The rail interdiction campaign continued throughout October, despite the handicap of cloud, haze and rain, and almost monopolized the Squadron's operations. No less than 45 of the month's 58 missions were directed against rail targets. (1) The bomb tonnage, which had dropped to 65 tons in September, rose sharply to about 200 tons.

(1) The other operations were six small weather recces, four "Army support" jobs, two patrols, and a special mission to blast canal gates.

There was less strafing. (2) However, the 20 mm. expenditure for the month being only 20.032
rounds as against 45,190 for September. 

(2) There are some discrepancies in the bomb figures: one report shows 198 tons for October. another gives 217 1/2.

Three pilots were missing on these operations, at least two of them being victims of the flak defences. The weather was so poor on 1 0ctober that one section was unable to attack its target, but later in the day four direct hits were scored on rail lines near Geldern and Marienbaum and a shunting engine was damaged at Wesel.

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Five operations were completed the next day against three objectives. After one attack with 1,000 lb. bombs on the railroad bridge at Rhenen had failed to destroy the structure, S/L Fiset led his formation out for a second crack at it. Once again great clouds of smoke, dust and debris were blown into the sky, but this time when the air cleared it was seen that the entire southern span had been knocked out. The bridge was "kaput". Flak was "quite evident" from
the area, and fairly accurate as F/O Laycock's aircraft testified. 

Then F/L Monson took a section of four to smash the freight yards at Goch, causing considerable damage to a train of fifty goods trucks. The next target was the rail line at Issum where, on the second try, two rails were cut with three direct hits. On the way home F/O "Babe" Swingler set fire to a truck and damaged two more. 

There was considerable light flak from Issum which punctured the oil tank in P/O A.C. McBride's Typhoon. Al managed to get within fifteen miles of base before he had to make an emergency landing in no man's land. An American patrol whisked him away just as a group of Germans emerged from the nearby woods to destroy his aircraft. They say that when Al returned to Eindhoven later in the day he still had his fingers crossed!

 

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