Intentionally left blank.

The Squadron returned to its own base at Lantheuil on the morning of the 8^th  after the metal tracking had been laid, but for over a week persistent low cloud seriously hampered operations, and the pilots were lucky to get in one sortie a day. When they were able to fly they made their bombs count. Witness the report of an attack carried out by F/L Ken Fiset and eight companions at 2145 on 9 July. On receipt of a signal from Army headquarters that enemy armored vehicles were concentrating in a small wood and orchard east of St. Germain d'Ectot, south-west of Tilly, the nine aircraft, loaded with 1,000 lb. bombs, took off to deal with the situation. Red smoke shells fired by the artillery pin-pointed the target for a concentrated attack followed by strafing run at motor vehicles and tanks. The bombing apparently broke up a counter attack before it could get started and the pilots were pleased to receive a message from the commander of 30 Corps. "Most grateful for very effective support given to 50 Division by fighter bombers of 143 Wing.  This support was reported by ground troops to be most accurate and contributed materially to the breaking up of an enemy counter-attack. It was indeed an exhilarating sight for our forward troops."

This was followed by another good attack that morning on a regimental command post at Feuguerolles, a few miles south of Caen which had not fallen to the British and Canadian forces. Cloud covered the target area but S/L Norsworthy, guided perhaps by "operational intuition”, dived through the blanket when he believed he was near the objective - and immediately re-appeared with a heavy trail of flak right behind him. Instructing his pilots that the target was directly below, he led them down in a dive from 8,000 feet through the cloud layer and squarely onto the objective. All but two of the bombs were dead on, covering the village with a cloud of smoke and dust.

Intentionally left blank.

The only operation on 11 July was a small, but very satisfying, attack by three of No. 438's pilots and two of No. 439’s on a bridge over the Orne. Despite much cloud over the target, the Tiffies got four direct hits which tumbled the span into the river. Two more bridges in the Falaise area and six vehicles were damaged during a full-squadron armed recce led by W/C Judd the following evening.  Ken Fiset had his aircraft damaged by flak on this sortie and Hugh Norsworthy intercepted a few fragments the next day when the Squadron sought to bomb an enemy troop and vehicle concentration in the woods by Demouville, east of Caen. Low clouds made it so difficult to identify the pinpoint that only two pilots, F/Os Ivan Smith and Johnny Kalen, got their bombs on the right target. The others attacked Troarn, farther to the east.   A rail-busting mission on the 15^th had a similar result, only two of the formation being able to locate the target because of the clouds. When the Squadron attacked two targets at Vacognes and Amaye on the 16^th the results were cryptically reported as "satisfactory but not easily apparent."

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