The story of this largely forgotten raid which turned into a disaster for Bomber Command in the run up to D-DayA reissue of a classic account of the air war over Europe which has been out of print for many years
This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid, on 3 May 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings.
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Summary
The story of this largely forgotten raid which turned into a disaster for Bomber Command in the run up to D-DayA reissue of a classic account of the air war over Europe which has been out of print for many years
This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid, on 3 May 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings.
Description
This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid, on 3 May 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings. Raids like this over occupied France were considered relatively low risk affairs and only counted for one third of a mission for the crews concerned.In total, 362 RAF bombers, Lancasters, Mosquitoes and Halifax, from bases in England took part in a raid and although no-one involved anticipated disaster, forty-two Lancasters never returned home. Almost incredibly, those who planned the attack were apparently unaware that four German night fighter bases were located nearby. Luftwaffe fighters wreaked havoc on the bombers as they circled a marker in bright moonlight awaiting the order to attack their targetThis is the story of that battle, bitterly contested and ever-remembered by those who were engaged, one among hundreds that were fought in the skies over Europe between the RAF's bombers and the Luftwaffe's night-fighters in the course of World War Two. It lasted less than sixty minutes but cost two hundred and fifty-five lives.
About the Author
The author, Jack Currie, was a Bomber Command pilot who has written extensively about the conflict.
This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid on May 3, 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France.
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