 12:03 and 12:10 hours from 400 to 500 feet using a cine film camera but carrying no bombs. He reported a large breach in the eastern centre of the north wall and considerable damage to the extension building west of main building as well as damage to the western end of main building. A number of men were seen in the courtyard near the separate building which appeared to be workshops and three men running into fields from large breach in northern wall.

The four aircraft of No 21 Squadron received VHF messages from ‘F’ of No 464 Squadron (Gp. Capt. Pickard) and PRU aircraft when between 2 and 4 miles from the target, instructing them not to bomb. Target was seen covered with smoke and they brought their bombs back.

The target was obscured by smoke, so later aircraft were instructed not to bomb. Two aircraft were missing from this operation; one was last seen circling the target and heard giving VHF messages not to bomb (Pickard) and the other after attacking the target, was seen at Freneuville at 12:10 hours at 50 feet leading his formation. It attacked a gun position and shortly afterwards dropped to starboard and was not seen again. One aircraft of No 467 Squadron was hit by light flak near Albert; starboard nacelle holed and starboard wheel collapsed on landing. One aircraft of No 21 Squadron landed at Ford – aircraft damaged. One aircraft of No 487 Squadron abandoned task south of Oisemont – pilot slightly wounded and aircraft damaged. Two aircraft of No 21 Squadron abandoned before leaving English Coast owing to technical failure.”

It is thought by some that Pickard had been shot down before giving the return order, but these reports state that it was both Pickard and the PRU Mosquito flown by Flt. Lt. Wickham, that gave 21 Sqn the “Red, Red, Red” order, sending the last wave home as their bombs were no longer needed.

After the attack, FW.190s began to swarm and various dogfights took place between them and the Typhoons, but not before they had attacked some of the fleeing Mosquitoes who also returned fire.

It was one of these FW190s flown by the ace Feldwebel Wilhelm Mayer, who  severed Pickard’s tail sending the aircraft into the ground near to Saint Gratien killing both occupants.

A story goes that Pickard had left his dog ‘Ming’ at RAF Sculthorpe, their previous airfield,  to be looked after whilst he was away. On the day he was shot down, 18th February 1944, the dog fell gravely ill. Pickard’s wife, Dorothy, went to get him and sensed that after seeing the state of the animal that Pickard had been killed . It took months for Ming to recover, and some years later whilst living in Rhodesia, Ming went outside looked up to the sky as he always did when Pickard was flying, heard a whistle, collapsed and died.*1

Group Captain P. C. “Pick” Pickard with his pet sheepdog “Ming”, pictured while resting from operations as Station Commander at Lissett, Yorkshire. © IWM (CH 10251)

A famously brave act, the attack resulted in the death of three crew members; Gp. Capt. Percy C. Pickard, and Flt. Lt. John A. Broadley, (RNZAF), both in Mosquito HX922, ‘EG-F’, and Flt. Lt. Richard W. Samson, (RNZAF) in Mosquito MM404 ‘SB-T’. Samson’s pilot, Sqn. Ldr. A. I. McRitchie survived his crash and was taken prisoner. Two Typhoons from 198 Sqn escorting the Mosquitoes are also thought to have failed to return (the ORBs don’t confirm this). Considered a success at the time, ‘evidence’ has since come to light to suggest that the operation was ‘unnecessary’, and may have failed to achieve anything more than a successful PR role (see end note). *2

Of the 700 prisoners detained within the walls of Amiens prison that day, a total of 258 escaped. In the confusion, 102 were killed and a further 74 wounded, but the success remained secret from the public for another eight months. With so much speculation around the attack, it will no doubt remain one of the mysteries of the war, but it was without doubt, an incredibly brave and daring mission that cost the lives of many superb young men.

A podcast using eyewitness accounts from the Imperial war museum can be heard through their website.

(A better quality version is available on the Pathe News website.)

All controversy aside, the raid took place at very low level and in very poor weather, with bombs dropped against a wall with delayed fuses. There was little resistance on the flight in and Typhoons provided higher cover when it was needed, but dogfights still ensued and lives were lost.

A daring attack, the Amiens raid was not the only one where lives were lost. Airfields along with the Hazmeyer electrical equipment factory at Hengels in Belgium, were also attacked at low level. On this particular operation Mosquito MM482 was hit by intense flak setting the starboard engine on fire. As a result, the aircraft flown by Canadian Sqn. Ldr. A. W. Sugden with navigator Fl. Off. A. Bridger, was lost and both men were listed as missing. Having been with the squadron since 1942 they were considered ‘old timers’ by the others and were sorely missed.

The three squadrons of 140 Wing would later depart Hunsdon, leaving the joy of success and the turmoil of a thousand questions behind them. 464 went first on March 25th whilst 21 and 487 Sqns would both leave mid April, both moving to RAF Gravesend in Kent.

The Amiens raid has no doubt caused great controversy, and as the years pass it will probably seep into the depths of history where it’ll become ‘just another raid’. But whist the background to it remains a mystery, it was done with great valour and courage by a group of young men who believed strongly that it was a worthy and much needed attack.

Aircraft involved in the attack (all Mosquito Mk.VI):

Crews attacking the target:
No 487 Squadron

‘R’ Wg Cdr Smith, DFC (Pilot) / Flt Lt Barnes, DFM (Navigator)
‘C’ Plt Off Powell / Plt Off Stevenson
‘H’ Flt Sgt Jennings / WO Nichols
‘J’ Plt Off Fowler / WO Wilkins
‘T’ Plt Off Sparkes / Plt Off Dunlop

No 464 Squadron

‘F’ Wg Cdr Iredale, DFC / Flt Lt McCaul, DFC
‘O’ Fg Off Monghan, DFM / Fg Off Dean, DFM
‘A’ Sqn Ldr Sugden / Fg Off Bridger
‘V’ Flt Lt McPhee, DFM / Flt Lt Atkins

Missing (Killed/POW)
No 464 Squadron

‘F’ Gp Capt P C Pickard, DSO, DFC / Flt Lt J A Broadley, DSO, DFC, DFM
‘T’ Sqn Ldr A I McRitchie / Flt Lt R W Samson

Crews instructed not to attack the target:
No 21 Squadron:

‘U’ Wg Cdr Dale / Fg Off Gabites
‘O’ Flt Lt Wheeler, DFC / Fg Off Redington
‘J’ Flt Lt Benn, DFC / Fg Off Roe
‘D’ Flt Lt Taylor, DFC / Sqn Ldr Livry DFC

Abortive Sorties
No 487 Squadron

‘Q’ Flt Lt Hanafin / Plt Off Redgrave

No 21 Squadron

‘P’ Flt Lt Hogan / Flt Sgt Crowfoot
‘F’ Flt Sgt Steadman / Plt Off Reynolds

PRU

‘C’ Flt Lt Wickam, DFC / Plt Off Howard

Escorts (Typhoons)

198 Squadron (six aircraft set off, three returned early)
174 Squadron (Eight aircraft took off and rendezvoused with Mosquitoes)
245 Squadron (Eight aircraft took off rendezvoused with Mosquitoes)

Sources and Further Reading

*1 Gunn, P.B., “Flying Lives – with a Norfolk Theme“, Peter Gunn, 2010

*2 – The Amiens raid is one that has become embedded in history and is beyond doubt an incredible and daring low-level raid that succeeded in its aim. However, official records seem to have many errors, anomalies or missing details that it is very difficult to ascertain the accuracy of these historical ‘facts’.

The ORBs for each of the four squadrons give no details other than an ‘operation to France’, some crew names and aircraft numbers. There is no record of the use of the word ‘Jericho‘ but there are two sides to this story.

Some authors including Rowland White “Mosquito” and John Laffin “Raiders – Great Exploits of the Second World War“, both cite Basil Embry as the creator of the name ‘Jericho‘ before the missions took place, whilst Robert Lyman “The Jail Busters” cites a French film, made in 1946, as the author of creator of the name. Some believe the name was created by various media outlets since then whilst others say that Embry created the name after the operation had been carried out. It is however, widely considered that it was a post-war name as the original operation was ‘Ramrod 564‘ and none of the ORBs use the name ‘Jericho‘.  To further add mystery, the use of the title ‘Renovate‘ has also cited, but records in the National Archives show this as the secret VHF code word to be used by aircraft on the operation and not the Operation title.

The name aside, and more recently, one of the French Resistance fighters revealed his doubts about the operation, and considers that it may have been nothing more than a propaganda operation or a diversionary attack linked to D-Day. One book (one amongst many) on the subject has been written by author Simon Parry and historian Dr Jean-Pierre Ducellier entitled ‘The Amiens Raid – Secrets Revealed‘ and is published by Red Kite. It goes into the details of the raid and possible reasons behind it.

There have also been theories that it was an MI6 operation but due to the nature and secrecy of the mission, little evidence is publicly available to substantiate this.

Of those who lost their lives, both Pickard and Broadley are buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, whilst Sampson is buried in the Poix-de-Picardie cemetery in the Somme region.

The Official report and details from it were accessed at the National Archives Web Archive © Crown Copyright 2004 and © Deltaweb International Ltd 2004

National Archives:

AIR-27-264-25; AIR-27-1170-23; AIR-27-1170-24; AIR-27-1924-27; AIR-27-1924-28; AIR-27-1935-27; AIR-27-1935-28; AIR-27-1109-4; AIR-27-1482-4; AIR-27-1482-3

Thirsk. I., “de Havilland Mosquito – An Illustrated  History Vol 2“. Crecy. 2006

White. R., “Mosquito” Bantam, 2023.

RAF Hunsdon – The Mosquito Bites (Part 4)

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In Part 3, we saw how Hunsdon and gone through various squadrons, operating the ill fated Turbinlite system which was soon withdrawn, and onto the arrival of the Mosquito, a deadly aircraft that could out run every German aircraft at its introduction. It was now time to bite, and the bite would come directly at the heart of the Gestapo.

In one of the war’s most famous attacks, so many questions would be asked, but answers would be short-coming and the truth may never come out. 

The new wing, previously formed at Sculthorpe, would consist of the three multinational squadrons, a ‘British’, Australian and New Zealand unit, and all would be based at Hunsdon as part of the RAF’s Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) designed to support troops in the forthcoming invasion.

Group Captain P C “Pick” Pickard (centre), Commander No. 140 Wing, flanked by Wing Commander I G E “Daddy” Dale, Commanding Officer of No. 21 Squadron RAF (to Pickard’s right), and Wing Commander A G “Willie” Wilson, Commanding Officer of No. 487 Squadron RNZAF, visit No. 464 Squadron RAAF at Hunsdon, prior to a daylight raid against flying-bomb sites in the Pas-de-Calais. 464’s Mosquitoes (FB Mk VIs) have been loaded with 250-lb MC bombs for the operation: HX913 ‘SB-N’ can be seen in the background (@IWM HU 81335).

Between 1944 and 1945, 140 Wing would carry out many daring low-level bombing raids against V weapons targets, along with a key Gestapo building and a prison in occupied Europe. These particular raids were designed to both free captive resistance fighters and destroy important Gestapo documents. Operation Carthage took place in Denmark and occurred whilst the wing was based at RAF Fersfield in 1945, but the first, Ramrod 564 or ‘Operation Jericho’ as it has since become known, took place whilst they were based here at Hunsdon in early 1944.

There is a lot of speculation around Ramrod 564, many of the official records are missing, inaccurate or even vague. The operational record books for the four squadrons involved (three Mosquito and a Typhoon) are recorded as ‘secret’ and contain no details other than aircraft, times and dates.

However, we do know that the Operation, formulated by Air Vice Marshal Basil Embry, would be critical, even the amount of explosive itself had fine limits. Time was also of the essence, as several prisoners were thought to be destined for execution and so a time limit was placed on when it needed to be done by. The exact time of day was also critical, they needed as many guards to be in one place as possible, and the prisoners needed to be safely gathered together out of harms way. So, a time of 12:00 pm precisely on a date between 10th and 19th February was chosen, as both the guards and prisoners would be having lunch at this time. In the attack, six Mosquitoes would breach the outer wall in two places, whilst a further six would bomb the main prison buildings allowing the prisoners to escape whilst killing as many guards as possible.

Embry elected himself to lead the attack, but this was blocked by those higher up, As a result, and much against his wishes, Embry therefore had to choose a successor. Group Captain Percy C. Pickard (D.S.O. and two bars, D.F.C.) was chosen, but even though he was known as an expert pilot and leader, Embry was not convinced of Pickard’s ability to complete the job at such low level. Despite his reservations though, Embry duly informed Pickard of the decision and preparations for the operation began in earnest.

On February 18th that year, a day after the initial planned attack and in extremely poor weather, 19 Mosquitoes including a photo reconnaissance MK.VI (from the Operational Film Production Unit (OFPU) for propaganda purposes),  took off to attack, breech and destroy the walls and main building of the Amiens prison. A famously brave act, it resulted in the death of 3 crew members; Gp. Capt. Percy C. Pickard, and Flt. Lt. John A. Broadley, (RNZAF), both in Mosquito HX922, ‘EG-F’ and Flt. Lt. Richard W. Samson, (RNZAF) in Mosquito MM404 ‘SB-T’. Samson’s pilot, Sqn. Ldr. A. I. McRitchie survived his crash and was taken as a prisoner of war. Two Typhoons from 198 Sqn escorting the Mosquitoes are also thought to have failed to return (the ORBs don’t confirm this). Considered a success at the time, evidence has since come to light to suggest that the operation was ‘unnecessary’, and may have failed to achieve anything more than a successful PR role (see end note). *1

(A better quality version is available on the Pathe News website.)

All that aside, the raid took place at very low level and in poor weather, with bombs dropped against the wall with delayed fuses. There was little resistance on the flight in and Typhoons provided higher cover when it was needed.

The route would take the Mosquitoes from Hunsdon to Littlehampton – then via appropriate lattice to Tocqueville – Senarpont – Bourdon – then one mile South Doullens – Bouzincourt – two miles west-south-west to Albert – Target – Turn right – St. Saveur – Senarpont – Tocqueville – Hastings and back to Hunsdon.

During the flight out, four Mosquitoes and three Typhoons of 198 Sqn became lost in swirling snow and were forced to turn back as they had now lost contact with their main formations. The remaining crews flew on, but whilst over France a fifth Mosquito, flown by Flt. B. Hanafin, suffered engine problems and was also forced to turn back. On his return journey his was attacked by Flak from which he was seriously injured. Helped by his navigator the two were able to land back at RAF Ford where he was given medical treatment for his injuries.

Just three minutes behind schedule, the first wave of three aircraft followed the main road toward the prison’s eastern wall at tree top height. The second wave would attack the northern wall. Wg. Cdr. I. Smith 487 Sqn went in first dropping the bombs with 11 second fuses against the wall.

Wing Commander I Smith, Commanding Officer of No. 487 Squadron RNZAF, at Hunsdon (©IWM CH 12649)

The third and fourth waves attacked the south-eastern main building and north-western end respectively. Chaos then ensued inside the prison, as over running bombs had caused some damage inside and some prisoners were injured or struggled to escape.

Noting now that the walls and prison had been breached, the signal to abort was issued over the VHF radio probably by both Pickard and the OFPU Mosquito flown by Flt. Wickham (both the code word “Red, Red, Red” and who sent it are also disputed) instructing the four aircraft of the 21 Sqn Flight not to bomb. The message was heard by the flight, when they were between 2 and 4 miles out from the target, and so returned to base without dropping their payload.

During all this time, FW.190s continued to swarm and various dogfights took place between them and the Typhoons, but not before they had attacked some of the fleeing Mosquitoes who also returned fire.

It is unclear at what point in the attack that Pickard was shot down, but a Focke Wulf 190 flown by the ace Feldwebel Wilhelm Mayer, severed his tail sending his aircraft to the ground near to Saint Gratien. The resultant crash killing both occupants.

The story goes that Pickard had left his dog ‘Ming’ at RAF Sculthorpe, their previous airfield,  to be looked after whilst he was away. On the day he was shot down, 18th February 1944, the dog fell gravely ill. Pickard’s wife, Dorothy, went to get him and sensed, that after seeing the state of the animal, that Pickard had been killed . It took months for Ming to recover, and some years later whilst living in Rhodesia, Ming went outside, looked up to the sky as he always did when Pickard was flying, heard a whistle, collapsed and died.*6

Of the 700 prisoners detained inside the prison that day, 258 of them escaped,102 were killed and 74 were wounded*7, but the success remained secret from the public for a further eight months. With so much speculation surrounding the attack, it will no doubt remain one of the mysteries of war, but it was without doubt, an incredibly brave and daring mission that cost the lives of three superb young airmen.

A podcast using eyewitness accounts from the Imperial war museum can be heard through their website.

The Amiens raid was not the only daring low level raid carried out by the wing whilst at Hunsdon however. Airfields along with the Hazmeyer electrical equipment factory at Hengels in Belgium, were also attacked at low level. On this particular operation Mosquito MM482 was hit by intense flak setting the starboard engine on fire. As a result, the aircraft flown by Canadian Sqn. Ldr. A. W. Sugden with navigator Fl. Off. A. Bridger, was lost and both men were listed as missing. Having been with the squadron since 1942 they were considered ‘old timers’ by the others and were sorely missed.

The three squadrons of 140 Wing would soon depart Hunsdon though, leaving the joy of success and the turmoil of a thousand questions behind them. 464 went first on March 25th whilst 21 and 487 Sqns would both leave mid April, both moving to RAF Gravesend in Kent.

However, a month before the wing moved away, another Mosquito squadron would move in temporarily, meaning the airfield was awash with the aircraft of varying types. 409 (RCAF) Sqn’s time would be short, remaining here for just over a month before departing mid May, but they would return in June that same year staying for a further two months. Their final departure on the 25th August 1944, would end their association with Hunsdon for good, a move that took them to the continent and forward bases across the low countries.

Between June and the end of 1944, no less than six squadrons would come and go, most of them moving to the continent as the allied advanced progressed toward Germany. Each of these units would bring further Mosquitoes with them, with marks ranging from the MK.II and VI (418 Sqn); to the XIII with 29, 264 and 48 Squadrons, on to the XXX with 219 and 151 squadrons.

The longest to stay of these six units would be the first, 29 Squadron. Formed in 1915, they have operated almost continuously ever since, with just a short break between the wars and some reformation post war. Today they are based at Coningsby in Lincolnshire and are the southern most QRA Squadron currently flying Typhoons. They were in 1987, the first operational squadron to be equipped with the Tornado F3.

RAF Hunsdon Air Raid shelter

An air raid shelter now exposed.

At Hunsdon in 1944 though, the move would come as a surprise and with some reservations, but once here, it was considered to be an ‘improvement’ on West Malling. 29 Squadron would fly the NF. XIII Mosquito, arriving here on June 19th that year. The NF.XIII was the first variant night fighter to have the strengthened wing of the FB.VI, with increased fuel load and Merlin 23 engines. One such example, HK428 ‘RO-K’built at Leavesden, joined 29 Sqn at RAF Ford in early 1944.

On October 24th that year, during a flight test at Hunsdon, the aircraft suffered an overheating starboard engine and inactive flaps whilst in poor visibility. As a result the aircraft overshot the runway and crashed into a hedge causing the starboard undercarriage to collapse further damaging the aircraft. HK428 was subsequently repaired and passed to the Gunnery School at Catfoss in early 1945. It was eventually one of many that met the scrap man’s axe in 1946.*4

The Squadron would carry out patrols and intruder operations and whilst many of these were ‘uneventful’, several enemy aircraft were shot down including both Ju. 88s and Me. 110s. The last months of the war though were not all plane sailing. On July 1st, an accident during a flying test resulted in the loss of two good airmen and friends, Flt. Lt. John Barry and Fly. Off. Guy Hopkins.  A second Mosquito was hit by light flak at 500 feet on the 5th. Flying home on one engine, the aircraft made and emergency landing at RAF Ford, but somersaulted on the ground writing the aircraft off. Thankfully, and remarkably, in this instance neither crewman sustained any injury.

As the allies advanced more intruder missions took place. On some days the squadron was “let loose” to pick and locate their own targets, many choosing road or rail stock, damaging many trains as a result. The rest of the year and into 1945 would be the same. Intruder missions, ‘Flower‘ Operations (attacks against German night fighters at their airfield) brought some results. Then almost as quickly as they arrived they were given notice to move once more, and a huge party on the night of February 22nd 1945 preceded their departure to Colerne

Two other units arrived at Hunsdon after 29 Sqn, those of 418 (25th August, 1944) and 219 (29th August 1944) Squadrons. With all these Mosquitoes there must have been little room for any more aircraft as Hunsdon quickly filled  up with the type. 219 Sqn would quickly move out though, leaving what little space there was for a new unit, 488 Squadron who moved in the day prior to 219’s  departure. The last of this group of units to arrive that year was 151 Squadron. All but 151 transferred to the various airfields on the continent whilst 151 remained in the UK, leaving Hunsdon on March 1st 1945. It had certainly been a busy period at this Hertfordshire airfield.

1945 would be a reflection of the hectic movements of 1944. However, it would also bring a greater variety of aircraft as detachments arrived posted away from their main unit. It would also bring a slight change of role, as the range of twin engined Mosquitoes departed, single engined fighters came in.

The first would be a small detachment of 285 Sqn Hurricanes who resided here between January and June, followed in the beginning of March by 154 Sqn with Mustangs and Spitfires. 154 Sqn time here would be very short though, sadly ending their days here, just eighteen days later.

Almost at the same time, these units would be joined by 501 Sqn and 611 Sqn, 501 also ending their days of active duty here with their Tempest Vs, whilst 611 would swap their Spitfire VII for Mustang IVs before moving off to Peterhead and disbandment also. Both these units would however rise again the following year being reborn as the jet age dawned, to live on for a few more years.

442 Sqn, another Canadian unit, ended the flurry of units arriving in March that year when they brought Spitfire IXEs back for a spell from the continent, being stationed recently at B80 (Volkel) and B88 (Heesch), they had seen action first hand before arriving here. They soon replaced these aircraft with Mustangs though, moving on to RAF Digby in May as the war ended. 442 were also a short lived squadron, only being formed at Digby in February 1944. Their operational life had lasted just eighteen months.

April and May saw the last of the front line squadrons to reside at Hunsdon. The closing days of April saw 441 with Spitfires and 287 Sqn with a detachment of Tempests Vs. Both these units would move on elsewhere before they too saw the curtain fall, and their days as operational units cease. Like its sister squadron, 441 had only been operational for eighteen months, being formed in unison. In fact, their entire operational record matched to the day, even when they moved abroad.

Hunsdon then closed to operational activity, being used to receive returning men and materials up until mid 1946 whereupon it was placed into Care and Maintenance and allowed to run down. The tower was demolished very soon after the war ended, and the site was returned to agriculture. In total, Hunsdon’s crews accounted for over 220 enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged – a remarkable feat in any airfield’s chapter.

RAF Hunsdon Dispersal pen

One of the original dispersal pans.

Today Hunsdon remains one of the more accessible airfields of Britain. A number of public footpaths criss-cross its boundaries allowing unprecedented access to it. It is still an active site, allbeit much reduced – a small microlight operation exists here and has done since 1997. Using three small grass runways it has brought life, in albeit a small part, back to this old wartime airfield.

The perimeter track and narrow sections of all its runways still exist today and can be walked using a variety of footpaths. Along these paths and off to the sides can still be seen examples of runway lighting, drainage, inspection covers and even a small number of buildings.

The parachute store is one of the most notable of these, used by the farmer for storage, it is located at the north-western side of the airfield near to the former admins site and where the tower would have stood before being torn down. Also near here is the fire tender shed, now home to the local shooting club, a number of latrines \ wash blocks can also be found hidden amongst the trees to the south-east. The battle headquarters rests nestled amongst the crops still watching over the site, and small defence trenches and shelters can be found to the north and again these are visible from public footpaths. A number of airfield defences buildings in the form of pill boxes and an Oakington style pillbox can also be found around the site.

Many of these examples are buried amongst the undergrowth and are most easily seen in winter when the thorns and vegetation are at their lowest. Careful searching will also reveal a number of minor archaeological examples but again best in the winter when crops and weeds are minimal.

To the northern side of the airfield, next to where the microlight site is based, is a memorial to the crews of all nationalities who were based here all those years ago. Formed from a propeller boss of a Mosquito, it was donated to by the former Mosquito Museum (now de Havilland Aircraft Museum), it stands proud looking down what was the length of the secondary runway. A further memorial plaque can also be found on the wall of the village hall.

Hunsdon is a small site with a big history. It played a large part in trials of new innovations, carried out night intruder missions, and attacked with daring at low-level, at the very heart of the Gestapo. Hunsdon and its crews proudly earned their place in the annals of world history.

After walking Hunsdon we travel the short distance to the north-east to the outskirts of Bishop Stortford and a little known about airfield that is all but gone. We go to RAF Sawbridgeworth.

Further Reading and Sources (RAF Hunsdon)

*1 – The Amiens raid is one that has become embedded in history and is beyond doubt an incredible and daring low-level raid that succeeded in its aim. However, official records seem to have many errors, anomalies or missing details that it is very difficult to ascertain the accuracy of these historical ‘facts’.

The ORBs for each of the four squadrons give no details other than an ‘operation to France’, some crew names and aircraft numbers. There is no record of the use of the word ‘Jericho‘ but there are two sides to this story.

Some authors including Rowland White “Mosquito” and John Laffin “Raiders – Great Exploits of the Second World War“, both cite Basil Embry as the creator of the name ‘Jericho‘ before the missions took place, whilst Robert Lyman “The Jail Busters” cites a French film, made in 1946, as the author of creator of the name. Some believe the name was created by various media outlets since then whilst others say that Embry created the name after the operation had been carried out. It is however, widely considered that it was a post-war name as the original operation was ‘Ramrod 564‘ and none of the ORBs use the name ‘Jericho‘.  To further add mystery, the use of the title ‘Renovate‘ has also cited, but records in the National Archives show this as the secret VHF code word to be used by aircraft on the operation and not the Operation title.

The name aside, and more recently, one of the French Resistance fighters revealed his doubts about the operation, and considers that it may have been nothing more than a propaganda operation or a diversionary attack linked to D-Day. One book (one amongst many) on the subject has been written by author Simon Parry and historian Dr Jean-Pierre Ducellier entitled ‘The Amiens Raid – Secrets Revealed‘ and is published by Red Kite. It goes into the details of the raid and possible reasons behind it.

There have also been theories that it was an MI6 operation but due to the nature and secrecy of the mission, little evidence is publicly available to substantiate this.

Of those who lost their lives, both Pickard and Broadley are buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, whilst Sampson is buried in the Poix-de-Picardie cemetery in the Somme region.

*2 There is further information and personal stories about Tubinlite operations on RAF 23 Squadron, and they can be found on the 23 Squadron Blog site (1) and (2).  All ten were raised to squadron status on 2nd September 1942, but due to administration problems, five were not established until 8th September 1942)

*3 McCloskey, K., “Airwork – A History“. The History Press, 2013 (An excellent account of Airworks and  their part in the Turbinlite project).

*4 Thirsk, I., “de Havilland Mosquito – an Illustrated Story Vol 2” 2006, Crecy Publishing Limited.

*5 Photo from vintage wings website.

*6 Gunn, P.B., “Flying Lives – with a Norfolk Theme“, Peter Gunn, 2010

*7 National Archives, archived documents available via the old website

McCloskey, K., “Airwork – A History” History Press, 2012

National Archives: AIR 27/704/9; AIR 27/2001/1 – 19; AIR 27/33/21; AIR 27/704/39; AIR 27/704/11; AIR 27/1045/27; AIR 27/1045/33; AIR 27/1045/37; AIR 27/1802/55; AIR 27/1802/57; AIR 27/342/11

Vintage Wings of Canada Website

For information on building the memorials at Hunsdon and Sawbridgeworth visit Hertfordshire Airfields Memorial Group website.

The full story of RAF Hunsdon can be read in Trail 25.

RAF Hunsdon – The Arrival of the Mosquito (Part 3)

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In Part 2, we saw how the Turbinlite system failed to produce what was expected of it, and eventually the system was scrapped and the squadrons disbanded. Those left at Hunsdon continued the night operations but soon they too would depart this Hertfordshire airfield leaving room for an influx of Mosquitoes – de Havilland’s ‘Wooden Wonder’.

On May 5th 1943, 85 Sqn would officially receive its squadron badge, although it was a former World War One Squadron, it had never been officially presented with it, and time had caught up. With the whole squadron lined up outside the Bellman Hangar, A.O.C. 11 Group, Air Vice Marshall H.W. Saunders, C.B.E., M.C., D.F.C., M.M., gave a speech highlighting how well the squadron had performed; shooting down ninety enemy aircraft in France, fifty in the Battle of Britain and a further twenty in night operations whilst at Hunsdon. He went on to highlight the number of decorations its crews had been awarded: four D.S.Os; seventeen D.F.Cs; three D.F.Ms, and Bars to both the D.F.Cs. and D.F.Ms. He then presented the station badge to the Commanding Officer Wing Commander Cunningham. At this point it was announced that the squadron would be moving south to West Malling in Kent and he wished the squadron good luck.

With just a few more days left before departure,  operations continued and on the 8th, three more JU. 88s were spotted but intercepted by Spitfires from other squadrons before the Mosquitoes could get to them. It was not to be the glorious ending 85 Sqn had hoped for.

After a farewell dinner for both 85 and 3 squadrons in the officer’s mess, preparations began for the move. Three Harrows arrived to collect  personal belongings and equipment, and then, on the 13th, 85 Squadron departed, all ten aircrews performing individual flypasts over the watch office to show their respect and thanks to those who had worked along side them, it was a sad day for Hunsdon.  The Harrows once loaded, departed shortly after with the main ground party departing by train soon after that.

The dispersals and accommodation did not remain vacant for long though, they were immediately taken over by a new squadron, 157 Squadron along with their servicing wing 3081 Servicing Echelon.

The new squadron was also a Mosquito Squadron, transferring in from Bradwell Bay. Night patrols had been the order of the day and these continued, and even as the squadron moved into their new home a Do. 17 was intercepted and shot down near Felixstowe.

Mosquito II of 157 Sqn being refuelled at Hunsdon, 16 June 1943. (©IWM CH 10312)

During the day, personnel took to painting and refurbishing the dispersals, whilst at night patrols continued on, an F.W. 190 falling victim to Flt. Lt. H. Tappin DFC and Fly. Off. I. Thomas in Mosquito S.727

The remainder of the month and into June involved further night patrols,  many being cancelled due to poor weather, whilst on the ground yet more decorating took place, with all crews taking part.

June then saw the temporary arrival of 515 Sqn with Defiants moving in from Heston. On June 1st, all aircraft had been received at Hunsdon with the rear party arriving later by road. As soon as 11 Group Headquarters had been notified of the squadron’s readiness, the order came though to move sections to forward bases ready for night operations. Eight aircraft immediately took off from Hunsdon but poor weather curtailed any further flights and they all returned the next day without taking part. This routine pretty much set the scene the remainder of the month. Shortly after arriving here 515 would start to accept the Beaufighter, a remarkable step up from the Defiant and an aircraft they would take when they left Hunsdon for Little Snoring in December that year.

Then in July, a new version Mosquito began to arrive with 157 Sqn – the MK.VI. ‘Ranger‘ patrols became a priority, attacking freight locos across the enemy network. On the 19th August, the Sqn claimed their 100th victim, a landmark number that was acknowledged by Sector Commander Group Captain Harris.

The next few months were a  mix of sporadic contacts but few engagements, ‘uneventful’ patrols and cancelled flights due to poor weather. The arrival of a Lancaster out of fuel in early October, a Wellington damaged by flak and a lost B-17 possibly heightening the excitement on the airfield.  A large portion of this time was taken with sports including shooting until finally ‘discouraged’ by local landlords.

RAF Hunsdon Latrines and drying rooms

Remains of the latrines and drying rooms.

157 Sqn however, wouldn’t remain at Hunsdon for much longer, departing with their Mosquitoes for Predannack in November that same year. A relatively uneventful stay at Hunsdon had finally come to an end.

Movements into and out of Hunsdon would continue in November, with the arrival of yet another Mosquito unit, 410 (Royal Canadian Air Force) Squadron. The unit would stay here on three separate occasions throughout 1943 and 1944, each time being for a short period only before moving on again elsewhere. Each stay would bring a new model Mosquito: MK. VI, MK.XIII, and finally the MK.XXX before moving off to the continent in 1944 and their eventual disbandment in June 1945. Whilst the squadron was primarily Canadian (seventy-two personnel), it also consisted of sixteen RAF personnel and four Americans, making it a multinational mix of aircrew, officers and ground crews.

It was whilst at their previous station, West Malling, that they would make the first ‘kill’ of 11 Group, when on the 5th November, a Mosquito piloted by Flg. Off. Green and his navigator Pt. Off. Goodhew, intercepted an Me. 410 and shot it down approximately 15 miles from Dungeoness. Three days later they would arrive at Hunsdon, where a turn in the weather prevented any further kills for the unit for the remainder of the month.

Training flights were managed on the odd occasion, intercepting friendly bombers with camera guns along with several Mahmoud exercises. On the 26th November tragedy struck when on one of these flights Flg. Off. J.J. Blanchfield in Mosquito DD669 struck the target Mosquito DZ259 flown by W.Off. C. James and his navigator Flt. Sgt. T. Levine. Both crews reported that they were bailing out, but both Blanchfield and his navigator Flg. Off. K. Cox, were killed in the accident.

The squadron’s  remaining time at Hunsdon was much similar, training flights, the odd operational scramble and bad weather persisted to the end of the year. But in December, one Mosquito flown by Flg. Off. “Joe” Schultz and Flg. Off. Williams manged to shoot down no less than three Dornier 217s in an epic air battle in which they themselves narrowly missed being the victim.

After vectoring onto the initial target, Schultz managed to shoot it down even though the Dornier tried to evade the attack by both attempting to fly into cloud and carrying out violent evasive movements. After dispatching this aircraft, Schultz pursued a second aircraft which exploded some 50 feet ahead of him, causing his own aircraft to jolt as it passed through the debris. A third Dornier gave a more difficult challenge, and even though both its engines were hit, the crew continued to return fire whilst the pilot made aggressive and violent defensive movements. The Mosquito in return, had its instruments put out of action and both engines hit, causing a fire in one. Luckily, this extinguished itself, but the second engine then failed altogether. Schultz managed to safely land the aircraft at Bradwell Bay using the single damaged engine, a remarkable feat considering the damage to the Mosquito and its components.

During the month, yet another new version Mosquito began to arrive at the squadron in addition to those already on station. By the end of the December, when they finally departed Hunsdon for Castle Camps, they had on their books: two Mosquito MK.IIs, one MK.III, one XII and seventeen XIIIs. A squadron Magister was also registered, but the Oxford they had, had struck a hill severely injuring the pilot, Flt. Lt. M.A. Cybulski DFC at Winter Hill, Belmont near Bolton. Flt. Lt. Cybulski had completed his tour of duty and was transferring to 9 Group when the accident happened.

New years eve 1944 would undoubtedly bring the most significant of the RAF units to Hunsdon and the one for which it is most famous. The arrival of  21 Sqn, 464 Sqn and 487 Sqn combined together to form 140 Wing, would see a number of dare-devil raids against German targets which, like the dams raid of 617 Sqn, would be forever discussed by historians.

The full story of RAF Hunsdon can be read in Trail 25.