Dramatic photo of a Mosquito, bomb doors open, pulling up after delivering four bombs against the prison wall and buildings. A cloud of masonry dust is rising but the bombs have an 11-second delay before they explode. Tailwheel of the photo Mosquito, just ahead of the attacking aircraft, is in centre. BELOW: Seventy-five years later the repaired breach in the outer wall is still visible.
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.
At one minute past noon they reached Amiens, three of the 487 Sqn aircraft aiming for the eastern and northern walls of the prison, while the other two made a diversion attack on the local railway station, before returning to the prison. The attack began with an approach along the main road, the Mosquitos flying at 60ft to clear the poplar trees along each side of the road before descending to 50ft, release their bombs, and pull up to clear the prison buildings.
Two 464 aircraft attacked the eastern wall with eight 500 lb (230 kg) bombs delivered from 50ft but observers did not see any damage to the prison. Within a few seconds, two Mosquitos bombed the main building from 100 ft.
Ian McRitchie’s 464 Sqn Mosquitos were too close behind and had to circle while the bombs detonated. Ian bombed the northern wall, causing a large breach, with another bomb scoring a direct hit on the guardhouse. Pickard, circling at 500 ft, saw the prisoners streaming from the prison and told 21 Sqn to return home. As he himself turned, he was attacked by a Fw 190 of JG 26; its cannon severed the tail of his Mosquito, which crashed and burned. By this time some of the Canadian Typhoon pilots had managed to reach Amiens despite the weather and one was shot down while protecting the Mosquitos, though they in turn destroyed at least one Focke-Wulf. Another Typhoon was lost when it flew into a hillside while trying to reach base in a snowstorm.
A total of 255 prisoners escaped, though 182 were recaptured. The diversion attack on the railway station delayed German reinforcements, sent to recapture the escapees, by two hours but the Luftwaffe was called in and found it easy to spot the prisoners against the snow-covered countryside. The terrible price was the 102 prisoners killed and many others wounded. The number of German casualties is unknown as the direct hit all but obliterated their quarters.
On the return flight after the raid, approaching Caen at 250 mph and under 100 feet, Ian went straight over a flak battery. Its 20mm shells struck the starboard side of the fuselage and shrapnel severely wounded Ian in the right leg and arm in 26 places and hit his temple, blinding his right eye. He called to his navigator, Dick “Sammy” Sampson for help, but he had been killed instantly.
Wiping blood from his head wound and the windscreen, Ian managed to keep control of the damaged and tricky to handle Mosquito and make a successful belly-landing near the village of Frenouville in the flat Somme countryside. The tiny door in the starboard side of the cockpit was of course shredded by the flak shells, so Ian had to release the canopy and clamber out despite his wounds. Then he passed out.