164 Squadron
Everybody is on tip-toes. The ground crews are fairly hurling themselves at the aircraft in their eagerness to take an active part in this greatest of military operations. We are on readiness from first light. Three sweeps were made of the area inland from the beach-head. There wasn’t a great deal to be seen, but single vehicles were left in flames and bridges and roads strafed. A very popular Australian member of the Squadron, F/O Roberts, is missing. A number of FW 190s attempted to “jump” the formation near Caen and it was after this that F/O Roberts was missed. One FW 190 claimed destroyed.
Translation. The squadron was ready and available for tasking from daybreak. No air support requests were received from the landing forces. The squadron was tasked on armed reconnaissance, seeking targets of opportunity without specific guidance or intelligence, well inland from the beaches. One aircraft was lost. The Australian War Memorial website states that Flying Officer Roberts’ aircraft had already been hit by ground fire when it was attacked by the FW 190s.
175 Squadron
The Squadrons were at readiness from first
light. More Squadron shows and less Wing efforts were to be expected. 175
Squadron were not called to operate until the afternoon ... Airborne at 1540
hours, the squadron led by the CO and consisting of twelve aircraft and in
three sections of four, attacked gunposts on the Norman coast immediately west
of Cabourg ... [pilots’ names] Not a romantic (?) target but the shooting was
excellent. RPs are now the definite instrument of assault of this Wing. At 2000
hours the Squadron again took off on an Armed Recce of the Caen-Falaise area, 8
aircraft carrying RPs ... [pilots’ names]. MT pranged on the main and byroads
between Caen and Falaise, rendered several flamers and many damaged. This
concluded operations for the day.
Translation. The squadron was ready and available for tasking from daybreak. No air support requests were received from the landing forces. Late in the afternoon, the squadron was tasked to attack a target west of Cabourg, which lay east of the River Orne and was not in the beach landing area. The squadron was later tasked with armed reconnaissance south of Caen and miles away from the landing beaches, seeking targets of opportunity.
181 Squadron
The long awaited day had arrived. Our site at Hurn peaceful in appearance was a buzz of activity. Our troops were landed on the coast of Normandy and along the Cherbourg peninsula and had met with some measure of success. Beginning at 0230 hours groundcrew soon had all aircraft on the top line. The weather cleared after a misty start, and a terrifically busy day was expected, but only two ops materialised. At 0710 hours 12 of our RPs with 12 from 247 were airborne to attack target 4901W/186 (with an alternative target for the other Squadron) but owing to the weather and smoke our part of the affair was abortive. Anti-climax indeed.
At 1600 hours 8 of our RP Typhoons carried out armed recce in roads in the CAEN area. Seven armoured cars attacked, no strikes seen, but road believed blocked. Then a lorry and what was thought to be HQ building was attacked with cannon and three lorries destroyed. Some W/T tenders were the next objective, and in going in for second attack on them, F/Sgt GJ Howard RAAF, had his port aileron shot away and spun in. This was his first operational sortie.
Translation. The squadron was ready and available for tasking from daybreak. The squadron received tasking, which may have been against a pre-planned target or in support of a request from the landing forces. Poor weather and smoke prevented target location and the mission was aborted. The squadron received no further air support requests from the landing forces in the beach areas. The squadron was later tasked with armed reconnaissance well away from the landing beaches, searching for targets of opportunity. They lost one aircraft and its pilot, Flight Sergeant Howard, who was flying his very first mission. The circumstances of this casualty were typical and illustrate why, over Normandy, it was not advisable for pilots to loiter in target areas or attempt more than a single attack run against ground targets.
184 Squadron
D Day. Pilots were awakened at 0230 hours to stand readiness. Everyone was keyed up. This was the real thing and boosted the Squadron duty officer to a most superior being, what with the arranging and allocating of aircraft etc. Pilots on readiness remained in Ops ready for the Word “go” - aircraft too, with chute and helmet were prepared, nothing came through which was rather depressing. After being released for half an hour for lunch there was still a lot of waiting to be done. Late in the afternoon our first invasion show came through - a well defended area near OUISTREHAM. A merry-go-round then started. This target was cancelled for an “armed recce”, then another target until finally, with a few minutes to go, the real target at CABOURG. F/Lt Holland had to take the Squadron over as S/Ldr Rose DFC had to turn back because his fairing doors were down. The chaps saw nothing but pranged the target for what it was worth. A description of the panorama of shipping in the bay was avidly received by those who stayed at home. Tangmere rang up to congratulate us on our time over target. All this time, “two stripped jobs” were standing by for aerodrome defence. Very soon another show came through - an armed recce of the Caen area. The CO had just time to utter a few syllables which consisted of the briefing before scrambling. Ten tanks were spotted along the road E-W into Caen. Diving down, all hits were in the road in the area. Nothing could be claimed as clouds of dust arose with each explosion. There was a little “flak” but a few words from each quartet of cannons soon silenced any opposition.
Translation. The squadron was ready and
available for tasking from daybreak. No air support requests were received from
the landing forces. When tasking was finally received late in the afternoon, it
was confused, and two missions were withdrawn in favour of a strike on the same
Cabourg target that other Typhoon squadrons attacked. This was executed ‘with a
few minutes to go’, in other words the aircraft were approaching ‘bingo’ fuel
state. The squadron was subsequently tasked with armed reconnaissance well away
from the landing beaches, seeking targets of opportunity. They spotted the ten
tanks by chance.
198 Squadron
The whole squadron arose very early to partake in an RP attack on enemy coastal gun positions, but much to our disappointment the operation was cancelled and we were placed on 30 minutes readiness. We did not have to wait long for at 0825 W/C Brooker DFC led 12 of our Typhoons to attack another chateau, this time the CHATEAU LA MAUFFE near ST LO. After crossing the beaches the target was pinpointed and attacked from 2,000 ft (owing to a very low cloud base). Many hits on the building were seen and as the last a/c left the scene of the attack fire and smoke was issuing from ground floor windows of the CHATEAU. Pilots reported having seen tremendous activity just off the beaches for as one of our members so aptly remarked, “there were more ships than sea.”
We spent a very impatient afternoon waiting to be called out again but nothing in the shape of operations came through until 1712 when W/C Brooker DFC led a 123 Wing formation in which we had 7 A/C, to attack enemy transports going north on the road from FALAISE to CAEN. The attack was well carried out and returning pilots claimed to have destroyed many vehicles.
198 Squadron claims:-
DESTROYED:-
7
AFVs
1 MET
DAMAGED:-
5 AFVs
At 2040 hours S/Ldr Davies DFC led 8 of our Typhoons on an ARMED RECCE of the CAEN area. They attacked 2 tanks and 3 AMCs, strikes being claimed all around these targets with possible direct hits.
Claims for this attack:-
1 lorry DESTROYED
2 tanks DAMAGED
2 AMCs
Translation. This squadron was apparently tasked to provide fire support for the beach landings. However, their original mission was cancelled, probably because of the weather. A second attack on a pre-planned target was successful but was executed miles away from the beaches, near St Lo. A thick, low cloud base forced the aircraft down below 2,000 feet. No air support requests were received from the landing forces and no further missions were flown until the end of the afternoon. Then, the squadron participated in a mission well away from the landing beaches that was guided by intelligence, probably from air reconnaissance. In the evening, the squadron flew an armed reconnaissance mission away from the landing beaches, seeking targets of opportunity.
245 Squadron
The great ‘D’ Day at last. 245 was the first squadron to operate from this airfield [Holmsley South] and W/Cdr Green led to attack gun positions at TAILLEVILLE. Bad weather was encountered over the target, and the squadron flew as low as 800 ft to endeavour to find the target. This was not located, however, and a hutted camp was attacked instead. F/O RA Gordon received head injuries when his perspex hood was shattered by flak. He landed safely at FORD and was taken to hospital. At 1730 eight aircraft (S/L Collins) took off to do an armed recce of the CAEN area. Various MT and AFVs successfully attacked some being left in flames. W/O TH Gray landed at Tangmere.
At 2035 six aircraft (F/Lt JWH Wilson) airborne for CAEN area. More MT and AFVs successfully attacked. Landed at Ford to refuel. Returned to base at 2300.
Translation. This squadron was also tasked to provide fire support for the beach landings. A thick, low cloud base forced the aircraft down below 800 feet but they were unable to find their target and they attacked a hutted camp instead. One pilot was injured in the attack and his aircraft was damaged. No requests for support were received from the landing forces, and no further tasking was received until the end of the afternoon, when the squadron was sent on an armed reconnaissance well away from the beaches, seeking targets of opportunity. A second armed reconnaissance was flown over the same area in the evening. The aircraft did not have enough fuel to return to their home base and so landed at Ford airfield to refuel.
247 Squadron
Well, here it is. The ‘D’ day which all of us have so long looked forward to has arrived, but somewhat different to what we expected - very quiet. The pilots, however, made 22 RP sorties, and 4 fighter sorties, of which 8 were abortive, the aircraft in this case being recalled. The operations carried out were attacks on gun positions one mile west of Cabourg, when 12 aircraft of 181 Squadron and ... aircraft of 247 Squadron attacked the target with unobserved results. Later, 8 RP aircraft, with 4 fighters, swept an area south of Caen, attacked and destroyed 3 trucks at P.1556, three more trucks attacked with cannon, strikes seen at P.2161. East of the area 4 FW.190s were seen flying west at 6,000 feet between Vire and Caen. P/O Lowes, flying Typhoon JR.391 was found to have been hit with flak, rendering his machine Cat. AC. Two other aircraft were also assessed as Cat. B.
Translation. Eight sorties against an
unspecified target were aborted, presumably because of the weather. No requests
for support were received from the landing forces. The squadron participated in
a strike on the same Cabourg target that 181 Squadron attacked. Subsequently,
they were tasked with an armed reconnaissance well away from the landing
beaches, searching for targets of opportunity. Three aircraft were damaged, probably all by flak.
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