torpedo attack. Around 100 miles
from the Algerian coast a dozen Swordfish, six from 810
Squadron and six from 820 Squadron, were armed with
torpedoes and ranged on the flight deck. Dunkerque 's
position made it difficult for an attack. She was close to the
shore in shallow water, protected by a mole. To make a beam
attack would require an approach either over the breakwater
or over the town. The twelve aircraft would attack from two
directions and so formed up into two sections. One group of
nine would make its approach low over the sea out of the
rising sun, dropping their 'kippers', as the torpedoes were
known, just inside the breakwater, while the other three
would approach over the town and attempt to hit the port
side of the warship.
The nine aircraft coming in from the sea waited until they
could see the rays of the rising sun hitting Dunkerque, then
they started their dive, separating into two groups, one of six
aircraft and one of three. They took the French by surprise,
and their approach was purposeful and steady, without any of
the anti-aircraft guns firing at them. Five out of the first six
torpedoes, which had been set to run at a very shallow 12
feet, hit the target, although one failed to explode. It was seen
to ricochet off the side of the warship, then continue running
along the side of the ship on the surface until it hit a jetty,
where finally the warhead, armed with a Duplex pistol, did
explode, blowing fragments of wooden decking and massive
heavy piling high into the air. The sixth torpedo missed the
target and ran up on to the beach, where it too blew up.
The lead pilot,Captain Newson RN, took the group on
another, lower approach, from 2,000 feet, but as they made a
turn to launch their attack the anti-aircraft guns started firing
and the pilots were forced to take violent avoiding action until
they were over the breakwater. Captain Newson forgot to
press his master switch, so his torpedo failed to drop, but the
following two aircraft released theirs successfully. They then
turned and made a low-level, erratic getaway, being fired on
as they did so. As they flew behind a headland, the observer
of the rear plane saw the smoke and red fireball of a large
explosion rise into view. He thought it came from where Dunkerque lay beached, and could only have been caused by
a magazine exploding.
The final attack, led by Lieutenant David 'Feather'Godfrey-Faussett of 810 Squadron, an extremely good pilot
and a man for whom I had a lot of respect, made its approach
over land, hitting the coast at Cap Falcon, keeping to the
landward side of the high promontory of Point Mers-el-Kébir
and then swinging over the town at very low level. Even with
this stealthy approach they were fired on by anti-aircraft guns
from another battleship in the harbour and from the shore
batteries to the east. Godfrey-Faussett dropped first, but
although his observer thought the torpedo hit the target, there
was no explosion. The second Swordfish dropped at a longer
range. The torpedo ran straight and true, but hit not Dunkerque but a tug, which disintegrated in a ball of flame.
The third torpedo hit Dunkerque, but again it failed to
explode.
These three Swordfish were the last aircraft to attack, and
there had been enough time for the French to be on a high
level of preparedness. Not only were the shore-based batteries
ready for the approach of the last three Swordfish, but the
French air force had managed to get some fighters airborne
and these were now flying over the harbour being engaged by
the Skuas. The pilots of the Swordfish were unaware of this
fight going on overhead, but asSub-Lieutenant Pearson,
Godfrey-Faussett's wingman, was flying at about 100 feet
above the waves, he noticed strange splashes on the surface on
his port side, slightly ahead of him. It dawned on him with a
shock that he was being fired on from behind by a fighter. The
burst of adrenalin that had hit his nerves as he jinked through
the anti-aircraft fire
from the Algerian coast a dozen Swordfish, six from 810
Squadron and six from 820 Squadron, were armed with
torpedoes and ranged on the flight deck. Dunkerque 's
position made it difficult for an attack. She was close to the
shore in shallow water, protected by a mole. To make a beam
attack would require an approach either over the breakwater
or over the town. The twelve aircraft would attack from two
directions and so formed up into two sections. One group of
nine would make its approach low over the sea out of the
rising sun, dropping their 'kippers', as the torpedoes were
known, just inside the breakwater, while the other three
would approach over the town and attempt to hit the port
side of the warship.
The nine aircraft coming in from the sea waited until they
could see the rays of the rising sun hitting Dunkerque, then
they started their dive, separating into two groups, one of six
aircraft and one of three. They took the French by surprise,
and their approach was purposeful and steady, without any of
the anti-aircraft guns firing at them. Five out of the first six
torpedoes, which had been set to run at a very shallow 12
feet, hit the target, although one failed to explode. It was seen
to ricochet off the side of the warship, then continue running
along the side of the ship on the surface until it hit a jetty,
where finally the warhead, armed with a Duplex pistol, did
explode, blowing fragments of wooden decking and massive
heavy piling high into the air. The sixth torpedo missed the
target and ran up on to the beach, where it too blew up.
The lead pilot,Captain Newson RN, took the group on
another, lower approach, from 2,000 feet, but as they made a
turn to launch their attack the anti-aircraft guns started firing
and the pilots were forced to take violent avoiding action until
they were over the breakwater. Captain Newson forgot to
press his master switch, so his torpedo failed to drop, but the
following two aircraft released theirs successfully. They then
turned and made a low-level, erratic getaway, being fired on
as they did so. As they flew behind a headland, the observer
of the rear plane saw the smoke and red fireball of a large
explosion rise into view. He thought it came from where Dunkerque lay beached, and could only have been caused by
a magazine exploding.
The final attack, led by Lieutenant David 'Feather'Godfrey-Faussett of 810 Squadron, an extremely good pilot
and a man for whom I had a lot of respect, made its approach
over land, hitting the coast at Cap Falcon, keeping to the
landward side of the high promontory of Point Mers-el-Kébir
and then swinging over the town at very low level. Even with
this stealthy approach they were fired on by anti-aircraft guns
from another battleship in the harbour and from the shore
batteries to the east. Godfrey-Faussett dropped first, but
although his observer thought the torpedo hit the target, there
was no explosion. The second Swordfish dropped at a longer
range. The torpedo ran straight and true, but hit not Dunkerque but a tug, which disintegrated in a ball of flame.
The third torpedo hit Dunkerque, but again it failed to
explode.
These three Swordfish were the last aircraft to attack, and
there had been enough time for the French to be on a high
level of preparedness. Not only were the shore-based batteries
ready for the approach of the last three Swordfish, but the
French air force had managed to get some fighters airborne
and these were now flying over the harbour being engaged by
the Skuas. The pilots of the Swordfish were unaware of this
fight going on overhead, but asSub-Lieutenant Pearson,
Godfrey-Faussett's wingman, was flying at about 100 feet
above the waves, he noticed strange splashes on the surface on
his port side, slightly ahead of him. It dawned on him with a
shock that he was being fired on from behind by a fighter. The
burst of adrenalin that had hit his nerves as he jinked through
the anti-aircraft fire
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