Foret du Croc, 20 July 1944

Foret du Croc, 20 July 1944

Research from Operations Record Books of 109 and 582 Squadrons.

One printed sheet

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Foret du Croc, 20 July 1944

The Operations Record Books of both 109 and 582 squadrons (AIR 27/854 and AIR 27/2052) record the loss of the aircraft on 20 July 1944, flying at 16,000 feet on a clear, slightly hazy, day with good visibility. The 109 Squadron record shows James Foulsham (Captain) and John Swarbrick (Oboe Navigator) flying Lancaster ED908 with a 582 Squadron crew taking off from Little Staughton at 1420 hours.

Target as detailed FORET DU CROC. Bombed as leader of a formation of 9 Lancasters of 582 Sqn from 16,000’ by A.R.5513. Hit by flak before release and caught fire. Carried on and bombed but broke up in the air after leaving the target and crashed. No one was seen to use his parachute.

The reserve Mosquito from 109 Squadron reported:

Bombed on seeing leaders bombs away. Reserve aircraft to ED908. Not required. 3/10 St. Cu. At 8,000’ Very accurate light flak.

The individual reports of the eight remaining aircraft of 582 Squadron give graphic eye-witness accounts of the action:

(C) (Goddard) Wood seen but believe undershoot.

(H) (Street) Oboe Leader Lancaster A/C 582/Z Hit by N/F (sic – L/F?) and went down with port inner smoking. Bombs of A/C immediately in front of us seemed to fall approx half minute before Leaders. Cannot estimate when formations bombs fell.

(G) (O’Donovan) Leader not seen to release. But at 1618 hrs our A/C was hit and bombs were involuntarily released. (Our A/C was immediately behind the Oboe Leader in the formation). Both A/C were hit by the same burst of flak. Leader burst into flames and continued on Bombing run, and bombed 18 secs (approx) after our release.

(J) (Rember) Leader before bursting into flames, released his bombs at 1619 hrs, but before that the Deputy released and we released with him. Bombs believed to have fallen short of A/P.

(Z) (Weightman) Target Foret de Croc Constructional Works. This aircraft failed to return.

(N) (Wareing) Leader hit about half minute before bombing: he bombed and fired smoke puff. No results of bombing seen.

(P) (Shurlock) We were about 100 yards behind rest of formation so delayed release. Believe bombing was a considerable undershoot. Formation dropped and leader was seen carrying on for about 30 secs before dropping and firing smoke puff.

(A) (Gibson) At 1617 hrs a burst of flak was seen above Leader. It is believed Deputy Leader (582/G) mistook this for the smoke puff and released on it. Leader released at about 1618.10 hrs being then in flames.

(R) (Coleman) May be a slight undershoot. We were at tail end of formation and bombed on aircraft in front. Another formation out right under us.

The formation underneath and to the right was the first wave from 156 Squadron whose attack had been aborted. In broad daylight, the ground defences were prepared for the approach of the second wave.

Inevitably there are slight inconsistencies between the reports – hardly surprising in the confusion of the heat of battle. Nevertheless, a reasonably clear picture unfolds: the Oboe Leader (Z) being hit by flak and carrying on to bomb on the target a little less than a minute after being hit before crashing in flames (this is confirmed by the Oboe Ground Station Operations Record Books), but the rest releasing early, bombing short, having mistaken the involuntary release of bombs by aircraft (G), flying immediately behind the Leader and hit by the same burst of flak, as the signal to drop their own.