Dornier 217 low level attack on Tonbridge, Kent -circ 1943.

[Centaurus]

Around 1943, a Dornier 217 attacked the railway marshalling yards at Tonbridge in Kent. I had a clear view from Deakin Leas as the bomber followed the railway lines from London then turned sharply at 500 feet and dropped several bombs across the railway line southbound. It also machine -gunned the vicinity. Some of the bombs failed to explode.

Can anyone recall this event or where I may pick up some information of the attack?

[Tmbstory]

Centaurus:

I cannot help with the 217 but years ago I was lucky enough to to be shown the Dornier 335 push pull machine in their Museum at Munich. What a sight to behold.

It was a -circ 1943 era as well and if I remember correctly it was one of the fastest fighter bombers of that time.

Tmb

[onetrack]

Centaurus - The local library service will most likely have copies of local (Tonbridge) newspapers from 1942 and 1943, either in original or microfiche versions, that will quite likely have reported on the attack.
You need to narrow the date down a little more to reduce your search range. Are there possibly any (local to Tonbridge) WW2 historians that you might be able to find, that have a huge collection of wartime info?

We are fortunate here in Australia, that the National Library of Australia has optically scanned nearly all the available newspapers from 1803 to 1954, and put them all online. The system is far from perfect, but it beats anything we had previously.

[onetrack]

The poster "Leofwine" on this following forum may be able to assist you. It appears he has been researching attacks in Kent by Dornier 217's during 1943, particularly one where his father was machine-gunned in Bexleyheath.
It seems that there were numerous low-level attacks on civilians by the Dorniers around that time.

Air Raid - Bexleyheath 9th February 1943 (http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=7458.0)

[Old-Duffer]

Try a book called "The Blitz - Then & Now".

This is a three voume tome but Vol 3 is what you need. The book records many attacks on UK and by 1943 these were less frequent than earlier in the war.

If you can narrow the date a wee bit, I'll look at my copy to see if anything comes up.

Old Duffer

[Wander00]

Similar query - and I have no date - a stick of I believe small bombs fell in St Lawrence Drive and Rodney Gardens in Eastcote (between Pinner and Ruislip). Only reason I know is that we had a bit of coving in the living room that continually fell down and Dad explained it had benn like that "ever since the bomb on the corner" (of the road, not the house). Anyone know wher I can find the details.