Now THIS would be a tough scenario
Just saw this,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ied-Paris.html
The pilot flew his Beaufighter at 30 ft altitude down the Champs-Elysees in 1942 to drop a tricolor on the Arc de Triomphe, and then shot up SS HQ to boot.
His flight log gives as much mention to that as to the fact that he got a bird caught in the radiator.
Pat
Amazing story, thanks Patrick. Gatward was some pilot and kudos to Flt.Sgt Fern for dropping the flag in the right place - that can't have been easy.
What a brilliant story - with cahones like that I'm surprised he could get in the cockpit.
Well, soon we'll have the minis for it....
I think I remember reading this story in a comic as a child.
Sounds cool... and if we can ever get something like "Wings of Glory: Jets" it'd be a good basis for a Flight of the Intruder "Jake and Cole Whack SAM City" scenario too.
Cool, cool story!
I was looking at Beaufighters useages and came across a reference to him. I googled it and this article came up (not here, but the one linked). I figured I would search before I shared it and viola!
Hell of a story!
The meat of the story if you don't want to follow the link: "He and his navigator, Flight Sergeant George Fern, took off from Thorny Island, near Portsmouth, on June 12.
After reaching Paris, he flew at just 30ft before Ft Sgt released the flag down the flare shute and over the Arc de Triomphe.
Mr Grinter said: "It is an amazing story - one of those that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
"He flew down the Champs-Elysees at second floor window height. It was an incredible act of bravery and a real audacious attack.
"He attacked the Gestapo HQ and SS troops were seen to run for their lives. As he turned for home the Germans came out and shook their fists at him.
"The attack gave Parisians one of the greatest thrills of the war and had a huge effect on the morale of the French and at home."
After returning unscathed to Britain, Wg Cdr Gatward wrote in his logbook: "Paris - no cover - 0ft. Drop tricolours on Arc Triomphe & Ministrie Marine. Shoot up German HQ. Little flak - no E.A. Bird in STBD oil radiator.
"Returned Northolt and on to command 61 photos. Heavy rain over England. France fair to light."
The bird in question was a French crow that clattered into Wg Cdr Gatward's Beaufighter plane as he approached Paris.
Upon his return to England, he removed the dead bird and laid it to rest at RAF Northolt.
Wg Cdr Gatward was awarded a second DFC in September 1944 for taking part in an aeriel attack on a German convoy in Norwegian waters.
He spent 30 years in the RAF before retiring. He lived in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, with wife Pamela and died in 1998 aged 8"
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