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In May the Squadron was able to get in its operations despite a nine-day break while away on a course.  "Noball" targets were attacked six times and tactical objectives for D-Day (radar sites, bridges and marshalling yards, ten times; the total bomb tonnage running to 67.5 tons,  There were no casualties

The first operation in May was a novelty, an attack on an enemy destroyer. In the early morning of 29 April HMCS (Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships) "Haida" and "Athabaskan" had engaged two Nazis "Elbing" class destroyers and a smaller vessel off the Ile de Batz.  At the beginning of the action "Athabaskan" was sunk by a torpedo ⁽¹⁾, but "Haida" put several salvoes into one of the "Elbings" which, unable to escape, beached itself on the rocks near the island.  "Haida" continued to fire until the vessel was ablaze.  The Air Force then took a hand in the proceedings to make sure that the destroyer was completely destroyed and made several bombing attacks.  On 3 May Nos. 439 and 440 Squadrons flew down to Predannack, near Penzance in Cornwall, where the aircraft were bombed up for the flight across the Channel. The bombing attacks, which resulted in some damaging near misses, was followed by strafing runs in the face of considerable flak which made hits on F/O Jimmy Hogg's Tiffie.

HMCS HAIDA taken at Plymouth, England on July 4, 1944 by Gilbert Milne. The camouflage scheme is not standard but was common in the 10th Destroyer Flotilla. (RCN Photo)

Webmaster's Note (1) The Athabaskan (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Stubbs, R.C.N., DSO, DSC) was sunk in the English Channel North East of Ouessant by two torpedoes from the German torpedo boats T-24 and T-27. The magazine and a boiler blew up in an explosion that was seen 20 miles away. 129 of the crew went down with the ship. 83 men were picked up from the water by the torpedo boats and taken prisoner. Another 44 of the crew were picked up by HMCS Haida. 

Four more aircraft received minor flak damage the next morning when the Squadron bombed a "Noball" near Abbeville, making ten direct hits on the target.  Between operations, training for D-Day continued, with exercises in co-operation with the Army, practice airfield moves, and a few sorties to escort convoys moving to assembly points along the coast.