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2018 France/Belgium Trip Post No. 13
From Villers Bretonneux we made our way to the city of Amiens 13 miles away to visit two more DLOY graves. On the way to the cemetery we stopped off at Amiens Prison on the D929 Amiens to Albert road.
The prison is famous for a WW2 low level bombing raid which took place on 18 February 1944 code named Operation Jericho. The objective of the raid was to free French resistance and political prisoners.
In 1943, many members of the French resistance movement in the Amiens area had been caught by the Germans and imprisoned in Amiens Prison. Some had been betrayed by collaborators and the entire movement in the area was at risk.
By December 1943, 12 members of the resistance had been executed at the prison and it was learned that more than 100 other members were to be shot on 19 February 1944. A member of the resistance Dominique Penchard began sending information about the prison to London, including details of the layout, defences and duty rosters.
When two Allied intelligence officers were captured and sent to Amiens prison, a precision air attack on the prison was requested. The prison was next to a long straight road and surrounded by high walls. The guards ate in a building adjacent to the main prison building, making lunch the best time to kill the maximum number of guards. The balance of munitions used had to be arranged so that when hitting the main prison walls, they were breached and the cell doors sprung open without the building being destroyed. As well as destroying the guards' mess hall, the outer walls had to be breached to allow the inmates to escape. There were over 700 inmates in the prison and loss of life was inevitable during an air raid but it was thought that many had already been condemned to death and it would give a chance for some at least to escape.
No. 140 Wing of the RAF 2nd Tactical Airforce, based ar RAF Hunsdon in Hertfordshire, was selected to carry out the raid using Mosquito FB Mk VI’s. The Wing was led by Wing Commander, Group Capt Percy Charles Pickard and comprised of 18 Mosquitos from 464 Sqn RAAF, No 487 Sqn RNZAF and No. 21 Sqn RAF.
The Mosquitos of 487 Sqn were to breach the outer walls of the prison, while 464 Sqn Sqn was to bomb the guards quarters and the mess hall. No. 21 Sqn was given the unusual assignment of destroying the prison and killing all in it if the first two attacks had been unsuccessful. The raid was to be ready to go from 10 February. Close escort was to be provided by 12 Hawker Typhoons from No. 198 Sqn RAF and No. 174 Sqn RAF.
The mission was delayed by very poor weather, which worsened after 10 February, with low cloud and snow across Europe. By 18 February, it was not possible to wait any longer and the 18 Mosquitos, plus a PR (photo-reconnaissance) Mosquito ("O" for Orange), were prepared. The crews were briefed at 08:00 under high security, the first time they had been made aware of the target. Pickard, in "F" for Freddie, was to bring up the rear of the second wave of aircraft, to assess the damage and to call in 21 Squadron if necessary. In the event of anything happening to Pickard's aircraft, the crew of the PR Mosquito would broadcast the signal instead.
The final decision to carry out the attack was made two hours before the deadline for striking the target and the Mosquitos took off from RAF Hunsdon in Hertfordshire, into weather worse than many of the crews had previously experienced. They met up with Typhoon fighter bombers who acted as escort. Four Mosquitos lost contact with the formation and had to return to base and one had to turn back due to engine trouble, leaving nine to carry out the main attack with four in reserve. They flew at wave top height across the channel, first heading for Doullens, then Albert, before turning south for Amiens following the D929 road which led directly to the prison at a height of 50 feet.
At one minute past noon, just as the German guards were starting their lunch break they reached the target, three of the 487 Squadron aircraft aiming for the eastern and northern walls of the prison, with bombs fitted with 11 second delayed-action fuzes, while the other two made a diversion attack on the local railway station, before returning to the prison. The outer walls were breached but the 464 Squadron Mosquitos were too close behind and had to circle while the bombs detonated.
Two aircraft from 464 Squadron then attacked the eastern wall from an altitude of 50 feet, with eight 500 pounds bombs. Simultaneously the other two Mosquitos from 464 Squadron bombed the main building from 100 feet, also with eight 500 pounds bombs. A direct hit on the guardhouse killed or disabled the occupants.
Of the 717 prisoners, 102 were killed, 74 wounded and 258 escaped, including 79 Resistance and political prisoners, although two thirds of the escapees were recaptured. The diversionary attack on the railway station delayed German troops by two hours.
Pickard, circling at 500 ft co-ordinating the raid, saw prisoners escape and signalled the No. 21 Squadron Mosquitos who were in reserve to return home. It is thought he hung around just a bit too long, as he turned for home, hits from a Fw 190 fighter of JG 26d based at the nearby Glisy airfield severed the tail of his Mosquito. He crashed into a field near the village of Saint-Gratien, 10 kms NE of Amiens killing him and his navigator, Ft. Lt John Broadley.
Another Mosquito from 464 Sqn failed to return from the mission, the pilot Sqn. Ldr Ian Mc Ritchie was made a POW, his navigator Ft. Lt Richard Sampson RNZAF was killed.
Two Hawker Typhoons from 174 Sqn also failed to return. F/O JE Reynaud was made a POW and Ft/Sgt HS Brown was killed.
Special Operations Executive (SOE) denied requesting the raid. Years later investigative journalists researching the archives about the raid found a letter addressed to the RAF from the Secret Intelligence Serviced (SIS) thanking them for the raid. It is thought that of the two intelligence officers captured one of them had knowledge of the D-Day landings and the decision was made to give him the chance of escape or kill him during the raid.
Pickard and Broadley are buried close to the prison in St. Pierre Cemetery.
The repairs to the eastern wall which can be clearly seen today and a small memorial plaque in French to the right of the main prison doors are the only reminders of the daring raid which took place 74 years ago.
Attached is a 4.29 min Pathe Newsreel of the raid from Youtube
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