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00:00in late 1943 the French resistance asked the British for help scores of its top
00:08agents were being held at a prison in Amiens some were about to be executed
00:15others tortured so that they might divulge crucial information about the
00:19impending allied invasion they had to be got out the British decided to blow
00:27open the prison from the air but this had to be a precision attack unlike any
00:32before it it was only possible because of a special aircraft the de Havilland
00:38Mosquito the raid became a legend for the men who flew it versatile mosquito has
00:44given us scores of different jobs to do but that Amiens prison attack is the one
00:50above all but I'll look back on with satisfaction as long as I live
00:56the attack on Amiens prison was one of the most spectacular raids of World War two it
01:23was a very specialized form of assault that was only made possible because of
01:27the Mosquito
01:31before the war Sir Geoffrey de Havilland had developed the concept of a high-speed
01:35bomber convinced that it could outrun enemy fighters
01:44he had already built high-speed aircraft including the record-breaking Comet Racer
01:50this was made of wood as was the Albatross transatlantic mail plane
01:58the Havilland decided to use the same material for his bomber
02:05by late 1940 the prototype Mosquito was ready
02:11it flew at nearly 400 miles per hour faster than the British Spitfire and German Bf 109 the deadliest fighters of their day
02:23the air ministry was impressed and placed an immediate order
02:29the new aircraft carried a crew of two and their instructors emphasize the importance of close teamwork
02:41We don't just train Mosquito pilots or Mosquito navigators
02:49we train Mosquito teams
02:51by the end of the first week
02:53pilots and navigators will pair up
02:55and once a Mosquito team is formed
02:57it is formed for keeps
02:59The first Mosquitoes into service were for reconnaissance
03:03their high speed meant that they could outrun enemy fighters and swoop in to photograph vital installations
03:14the bomber version of the Mosquito went into service with the RAF in November 1941
03:21Wing Commander Huey Edwards took command of the first squadron
03:25he had already won the Victoria Cross during bombing raids
03:36Edwards taught his crews to attack precision targets
03:39calling for a high degree of flying and navigational skills
03:44he was convinced that the Mosquito could take on targets that had so far been considered impossible
03:49it was about to become a formidable raider
04:02demonstrating high speed pinpoint accuracy
04:09the Mosquitoes first raid of this sort
04:11was in support of resistance fighters in Nazi occupied Norway
04:14the Norwegian traitor Vidcon Quisling was actively supporting the Nazis
04:27in September 1942
04:30four Mosquitoes roared across the North Sea
04:33their target the Gestapo HQ in Oslo
04:36where Quisling was making a speech to his masters
04:39there is men ahead
04:56twelve bombs were dropped
04:58five failed to explode
04:59and three passed through the building
05:01Quisling escaped unharmed
05:06the raid was not a great success
05:08but it had shown the potential of precision bombing
05:20a second low-level raid followed on a factory in Eindhoven, Holland
05:23skimming rooftops
05:28skimming rooftops
05:30the Mosquito crews perfected their art
05:32with a dazzling display of navigation and pinpoint bombing
05:44film shot from the Mosquitoes revealed the full force of their assault
05:47then came a cheeky raid aimed at the heart of the Nazi regime
06:05on the 30th of January 1943
06:08one of Hitler's top henchmen
06:10Josef Goebbels
06:11was making a key propaganda speech in Berlin
06:15it was a major anniversary for the Nazi party
06:19marking its 10th year in power
06:22four Mosquitoes took off and headed for Berlin
06:26aiming to arrive at the precise time of the broadcast
06:29air raid sirens sounded and bombs were dropped near the radio station
06:33forcing Goebbels to postpone his speech
06:38it was a major embarrassment for the Nazis
06:42with its reputation as a raider established
06:45RAF pilots of the Mosquito now faced their most difficult challenge
06:52a precision bombing raid on a plane
06:55a precision bombing raid on a plane
06:56their task to rescue French resistance agents vital to the Allies war aims
07:11the French resistance was a constant thorn in the side of the German occupiers
07:16the French resistance was a constant thorn in the side of the German occupiers
07:20specializing in sabotage and intelligence gathering
07:31it fought damaging campaigns behind enemy lines
07:36in Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill set up the special operations executive
07:41to help resistance fighters
07:43in his words its task was to set Europe ablaze
07:59soon the British were dispatching a steady stream of supplies to resistance groups in Europe
08:03their role particularly as providers of information was vital during the build-up to the great allied invasion of France
08:23but by late 1943 the Gestapo had arrested many key resistance fighters in northern France
08:30France
08:35René Chapelle was one of the top resistance commanders in northwest France
08:39his day job was as a bicycle repairman
08:42a bad one ensuring that the bicycles he mended for his German masters quickly fell apart
08:52secretly he commanded the communist resistance groups in the region
08:56more than 70 of Chappelle's best agents had been arrested and he was deeply worried that at any moment one might break under torture and give away vital information about where the landings might take place
09:11the resistance targeted the prison and plans were drawn up and handed to his wife Maria who smuggled them to contacts in Paris and London
09:23but it was not just the future of the resistance that concerned Chappelle he had a personal reason for getting the prisoners out of Amiens
09:26but it was not just the future of the resistance that concerned Chappelle he had a personal reason for getting the prisoners out of Amiens
09:33inside was a teenager called Jean Beaurain his father had been deported by the Germans and Chappelle had pledged to protect the young man and his family
09:41the young man was determined to play his part in the resistance to play his part in the resistance so he trained him in sabotage targeting German supply trains
09:59their greatest success came when they discovered that an SS train would be traveling on the same line as a German troop train bound for Russia
10:06at the last moment they switched the points and the two trains collided killing over a hundred SS men and destroying an entire train load of tanks
10:20when Jean Beaurain was arrested it was not because of this massive assault on the Third Reich
10:35he had been found in possession of illegal ration cards
10:42Borin was sent to Amiens prison where he joined his brother Roger who had been gathering military information
10:51for René Chapelle the mission to break out his resistance fighters from Amiens was now intensely personal
11:01and for the men called on to carry out the raid the plan was a tall order and could easily end in disaster
11:09but it had to be tried
11:24René Chapelle's urgent plea for British help had first been received by his controller at SOE
11:31in London the possibility of a ground attack on the prison was discussed but rejected because it was too heavily guarded
11:38it was decided to look at the possibility of using aircraft to open it up the RAF's number two tactical bomber group was alerted
11:47resistance agents were asked to supply up-to-date intelligence on the layout of the jail and the daily routine inside it
11:57this enabled air vice marshal sir Basil Embry number two groups commander to plan an attack
12:04the mosquito crews were to breach the perimeter wall and open up the cell block giving the prisoners inside the main building the opportunity to break out
12:12other attacks would disrupt the German guards the German guards the mission was planned for January 1944 but poor weather delayed it
12:31then in early February bad news came through
12:3820 of the resistance agents inside Amiens prison were to be executed over the next two weeks
12:43the RAF had to act now or not at all
12:50during the first week in February detail planning for the raid was completed
12:57it was given the code name operation Jericho the walls would come tumbling down
13:03Amiens was one hour's flying time from the mosquito base at RAF Hunsdon
13:09because of the threat of enemy radar the mosquitoes would have to fly at ultra low level poor winter weather snow and fog made the mission even more dangerous
13:29three mosquito squadrons were tasked with the mission two to carry out the attack and the other to act as a reserve
13:39four points of attack were selected
13:46the first wave would reach the perimeter wall in two places since the Germans would be able to seal one breach quickly
13:59the second wave was to attack the main prison building hitting it with sufficient force to blow open cell doors in the jail and let the prisoners out
14:07the final two points of attack
14:12the final two points of attack
14:14were the German canteen and barracks
14:19the assault was time to begin just after 12 noon
14:23just as the guards were sitting down for lunch
14:28the aircraft and crew selected for operation Jericho
14:34came from 140 mosquito wing in RAF number two group
14:40they would be led by group captain Charles Pickard
14:43a highly decorated bomber pilot
14:45seen here in an early war propaganda film
14:48starring as a Wellington bomber pilot
14:50his navigator was flight lieutenant bill broadly the mosquito was codenamed F for Freddy
15:05the SOE advised the French resistance of the plan to use an air attack to liberate the prisoners
15:10and gave it the code word that would be broadcast before the attack
15:17the problem remained of how to get the information to the men in the prison
15:21this was solved by Jean Beaurent's mother
15:24during a visit to see her son she threw a tantrum
15:28cursing Germany and Hitler for taking away her husband and boys
15:34promptly arrested she was locked up in the prison
15:36and so could warn her sons and their fellow prisoners of the impending aerial assault
15:42on the 18th of February 1944 operation Jericho was given the go-ahead
16:00the mosquitos took off in three waves each with six aircraft
16:20typhoon fighters were to escort them
16:22but a mix-up in the orders meant they were late taking off
16:28but they did manage to catch up with the mosquitos as they approached the English Channel
16:35flying at almost wave top level the raiders swept across the sea
16:44high winds and snow showers made flying at that height extremely hazardous
16:58but it was worth it as they crossed the French coast and headed inland at treetop level
17:05the German radar failed to pick them up
17:07the mosquitos and their escorts then altered course to approach Amiens from the north
17:13at precisely 1201 the first wave of mosquitos swept in towards the jail flying at just over 300 feet
17:28their 500 pound bombs struck the outer walls precisely as planned
17:35the second wave followed and dropped their bombs on the main prison building blowing the jail block open
17:43the German canteen and accommodation blocks were also struck
17:58the 20-foot gap had been created in the outer wall and prisoners scrambled to escape
18:05group captain pickard made one more low-level pass over the burning prison
18:19to him it looked as though the job was completed
18:30he ordered the reserve wave of mosquitos to head home
18:36but at just that moment a pack of German Focke-Wulf FW 190s flew into the action
18:41one of the fighters spotted pickards mosquito and that of his wingman he signaled an attack
18:48the German closed in and pumped bullets into the wooden frame of the lead mosquito
18:55F for Freddy with Picard and Broadly on board crashed and both of them were killed instantly
19:14it was a tragic end to a brilliant mission
19:16the rest of the mosquitoes and the typhoon escorts headed for home
19:25but as they flew towards the coast they were hit by German flak guns
19:35in the hail of fire one mosquito pilot squadron leader McRitchie was badly wounded
19:40he managed to crash land but his navigator did not survive
19:48the rest of the raiding force made it back to base safely
19:53it had been a triumph of low-level flying as navigator Cecil Dunlop later recalled
19:59I saw his bombs hit the wall and you know great for the shower of red brick dust
20:05and then I looked up and the top part of the building was way above us
20:13his pilot New Zealander Maxi Sparks was asked to estimate their height
20:18well the walls what 20 feet?
20:2315 feet something like that
20:25operation Jericho had been an outstanding success
20:32of the 700 prisoners held in Amiens jail
20:36258 escaped including many of the resistance agents scheduled to be executed the next day
20:42but it had been a devastating assault
20:46and inevitably prisoners were killed
20:49102 died
20:50102 died
20:53it was a high price to pay
20:59but crucial information about the forthcoming allied landings
21:03had been denied to the Nazis
21:08Jean Borin was one of the resistance men who got out alive
21:15but his mother was badly wounded and his brother died
21:18at least 50 German guards were killed
21:28the operation leaders, Picard and Broadley, were buried close to the crash site of their mosquito
21:36citizens of Amiens placed fresh flowers on their grave everyday
21:39and continued to do so when the two prison busters were moved to their final resting place in a cemetery in the shadow of the walls of the town's jail
21:52Mosquitoes went on to conduct other daring raids in the war
22:06In March 1945, 18 flew in at rooftop level over the center of Copenhagen
22:10In an echo of Operation Jericho, pinpoint bombing struck the Gestapo headquarters
22:16In the chaos, several Danish resistance leaders were able to escape
22:19But for most of the pilots, the Amiens raid remained the greatest raid of all
22:33Helping those prisoners to escape a cold-blooded death after all they'd done for us
22:37After all they'd done for us was the kind of job that makes you feel you're doing something really definite in the war
22:46It was an honor to be there
22:51Perhaps their finest legacy was the Normandy landings that came five months later
22:56Thanks to their success in denying vital intelligence to the Germans, D-Day achieved total surprise
23:07And less than six months after the raid, on the 31st of August 1944
23:13The citizens of Amiens celebrated as British troops liberated their town
23:17The citizens of Amiens liberated their town
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