98 SQUADRON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
September 2018 FLYPAST 119problems with the aircraft
proved frustrating and it was
initially restricted to air sea rescue
(ASR) searches.
However, 98’s first bombing raid
came on January 22, 1943 when the
CO led an attack on an oil refinery
and storage tanks at Terneuzen on
the Dutch/Belgian border, in
company with 180 Squadron. The
Mitchells encountered accurate flak
near the target – Plt Off Ray Woods’
FL693/VO-O was hit and blew up
killing him and his crew of Sgt
Herbert Barber, Plt Off Lawrence
Carrington and Fg Off Paul Solon.
The formation was then engaged by
Focke-Wulf Fw 190s and had a
difficult time before 169 Squadron’s
North American Mustangs arrived
to give cover.
It was a disappointing start – the
unit reverted to exercises and ASR
work until resuming bombing
operations in mid-May, when
marshalling yards at Boulogne were
targeted. Things then picked up with
strikes on Flushing (Netherlands),
Rotterdam, Brest and the Fokker
works in Holland. The squadron flew
nine raids in August, moving on the
18th to Dunsfold, Surrey, from where
it increased the pace of operations. In
November No.2 Group became part
of the newly formed 2nd Tactical Air
Force (TAF) in preparation for the
invasion of Europe, with our feature
unit forming part of 139 Airfield
(later Wing).
By this time launch bases for
enemy V-1 flying bombs had been
discovered in northern France and
these small well-
defended sites,
code named
‘Noball’, became priority targets.
No.98’s first sortie, led by Sqn Ldr
Keith Bell-Irving, was against
Mimoyecques near Calais on
November 5. Despite the Mitchells
being equipped
with ‘Gee’
navigation
equipment, the mission was not a
success and had to be repeated.
Attacks on ‘Noball’ targets
continued into 1944 and in
early February.
Daylight strikes, often at wing
strength with 180 and 320
Squadrons, continued into the
spring, but in late March night
training for flare dropping began,
with No.98 flying its first nocturnal
sortie to a ‘Noball’ target in mid-
April. Having been promoted to
command the unit, Bell-Irving and
his crew were shot down and killed
near Abbeville on May 8 and so the
following month Wg Cdr
Christopher Paul became CO. He
flew his first mission in Mitchell II
FW189/VO-A on May 20 when he
targeted three 240mm railway guns
near Sangatte, France; he noted that
the eight 500lb bombs were slightly
right of the target but that the flak
was light. His unit flew further
night sorties, mainly against
communications targets, deep
into Belgium and France as the
invasion approached.D-DAY AND AFTER
On the night before the landings,
the planned assault was aborted due
to bad weather, but on the return
flight the CO noted: “The whole
area was a mass of distant ships
and the sky full of aircraft. This
was the invasion.” On the evening
of June 6, a road and rail defile
[narrow passage] at Thury-Harcourt
just south of Caen was bombed
followed by enemy positions at
Villers-Bocage and further rail targets
to prevent movement of German
reinforcement. The concentrations
of armour around Château de la
Caine and in the Forêt de Grimbosq
were hit on the 13th, but on the
latter sortie Flt Lt Bill Dawes and
crew were lost. Then, on the 22nd,
No.98 participated in what the
CO considered one of its most
important operations around Caen
when it bombed a heavily defended
German fortress at the Colomebelles
iron works on the River Orne. He
recalled: “The results were good, for
not only were the Highlanders able
to cross without serious opposition,
but they took the iron works as well”.
July continued to be busy with
strikes on fuel depots being a feature
and during a raid on Alençon on the
17th, Sqn Ldr Ken Eager flew his
100th mission.
However, on the 23rd came a
disastrous strike on the rail yards at
Glos-Monfort. The three formations
of aircraft were led by the CO, Sqn
Ldr Paynter, and Flt Lt Brown, but
as bombs fell from HughAbove
A load of 500lb
bombs fall from
Mitchell II FV914 onto
a target in France in
May 1943, soon
after 98 began
daylight strikes.Below
Mosquito B.35 TH995
awaits its turn to take
off from Celle for a
sortie during Exercise
Cupola in August- MOD