On the 10th May the RAF's Advanced Air Striking Force in France had 135 bombers and forty eight hours later there had around 72 left of which all needed servicing and the air and ground crews were in need of rest. On the 13th May the crews were rested and this was the day that Guderian's Panzers broke the French line along the Meuse and started the infamous dash to the English Channel. By late evening on the 13th May news had reached the ASSAF of the German breakthrough and I suspect many of the crews thought tomorrow would be their last. The 14th May was the day that put an end to the ASSAF in France and arguably the begining of the end of the BEF. On the morning of the 14th May Battles and Blenheims of 103 and 150 Squadron's took off to attack pontoons thrown across the Meuse near Sedan by the Germans. They returned without loss but the French struggling to contain the German advance called on the ASSAF again for an all out attack in support of a counter-attack the French were planning. Shortly after 1400hrs on the 14th May all the ASSAF's remaining Battle's and Blenheims took off to attack the bridges for a second time. This time the German Me 109's were waiting for them. 40 bombers and 120 of the 213 crew members never returned from the raid. This was the biggest daylight bombing raid made by the RAF for many years to come and it showed the highest percentage of casualties of any air raidof its size in the whole war. Sourced from Dunkirk, The Great Escape.
The ground fire was murderous if I remember rightly. Do we have a break down of those stats, Andy? Hmm, do I move this to the 'War In The Forum'? You do know there is a forum called that don't you, Andy?
Don't you dare-It happened in 1940 The finer details will be in ATB's TBOF. I'll see if I can find a bit more (I was hoping you RAF chaps would do that bit)
Don't you dare-It happened in 1940 The finer details will be in ATB's TBOF. I'll see if I can find a bit more (I was hoping you RAF chaps would do that bit) Yes, 1940 in the air. So you start the ball rolling and then sit back while we do the hard work?:p
From the stand point of Fighter Command the day of the 14th May was a disaster. Of the 27 Hurricanes shot down, 22 had fallen to the Messerschmitts, resulting in the deaths of 15 pilots; 4 others wounded. Additionally, a further 2 pilots had been killed and one wounded in combat with bombers or had been shot down by ground fire. The Luftwaffe referred to this day afterwards as' The Day of the Fighters.' Info taken from 'Twelve Days In May' by Cull, Lander & Weiss
Three phased attacks by AASAF bombers was ordered for mid-afternoon against five bridges but did not proceed as planned. Times shown below indicate actual attacks, an asterisk those late over the targets. Og the 71 aircraft despatched at least 37 were lost, and another 6 badly damaged. German fighters claimed 40 Allied bombers destroyed over Sedan during the afternoon. Flak Regiment 102, attached to XIX Armeekorps, was responsible for the defence of the crossings. Motorised light flak units also accompanied the Panzer divisions across the Meuse between Donchery and Noyers-Pont-Maugis along with several army flak units. In total, the regiment would claim 150 Allied aircraft destroyed during the day, the commander, Oberst Walter von Hippel, being awarded a Ritterkreuz on the 29th July 1940. Allied bombing attacks on the Meuse River crossings at Sedan. 10th May 1940. Time, Target and Sortie: 0530hrs Pontoons between Nouvion and Douzy by 6 Battles of 103 Squadron 0800hrs Pontoon North West of Remilly-Aillicourt by 2 Battles of 150 Squadron and pontoon North of Villers-devant-Mouzon by 2 Battles of 150 Squadron. 1000hrs Bazeilles and pontoon at Wadelincourt by 9 Breguet 693s of GBA I & II/54. 1230-1245hrs Bazeilles and Meuse crossings by 5 Amiot 143s of GB 1 & II/34, 6 Amiot 143s of GB II/38 and 5 Leo 451s of GB I & II/12. 1300-1315hrs Bridge No.1 at Wadelincourt by 4 Battles of 142 Squadron and Bridge No.4 North of Villers-devant-Mouzon by 4 Battles of 142 Squadron. 1500hrs First wave of attacks by 76 Wing - 12, 142 and 226 Squadrons intended. 1520hrs Second wave of attacks by 71 Wing - 105, 114 and 139 Squadrons intended. 1520 - 1530hrs Bridge No.1 at Wadelincourt by 2 Battles of 150 Squadron and Bridge No.2 North West of Remilly-Ail-Licourt by 2 Battles of 150 Squadron. 1535hrs Third wave of attacks by 75 Wing - 88, 103 and 218 Squadrons intended. 1535-1615hrs Bridge No.1 at Wadelincourt by 4 Battles of 218 Squadron. Bridge No.2 North West of Remilly-Ailli-court by 4 Battles of 103 Squadron and 4 Battles of 105 Squadron*. Bridge No.3 at Douzy by 3 Battles of 105 Squadron* and 2 Battles of 226 Squadron*. Bridge No.4 North of Villers-devant-Mouzon by 4 Battles of 88 Squadron. Bridge No.5 at Mouzon by 4 Battles of 103 Squadron, 4 Battles of 105 Squadron* and 4 Battles of 226 Squadron*. Columns between Bouillon and Givonne by 5 Battles of 12 Squadron*, 6 Battles of 88 Squadron, 4 Blenheims of 114 Squadron*, 4 Blenheims of 139 Squadron* and 7 Battles of 218 Squadron. 1830-1845hrs Columns between Bouillon and Givonne by 11 Blenheims of 21 Squadron, 6 Blenheims of 107 Squadron and 12 Blenheims of 110 Squadron. 2050hrs Sedan by 2 Battles of 226 Squadron. 2225-2310hrs Sedan by 6 Farman 222s of GB I & II/15. Night Sedan by 4 Amiot 143s of GB I & II/38.
