L'Hay, Edward King's 18th operation of his tour

L'Hay, Edward King's 18th operation of his tour

Four items, Edward's brief description, referring to P planes, reports being attacked by a Lancaster on the way home, his navigation plot, a map of the area near the target, a press cutting describing the days air activities mainly attacking V-1 sites.

1944-06-23

1944-06-24

One typewritten document, a nav plot, a map

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SKingEJ182986v10080, SKingEJ182986v10081, SKingEJ182986v10082, SKingEJ182986v10083

[underlined] L’HAY [/underlined]

[underlined] P - Plane Base 23rd June, 1944 [/underlined]

Airborne 2250

Landed 0105

Flak seen at Calais and Dunkirk. Fired on by Lancaster on route home.

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[inserted] L’HAY [/inserted]

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[map]

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'HEAVIES' CRACK DOWN ON 4 FLY-BOMB BASES

One Vanishes in Yellow Flare

STRONG forces of Lancasters and Halifaxes of Bomber Command attacked flying bomb installations in the Pas de Calais last night. Forces of Thunderbolts and heavies were seen over the same target to-day.

Four installations were bombed in the night. One force of Halifaxes appeared to have caught the Germans napping. All was quiet when the attack began, and it was only after a heavy concentration of bombs had gone down that the enemy opened fire.

There were several explosions in the target area before the attack came to an end, one of them going off in a vivid yellow flash.

During the flight the crews saw flying bombs coming from the direction of France. An air-gunner saw one of them blow up on the way.

Heavy Explosion

Lancaster crews which attacked another installation reported that the target area was well marked by Pathfinders, and the attack appears to have been well concentrted.[sic]

One of the pilots, Flying Officer W. Searston, of Alfreton, Derby, saw one very large explosion.

"We were leaving the target," he said. ("when there was a terrific white flash which lit up the clouds, and for a moment obliterated the coloured markers below."