On 10 May 1940 the German Army launched Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries. On the first day of the offensive Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger captured the bridges of Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven spanning the Albert Canal at Maastricht. With German forces threatening to break through in Belgium the Allied High Command ordered the destruction of the Maastricht bridges. 12 Squadron RAF of the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) equipped with Fairey Battle bombers was assigned the task, with every man in the squadron volunteering for the mission. Six crews took off from the grass strip at Amifontaine at 0818hrs 12 May 1940, with one aircraft turning back suffering engine trouble. Escorted by Hurricanes from 1 Sqn RAF and two BEF Air Element squadrons the remaining five Battles approached their targets, three attacking the Veldwezelt Bridge and the other two the Vroenhoven Bridge.
WGS MAAS01.2_1.jpg Views: 57 Size: 235.2 KB ID: 197414" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />
WGS MAAS01.2_2.jpg Views: 57 Size: 261.2 KB ID: 197415" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />
I have uploaded the original document here - http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/dow...o=file&id=2294
AAR will follow over the next week.
Bookmarks