Operation Jericho

Freeing the French Resistance from Gestapo jail, Amiens 1944

Operation Jericho cover

Operation Jericho

Freeing the French Resistance from Gestapo jail, Amiens 1944

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Description

This is the story of Operation Jericho, the spectacular prison break staged by an elite group of British, Australian and New Zealand bomber pilots, who flew a daring low-level mission to blow holes in the walls of Amiens jail and free French Resistance prisoners under the sentence of death during World War II.

With D-Day looming, early 1944 was a time of massive intelligence activity across northern France, and many résistants were being captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Among the jails full of French agents was Amiens, where hundreds awaited likely execution for their activities.

To repay their debt of honour, MI6 requested an air raid with a seemingly impossible brief: to simultaneously blow holes in the prison walls, free as many men and women as possible while minimizing casualties, and kill German guards in their quarters. The crews would have to fly their bomb-run at an altitude of just 20ft. Despite the huge difficulties, the RAF decided that the low-level specialists of No. 140 Wing had a chance of success.

With the aid of first-hand accounts, explanatory 3D diagrams and dramatic original artwork, the eminent historian Robert Lyman explains how one of the most difficult and spectacular air raids of World War II was pulled off, and debunks some of the myths over why the raid was ordered in the first place.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Target for Today
Origins: The Aircraft - No.2 (Lighter Bomber) Group
The Plan: The Reason Why - Group Captain Percy Charles Pickard
The Raid: Take-off - The Attack - Aftermath in Amiens - The Deaths of Pickard and Broadley
Aftermath
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 26 May 2022
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472852069
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Dimensions 248 x 184 mm
Series Raid
Short code RAID 57
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Robert Lyman

Robert Lyman is regarded as one of Britain’s most…

Illustrator

Adam Tooby

Adam Tooby is an internationally renowned digital…

Resources

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