Free French Boston Squadrons

[Blitz23]

I recently read Dead before dawn and the French Boston Sqn's were mentioned to have had some pretty dangerous low level missions.  I've got an Italeri Boston in the stash which I plan to make at some point this year, just wondering if there are any books on their exploits ?

[tonyot]

There was only one Free French Boston unit,....... 342 (Free French) Sqn, otherwise known as GB1/20 `Lorraine' which re equipped with the type after arriving in the UK from N.Africa where they had flown Blenheim`s. In late 1944/45 they re equipped with Mitchell Mk.III`s.

 

Not sure if there are any books especally about the unit, but there are some well known photos around depicting the units Boston Mk.III`s and IV/V`s,.... especially in the IWM website.

 

In fairness,........ by the time that 342 Sqn were flying Boston`s from the UK the operations were moving to medium altitude and it was the earlier RAF units plus some USAAF personnel who undertook most of the low level ops over Europe from the UK during 1942/43

 

All the best

                  Tony

[Antoine]

From what I've read, they flew mostly low level operations.

Here are the detail of the crash of BZ319/OA°H/42-33074, flown by Yves Lamy, with crew Louis Balcaen, Jacques Journiaux and Robert Roussarie during the Chevilly-Larue electric plant low level raid. The town is just south of Paris, and Lamy tried to crash-land on the river Seine, near the Pont de Tolbiac in the middle of the city.