They Never Had It So Good by Jack W. Sheridan

Author:Jack W. Sheridan [Sheridan, Jack W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, United States, Europe, General, Germany, Aviation
ISBN: 9781839741128
Google: 1_PCDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2019-12-06T03:06:26+00:00

12

On the fifteenth of September the ships went after the large Renault automobile plant in Paris. They went off, pointing down east towards France this time. Crossing the channel they cut in, following across the fallow French farm lands until they sighted the mottled outskirts of the city.

As the planes entered the Paris area they caught the full dose of flak again. The crews watched carefully and the Forts picked their way through the curtain. Over Paris itself it was almost impenetrable and more than once the leaders thought the Groups would be forced to turn. There were a number of enemy fighters around to contend with, as well. But mainly it was a flak show this time. The fighters were content to bounce along on the outer fringes, to take little annoying but ineffectual jabs now and then.

But they got in and dropped their bombs, even though the effort cost them several planes, among them the ship piloted by Lieutenant Vetter. The same Vetter who had been reported missing only a week or so previously and who had returned hedge-hopping out of the French area.

The next day they went after Bordeaux, to repeat the Major’s slap which he had delivered en route home from Africa. He led the formation this time as well. The route was down along the French coast, across the Bay of Biscay to the mainland; then inland and the port. After unloading the bombs they were to fly out to sea and come back to England flying out over the Atlantic beyond the reaches of the Nazi protecting planes. But plans are sometimes changed.

As they started down across the Bay of Biscay the weather changed. They were forced to abandon their original plan for Bordeaux, In its place they substituted La Pallice, the submarine base, still smarting from the attack they had delivered in July. So they turned their noses towards the coast and swept in from the sea towards their objective.

The Major turned the operation over to Lieutenant Phillippe, the bombardier. Across the target they swept, met by a curtain of flak and the angry resistance of the surprised and unprepared Luftwaffe. It was up to Phillippe to produce results on a bomb run of less than fifteen minutes. After the run was completed the Major called down to Phillippe on the interphone.

“How was it?”

“Okay—of course,” was Phillippe’s reply on his work which was to place him and his fellows in line for decoration for distinguished service.

Later photographs of the bombing of La Pallice were to be superb examples of precision bombing, some of the finest work done in the ETO. It was “okay—of course”, as Phillippe had said.

The formation then headed back for the home port. Long before they hit the island the weather thickened and they were engulfed in a black thick blanket of cloud and night. Added to the unfamiliarity of night operations the overcast and the small fitful drizzle of rain began to harass them. After they left the French coast, cruising along, the crews relaxed their vigilance and sat around eating chocolate bars.

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