Dieppe: The Greatest Air Battle, 19th August 1942

256 Pages·2010·3.46 MB·English

by  Norman Leslie Robert Franks

First published in paperback in 1997 by
Grub Street
4 Rainham Close
London
SW11 6SS
Copyright this new edition © 2010 Grub Street
Text copyright © Norman Franks A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-906502-70-6
ePub ISBN:9781909166509
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
copyright owner.
Front cover painting by Peter Endsleigh Castle
Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books
Contents Acknowledgements
Introduction
1.Overture and Beginners
2.Dawn
3.The Air Umbrella is Opened
4.The Luftwaffe Reacts
5.The Dorniers Arrive
6.Abbeville
7.Withdraw
8.Dog-Fights over Dieppe
9.Air Cover
10.The Way Home
11.Battles in the Clouds
12.The Luftwaffe
13.Speaking personally
14.Summing Up
Appendices:
A.Report by Group Captain Harry Broadhurst
B.Report by Flight Lieutenant Gerald Le B. Kidd
C.Report by Air Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory
D.Squadrons which took part in the Dieppe Raid
E.Missions flown by RAF Squadrons
F.Royal Air Force Casualties
G.Luftwaffe Casualties
H.Royal Air Force Fighter Claims
I.Luftwaffe Fighter Claims
Bibliography
Index
When Canadian troops and British Commandos made their now famous
Reconnaissance in force’ against the harbour town of Dieppe on 19th August
1942, they were supported and protected by the largest array of Royal Air Force
aircraft ever seen in WWII until that time. Air Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory,
AOC of Fighter Command’s No. 11 Group, was given command of the air
operation and had 46 Spitfire, 8 Hurricane, 3 Typhoon and 4 Mustang squadrons
under his direction, as well as 7 Boston and Blenheim squadrons of 2 Group and
Fighter Command. On 19th August Leigh-Mallory commanded more squadrons
than were available to Air Chief-Marshal Hugh Dowding at any one time during
the Battle of Britain two years previously.
This book provides a detailed, minute by minute, hour by hour, blow by
blow account of operations on a day which has become accepted as the one on
which the Royal Air Force fought its greatest air battle.
The RAF flew nearly 3,000 sorties: the Luftwaffe 945. Air combat, ground
attacks, bombing and smoke laying missions cost the RAF over 100 aircraft and
the Luftwaffe nearly 50. All this happened in just 16 hours. In addition to the in-
depth research into the RAF’s activities on 19th August 1942, there are also
many personal accounts from pilots who took part, adding colour to the story of
this unique day in the history of the Royal Air Force.
Norman Franks is a full time author and air historian. His other books, published
by Grub Street, are:
Above the Lines (with Frank Bailey and Russell Guest)
Above the Trenches (with Christopher Shores and Russell Guest)
Above the Trenches Updated Supplement (with Christopher Shores and Russell
Guest) Battle of the Airfields
Bloody April, Black September (with Frank Bailey and Russell Guest) Fighter
Pilot’s Summer (with Wing Commander Paul Richey) Over the Front (with
Frank Bailey)
Search, Find and Kill
Spitfire Offensive (with Wing Commander R Sampson OBE, DFC & Bar)
Tempest Pilot (with Squadron Leader C J Sheddan DFC)
The Jasta Pilots (with Frank Bailey and Rick Duiven)
Under the Guns of the Red Baron (with Hal Giblin and Nigel McCrery)
War Diaries of Neville Duke
Who Downed the Aces in WW1?
List of Illustrations
1. Bristol Blenheims of 13 Squadron in 1942 (E. L. Beverley)
2. Flight Lieutenants Eric Beverley and John Shaw (E. L. Beverley)
3. Squadron Leader le Roy DuVivier (via ChazBowyer)
4. Douglas Boston heading towards Dieppe(Imperial War Museum)
5. Squadron Leader Emile Fayolle
6. Squadron Leader Desmond Griffiths and Wing Commander Pelly-Fry
(Imperial War Museum)
7. Wing Commander Minden Blake's Spitfire (W3561)(M. V. Blake)
8. Sergeant Per Bergsland(P. Bergsland)
9. Wing Commander M. V. Blake DSO DFC (M. V. Blake)
10. Flight Lieutenant Gus Daymond and SquadronLeaderChesley
Peterson (via Chaz Bowyer)
11. Aerial photo of Dieppe
12. Fred Fearnley (Norwegian Forsvaramuseet)
13. Janeigil Lofsgaard (Norwegian Forsvaramuseet)
14. Einer Sem-Olsen (Norwegian Forsvaramuseet)
15. Pilot Officer Frank Mitchell (Imperial War Museum)
16. Flight Sergeant C. B. Watson(J. W. Brooks)
17. Pilot Officer John Godfrey (Senator John Godfrey)
18. Flight Lieutenant Stuart Hordern (S. S. C. Hordern)
19. Squadron Leader Johnnie Johnson
20. Lt Rolf Berg (Norwegian Forsvaramuseet)
21. 174 Squadron Group in 1942 (J. W. Brooks)
22. Flight Sergeant Dixie Alexander(R.L.Alexander)
23. 2/Lt Sven Hegland (Norwegian Forsvaramuseet)
24. Wing Commander Denys Gillam(D. E. Gillam)
25. Squadron Leader Stanislaw Skalski
26. A post-war picture of Mike Maciejowski
27. Pair of Mustangs of 400 RC AF Squadron
28. Roland Beamont(R.L.Watson)
29. Boston of 88 Squadron (Z2233 RH-K)(Imperial War Museum)
30. Group Captain Harry Broadhurst(Imperial War Museum)
31. Wing Commander David Scott-Maiden(Imperial War Museum)
32. Squadron Leader Peter Brothers(P. M. Brothers)
33. Squadron Leader Don Carlson (Imperial War Museum)
34. John Brooks (J.W.Brooks)
35. Squadron Leader Pete Wickham (Imperial War Museum)
36. Flight Lieutenant Foss Boulton (Imperial War Museum)
37. Flight Lieutenant Don Kingaby
38. Wing Commander Peter Donkin (P. L.Donkin)
Maps
1. Squadron locations—19 August 1942
2. Dieppe