On
the 31st of December 1943, 140 wing comprising of 21, 464 and 487 Squadrons of the recently formed Second Tactical air force
or 2 TAF moved to Hunsdon from Sculthorpe in Norfolk. Operating the FB Mk VI fighter bomber variant of the
Mosquito. Unknown to them at this time they were soon to take part in one of the most well known raids in RAF history
"Operation Jericho".
In 1944, Word had been recieved from the French Resistance
that the Germans were to soon execute 180 of their captured colleagues at the Gestapo prison at Amiens in occupied Northern
France, the formidable prison held 700 french people, including resistance fighters, political prisoners as well as common
criminals, it was surrounded by a high stone wall and was deemed escape proof.
Plans were quickly drawn up and were put into place, the British had limited time to act as the day of execution was
to be in a few days time. The walls of the prison and the surrounding high walls were to be breached without causing
too much loss of life among the incarcerated Resistance fighters.
The fact that the bombs were to be dropped at a height of 15 feet with 60foot high buildings to be avoided micro seconds
later, did little to ease the aircrews minds, there could only be one attempt at this. The raid was to be led by Group
Captain Pickard and his navigator flight Lieutenant Broadley.
Born on the 16th May 1915, in Handsworth Sheffield
south Yorkshire, Percy Charles 'Pick' Pickard was one of the well known RAF officers of the war. He had a long career on "ops",
and saw action many times in aerial combat, he took part in some of the most dangerous operations flown by the Royal Air Force.
he was admired for his leadership, strengh and determination.
As "Sqd Ldr Dickson", he played the part of the Pilot of Vickers
Wellington, 'F for Freddie', in the cinema film 'Target for Tonight' made by the government Crown Film Unit. Back on real
operations he played a key role in the successful airborne raid called "Operation biting" against the German Wurzburg Radar
Installation near Bruneval on the French coast near Le Havre, where parts of this radar were removed by British paratroops
for examination by scientists back in England.
Pickard also flew numerous covert sorties, dropping supplies
and agents for the S.O.E. into Nazi occupied Europe while with 161 Squadron flying Westland Lysanders from Tempsford Bedfordshire.
John Alan "Bill"Broadley was born at Richmond in
the county of Yorkshire in 1921.he joined the RAF on leaving school, and trained as an Observer, and flew many operations
over Germany during the first two years of war. He joined No.9 Squadron May 1941, and became Pick Pickards regular navigator.
During June-August he flew with Pickard against major German targets all over germany and was awarded the DFM for ability
and courage.
In August 1941 he was posted to 138 Squadron, a special
duties unit, supplying the resistance and dropping and picking up agents.on November 18th 1941 he was commissioned as a Pilot
Officer and was posted to 51 squadron. on the night of February 27th/28th 1942, he flew with Pickard on the bruneval raid
,in July 1942 he was posted to 296 Squadron a glider towing squadron.
During November, Broadley moved to 161 Squadron at Tempsford
near Bedford, another special duties unit and while here he was awarded the DFC and the DSO and gained promotion to Flight
Lieutenant. On 1st December 1943 he made his final move to 21 Squadron that was part of part of 140 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air
Force.he was appointed as Wing Navigational Officer in January 1944, and flew many low level raids with Pickard, ending with
Operation Jericho.
The raid was planned for February the 17th
1944,but was postponed for 24 hours due to bad weather ,a morse code message was received from the Resistance 'strike now
or never, The executions are imminent'.
February the 18th came and the weather was awful, by normal reasons the mission would have been aborted again,but time
had run out, the raid had to go, snow was falling, and gusts of wind swept across the barren airfield, the 19 mosquito's lifted
off of Hunsdons main NE/SW runway at 1100 hours and were to meet a fighter escort of Hawker Typhoon's of 174 ,198, and 245
squadron over the English channel, and the entire raid was to be flown at very low level, just the sort of raid that Mosquito's
were excellent at.
Things went slightly wrong when some of the Typhoon escort failed to meet up with the Mossies,probably
due to the weather conditions in the English channel, but the mossies pressed on knowing that there would be no other chance,
the following days weather was forecast to be worse by the RAF Met office, but the prisoners would be dead before dawn
the next day if they did not act immediately.
Following the long Albert-Amiens road at a
height to avoid the tall poplar trees that lined it, the mossies bore down on the Gaol, so accurate was their attack that
only one bomb went astray from the whole of the first 12 aircraft on target, the walls of the prison building and the outer
perimeter walls were breached and the timing was perfect.
Most of the German guards were having lunch and were killed
when a bomb struck their dining hall, the prisoners were seen escaping across the frozen fields, they had been forewarned
of the impending raid by an informer and were quick to act for themselves when the time came, Pickard sent the remaining aircraft
home without dropping their bombs, and instructed the ones that had already bombed to leave as well.
The Mosquito flown by Mc Ritchie, with
Flt/Lt RW Samson as navigator was hit by flak and bellied in, Some reports say that upon seeing this, Pickard flew over
the spot where the mossie had crashed to check for survivors, Other reports say he was circling the area for a last look.
Whatever is true, he was bounced by two Fw190's of 11/JG26 that had come from a nearby airfield.
The tail of the mossie was severed, and it crashed into an
apple orchard just outside the town of Amiens . Pickard and Broadley were killed, a French girl cut the medal ribbons
and RAF wings from Pickards tunic and posted them to his widow at the end of the War. Flt/Lt RW Samson from McRitchies aircraft
also lost his life on the raid.
The Germans buried them, and forbade the local
french from attending the funeral, but that did not deter many from turning up, and to this day the graves of Group Captain
Pickard and F/Lt Broadley are looked after by the local french people.
Of the escaping prisoners, some were shot and many
were recaptured, but all together 250 of them got away,but alas 102 died either by bombs or being shot by the Germans, the
germans themselves lost 50 of their guards in the attack.
