Dieppe by Norman Franks

Author:Norman Franks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
Published: 2010-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

Flight Sergeant Dixie Alexander, 133 Squadron

Don Blakeslee knocked pieces off a Focke Wulf. While over Dieppe the Americans saw two small ships and a destroyer receive bomb hits.

The Canadians of 402 led by Norman Bretz, found Dorniers and Junkers bombing at 12.50 pm. They were at 15,000 feet, the Germans 5,000 feet below. Bretz led his men down and singled out an escorting FW190, fired, and saw cannon strikes blast a large chunk off the German fighter. His Number 3 saw it begin to trail smoke. Flight Lieutenant E. A. Bland damaged another 190 and Pilot Officer G. N. Keith knocked pieces off a third. These particular FW190s carried a six inch yellow stripe around their wings, about three feet from the wing root, and a narrow yellow band around their wing tips.

While these almost continuous and terrific fighter versus fighter or fighter versus bomber combats were in progress, the four Bostons from 107 and two from 88 Squadrons, ordered up in response to the sighting of tanks on the Rouen-Dieppe road were approaching the French coast, escorted by 130 Squadron.

Flight Lieutenant R. Maclachlan (AL738) of 107 led the formation, with Pilot Officers Hammond, Russell and Allen piloting the others. 88's Bostons were piloted by Pilot Officer Hughes and Sergeant Rand. However, on searching the road they could find no sign of the tanks and rather than bring their bombs back, 107 flew to the west of Dieppe and bombed the railway at Ouville, their 500 lb bombs being dropped from 5,000 feet at 1.29 pm. The two 88 Bostons, being unable to locate the target, jettisoned their bombs in woods near Le Treport.

Crossing the coast, their fighter escort spotted four Ju88s below. Blue 1 and 2, Flight Lieutenant P. L. Arnott and Sergeant A. W. Braybrooke damaged one. A few 190s were also engaged shortly afterwards, Pilot Officer R. P. Leblond claiming a probable. T remember having a squirt at a FW190 but to no effect,' said Squadron Leader P. J. Simpson, OC of 130 Squadron.

Some quite heavy clouds began to roll in over Dieppe. At first they remained high enough not to interfere with the air operations. However, they did make it possible for some squadrons, either below or above them, to see nothing of the Luftwaffe, while others were hotly engaged with German aeroplanes.

There was a slight lull in the German air activity at around 1 o'clock. It was brief and those squadrons who patrolled at that time saw little of the enemy and when they were close by, the cloud obscured them. The two American fighter squadrons, the 307th and 308th, arrived over Dieppe just after 1 pm, had a brush with enemy fighters, losing one Spitfire. At 1.20 pm 47 Spitfires of the Polish Wing, 302, 303, 308 and 317 Squadrons, took their turn to cover the withdrawal, being joined by 71, 222 and 611 Squadrons. They had mixed fortunes.

No 302 led by Flight Lieutenant M. Chelmecki (EN861) saw nothing and Squadron Leader Zak's 308 Squadron also found an empty sky.

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