Saw this during one of my periodic searches. THE ALLIED CAMPAIGN IN NORTH-WEST EUROPE, 6 JUNE 1944 - 7 MAY 1945 (HU 52367) Said to be 'an air raid on the German positions at Falaise ' it just did not look 'German' to me so I went looking. Turns out it is one of the areas bombed in error by the RAF on August 14. It is Haut Mesnil. Details of the error: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1438&context=cmh
Well spotted Michael, The use of the strategic 'heavies' in a tactical role was always going to result in some errors occurring. You only have to look at the dust cloud in the photograph on page 103 of your link to see the difficulty in finding aiming points once the first bombs had fallen. The question is of course were the losses sustain in this and other operations like it worth the outcome achieved and would these achievements, albeit small in some instances, have made the progress they did without the use of heavies to blast open the German lines. Some sources put the causality figure as high as 400 Poles and Canadians killed as a direct result of the bombing. IIRC, the Cobra bombing had the run in parallel to the front lines, but Eisenhower order it changed in subsequent operations to a perpendicular approach in order ti minimise losses if the bombs fell short. Regards, Pat
HI Mike That is Haut Mesnil for sure but angle looks like a fighter bomber more than a heavy. I am very interested in ths date and writing a book on it. I posted in another forum on this site uner reconasaince photos also bombing Haut Mesnil. ALONZO