A prang was originally used by the RAF during WWI for a crash, but by WWII usually meant a large explosion, especially as the result of a bombing raid, as shown by some of the extracts from the log book of Jim Glasspool, a navigator in XV Squadron RAF, which at the time was operating Lancasters
Date Target Remarks
8/7/44 Caen
1st 1000 bombers daylight by B.C. load 6 tonnes. Germans tanks and troop concentralions saw convoys going to beachhead- wizand. no opposition.
15/7/44 Kiel
1st German??. Carried 'cookie' and "J" incendiaries as well as leaflets. Heavy flak & fighters. Good prang.
6/8/44 Stuttgart
Nice load with leaflets. Quite a quiet trip. Moderate flak & fighters. Bombs went safe.
8/8/44 Stuttgart
What a find! Stuttgart again. lots of fighters. attacked by me. 110 otherwise a quiet trip. lots 62 a/c
?/8/44 Foret de lecheux
French target peace of cake!! load 14000 lb oil bump in woods. Good prang.
?/8/44 Fort denglos
French oil target again 14000lb no fries seen but bags of smoke no flak although a few fighters in raid area.
?/8/44 Hamel
France-daylight op. Raids of falaise bombing jerry in 'bottleneck'. Good prang.
?/8/44 Stettin
Long blinding carried 'cookie' and 'J' incendiasier. 3 mins late. Seattened attack-not as good.
?8/8/44 Bremen
Wizard prang area devistated 2000x 4000 yeards bang on bombing. hordes of searchlights flak pretty accurate.
25/8/44 Russelheim
Shaky "do". Hit with predicted flak en route, almost got the chop. Piece of flak through table too close to be funny. m./ug and w/op attacked in rear!! Bags of fighters & S/L's over target Coned. Corkscrewing like the clappers. Bang on prang.
29/8/44 Stettin
Long binding trip, but how cares-Joe for king. Coned over targets. Bags of flak & panick. No fighters encounted. Routed over swedden. The low types shot rockets at us. Anyway, we got back.
31/8/44 Pont Remy (FR)
Narrow on T.O. Violent swerve. Bombs half ml. From A.P. Target Robot debot. Spot of flak. otherise ok.
5/9/44 Le Havre
An interestiing trip. Oboe's 50th. My 13th. Leading navigator, 'bang on' show. Carried as passenger, Brig. Genral Schlatter USAAC. Accurate flak over target. Main force carried 1000 lb bomb for every German in le Havre.