1943 (?) Dornier 217 bombed Tonbridge, Kent, marshalling yards
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1943 (?) Dornier 217 bombed Tonbridge, Kent, marshalling yards
Circa 1943, I was walking up Pembury Road in Tonbridge, Kent, after school and after the siren had sounded. As typical school boys, my friend and I ignored the siren. I spotted a low flying twin engine aircraft with two tails following the inbound rail line London to Tonbridge. I considered myself in those days as a whip at aircraft identification and initially thought it was an Avro Manchester from the front view.
It then made a sharp turn to drop several bombs on Tonbridge marshalling yards. Height was about 1000 feet or even lower. At the same time machine gun fire appeared to come from the aircraft which I then correctly identified as a Dornier 217. The crosses on the fuselage were clear. The Avro Manchester and Dornier 217 had a similar profile. I recall several sharp explosions from the bombs while later I found out that some bombs had failed to explode.
I vaguely recall there was very little damage from the bombs.
At the time I was 11 years of age but the memory of that incident seems quite clear; although I am also aware that memories of events can be embellished with time. For instance it could have been in 1943 or 1944.
I would be most interested in knowing what really happened that day.
It then made a sharp turn to drop several bombs on Tonbridge marshalling yards. Height was about 1000 feet or even lower. At the same time machine gun fire appeared to come from the aircraft which I then correctly identified as a Dornier 217. The crosses on the fuselage were clear. The Avro Manchester and Dornier 217 had a similar profile. I recall several sharp explosions from the bombs while later I found out that some bombs had failed to explode.
I vaguely recall there was very little damage from the bombs.
At the time I was 11 years of age but the memory of that incident seems quite clear; although I am also aware that memories of events can be embellished with time. For instance it could have been in 1943 or 1944.
I would be most interested in knowing what really happened that day.
