Intentionally left blank.

It was three days before the Squadron was out again; then, on the 29^th, it returned to the battlefront below Caen to blitz enemy strong points in a group of buildings at St. Martin de Fontenay. No. 439, attacking in conjunction with No. 438, came down to 1,500 feet in a steep 80^o dive and almost obliterated the target. All but three of the sixteen buildings in the village were leveled by the 1,000 lb. bombs. Our own troops, just 500 yards away, were admiring spectators of the effectiveness of air support.

An operation to Laigle, deep in "Indian country", on the 30^th was of interest because for the first time, so far as Squadron records indicate, the Tiffie pilots caught sight of enemy aircraft. They were some distance away, however, and "despite anxious wishing" did not come near enough to be engaged. (It is of interest to note that in July the squadrons in Normandy were warned that the enemy might use a limited number of jet or rocket propelled aircraft on operations in the near future.) July closed with three close support attacks in the Caumont area, east of St. Lo where the Americans had broken through the enemy lines a few days previously. A Nazi headquarters in a little village received eight tons of bombs which exploded right in the centre of the target, demolishing several buildings. The second show was less satisfactory. The whole Wing had gone out to blast an enemy concentration in another village south-east of Caumont where the target, because of the proximity of our own troops, was to be marked by red smoke shells. The pilots located the target, despite cloud and haze, and orbited waiting for the smoke to be laid. After almost 20 minutes had passed in a grim chase of formation keeping, the Squadrons separated and bombed alternative targets. No. 439 spread a stick of burst along the length of a wood and then hurried homeward with anxious eyes on the fuel gauges.  The sortie had lasted almost 90 minutes. Late in the evening another load of high explosives was dropped on an enemy concentration south of Caumont, the aircraft returning to Lantheuil in the fast gathering dusk.

The British Second Amy expressed its appreciation of the work that the fighter-bombers did during the last week of July.  Their attacks had been a major factor in preventing the enemy from moving his armour from the Caen sector to meet the threat in the west, thereby permitting the American Army and the British 8th Corps to continue their advance without serious armoured opposition.

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