Military Operations
Operation Jericho
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Operation Jericho was a low-level precision bombing raid by the Royal Air Force on 18 February 1944 against Amiens Prison in German-occupied France. De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers of Nos. 487, 464 and 21 Squadrons breached the prison walls to enable the escape of French Resistance members and political prisoners awaiting execution. Of 832 prisoners, 258 escaped, though many were later recaptured; the raid cost four aircrew killed, including Wing Commander Percy Pickard.
Facts
Operation TypePrecision air strike (prison break) 1 LocationAmiens Prison, Amiens, German-occupied France 1 ParticipantsNo. 487 Squadron RNZAF, No. 464 Squadron RAAF, No. 21 Squadron RAF (Mosquitos), with Hawker Typhoon escort squadrons 1 ObjectiveBreach the walls of Amiens Prison to free French Resistance members and political prisoners scheduled for execution 1 Outcome258 of 832 prisoners escaped, though 182 were recaptured; the raid exposed over 60 Gestapo agents but cost four aircrew killed and four aircraft lost 1 Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.