Operation Arc de Triomphe
QUESTION On June 12, 1942, a Bristol Beaufighter flew a mission to drop a huge tricolour over the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to bolster French morale. Was the operation a success? OperatiOn Squabble was flown by a volunteer Beaufighter crew based at raF Wattisham in Suffolk.
raF air Chief Marshal Sir philip Joubert de la Ferte, born in india of partial French descent, devised this propaganda idea to boost the morale of the French when he was told nazi forces paraded down the Champs-elysees boulevard every day.
the air Ministry decided that a lowflying machine gun and cannon attack on this parade, and the dropping of the flag on the arc de triomphe, would raise the morale of the French people.
Sir philip called in Wing Commander Ken Gatward to see if he would volunteer for the mission. Gatward and his navigator, Sgt George Fern, of 236 Squadron Coastal Command agreed to do so.
they actually had two flags, a large tricolour cut into two, each weighted with iron to help it unfurl correctly. the flags were installed on their Bristol type 156 Beaufighter (serial t4800, code nDC), a British long-range heavy fighter.
Setting off from a forward base at thorney island in West Sussex, they had to turn back four times due to lack of cloud cover, but finally decided to press on regardless at a low level. they nearly had to turn back once more following a bird strike on an oil radiator, but kept going, lining up on the eiffel tower.
there was no sign of the parade. But the first tricolour was successfully dropped over the arc de triomphe.
When he saw the landmark come into view, Gatward called out: ‘are you ready with the first flag, George?’
‘Yes, but the slipstream’s breaking my arm!’ Fern shouted back.
‘now!’ Gatward shouted, and the flag fluttered down as close to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as they could get it — the raF’s tribute to France’s war dead. they then proceeded with their back-up plan, attacking the German navy (Kriegsmarine) headquarters in the former home of the French Ministry of navy.
Fern dropped the second flag as Gatward opened fire on the building, shattering windows and stonework. Fern later reported that he saw an irate German soldier shaking his fist at them as he emerged from behind a truck, the flag fluttering down over his head.
the flak gunners were caught unawares and the few streams of shells were well behind the aircraft as they flew back to base. Leaflets and a BBC announcement later told anyone in paris who hadn’t seen it of the mission’s success.
Gatward was awarded a DFC and Fern the DFM. a detailed account of the flight can be found in the Strike Wings by roy Conyers nesbit.
Trevor Hart, Woodbridge, Suffolk.
QUESTION Following the Norman Invasion, did a group of English nobles leave to fight for the Byzantine Empire?
the Byzantine empire was established in aD 330 when emperor Constantine moved the seat of the roman empire to Byzantium, later r e - named Constantinople after him.
its Varangian Guard was an elite unit established in the ninth century and continuing to the 14th, consisting of soldiers from Germanic tribes, such as the norsemen.
after the norman Conquest of england, William the Conqueror’s followers were rewarded with lands seized from angloSaxon and Danish nobles. Left destitute, many nobles and their followers travelled to Constantinople to join the Varangian Guard to serve the Byzantine empire.
the original Varangian Guard was set up in aD 874 by norse people from Kievan rus, the area now known as the Baltic states and Belarus. Contingents are also known to have come from norway, Denmark, Sweden and iceland.
the Varangians served in several campaigns, particularly against the Seljuk turks who were intent on conquering turkey and Greece.
the first record of anglo- Saxons joining is in the 1070s when it’s thought as many as 5,000 exiles arrived in 250 ships. Byzantine historians record the new arrivals as axe-bearing warriors, which fits with them being the house Carls or personal guards of angloSaxon nobles. the Varangian Guard became the personal guard of the emperor and the anglo-Saxon contingent became the dominant part of the unit. Other anglo-Saxons, who didn’t join the Guard, settled along the Black Sea coast of what is now Bulgaria and romania, garrisoning the towns there. Bob Dillon, Edinburgh.
QUESTION Why were Winchester rifles never used in World Wars I and II? They could hold about 15 rounds, and were not as cumbersome as Lee Enfield rifles.
FUrther to the earlier answer, although the British army made almost no use of Winchester rifles during the two wars, the royal Flying Corps did purchase a few of the Model 1886 at the beginning of World War i. these were used with special incendiary bullets against German airships until more effective weapons could be developed.
Meanwhile, in order to release as many Lee enfields as possible for use at the front, the royal navy purchased 20,000 Model 1892 and 5,000 Model 1894 rifles. they were used on board ship and were replaced in 1915 by the Japanese arisaka rifle.