Operation: Operation Jubilee
Date: 19th August 1942 (Friday)
Unit: No. 41 Squadron (Motto: 'Seek and Destroy')
Type: Spitfire Vb
Serial: BL777
Code: EB-V
Base: RAF Tangmere
Location: Dieppe, France
Pilot: Sq/Ldr. Geoffrey Cockayne Hyde 37403 RAF. Age 27. Killed.
REASON FOR LOSS:
In preparation for Operation Jubilee, the Squadron was brought to readiness at 04:30 hrs. At 05:45 hrs they were ordered to patrol off Dieppe at 4,000-5,000 ft. Reaching the target area at approximately 06:05 hrs, they patrolled off the beach for around 30 minutes, providing cover for the Allied bombers. Pilots reported both heavy and light flak, though it was not considered accurate. The Squadron landed safely back at Tangmere at 07:25 hrs.
After rearming and refuelling, they took off again at 09:50 hrs to escort Hurricane bombers to Dieppe. Joining up with the Hurricanes, they approached the target area from the west at zero feet before being ordered to climb to 2,000 ft to cover the Hurricanes' withdrawal. Four Fw 190s attempted to bounce them from the rear, but the Squadron was prepared. Sgt. Imbert (1) of the French Forces of the Air Force (FFAF) performed a violent skidding manoeuvre upon spotting a Bf 109 on his tail. The Luftwaffe pilot overshot, and Imbert opened fire, observing white smoke pouring from the 109's cockpit. Several other Squadron pilots engaged the enemy, recording a number of damage claims, with no losses sustained. The Squadron returned safely at 11:25 hrs.
Such was the importance of the operation that the Squadron took off once more at 13:00 hrs, alongside other squadrons, to escort further Hurricane bombers to Dieppe. Many enemy aircraft were sighted, but the pilots were ordered not to engage. Heavy and light flak was again encountered, and it was during this sortie that the Squadron lost sight of their Commanding Officer, Sq/Ldr. Hyde. It appears he fell victim to anti-aircraft fire and was sadly killed. The remaining members of the Squadron returned to Tangmere at 14:05 hrs.
Above L-R: Sq/Ldr. Geoffrey Hyde, Sgt. André Norbert, Fl/Sgt. William Brown and Fl/Sgt. John Curry. (Aircrew Remembered Arch)
Aircraft - Supermarine Spitfire Vb:
The Supermarine Spitfire Vb was the most widely produced and operationally significant variant of the Spitfire during the middle years of the Second World War. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine producing approximately 1,470 hp, it had a maximum speed of 374 mph at 13,000 ft and a range of around 470 miles.
The "b" in its designation referred to the aircraft's wing configuration, which carried two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 Browning machine guns - a formidable armament that made it a highly effective fighter in capable hands.
The Vb entered front-line RAF service in early 1941 and quickly became the standard day fighter of Fighter Command. However, from the autumn of 1941 it faced a significant new threat in the form of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which outperformed it in speed, rate of roll, and the ability to break away in a dive. This disparity was felt keenly during Operation Jubilee on 19th August 1942, where Vb-equipped squadrons including No. 41 Squadron faced Fw 190s of JG 2 and JG 26 over the beaches of Dieppe.
It was on this day that the new Spitfire Mk IX made its combat debut - developed specifically to counter the Fw 190 and representing the next generation of RAF fighter capability. For Sq/Ldr. Hyde and the pilots of No. 41 Squadron flying the Vb that day, the technical odds were not in their favour. Hyde's aircraft, serial BL777, coded EB-V, was lost during the third sortie of the day, the pilot almost certainly falling victim to the intense anti-aircraft fire over the target area rather than to enemy fighters.
Of the 20,351 Spitfires of all marks produced during the war, some 6,787 were Mk Vs in all sub-variants, making it by far the most numerous of all Spitfire marks to see wartime service.
Left: Newspaper report on the loss of Sq/Ldr. Hyde - Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard, 4th June 1943 (courtesy Graeme Brookes).
A great deal has been written about this operation. The following description is drawn from Wikipedia:
The Allied air operations supporting Operation Jubilee resulted in some of the fiercest air battles since 1940. The RAF's principal objectives were to throw a protective umbrella over the amphibious force and beach heads, and to force the Luftwaffe into a battle of attrition on the Allies' own terms. Some 48 fighter squadrons of Spitfires were committed, supported by eight squadrons of Hurricane fighter-bombers, four squadrons of reconnaissance Mustang Mk Is, and seven squadrons of No. 2 Group light bombers. Opposing these forces were approximately 120 operational fighters of Jagdgeschwader 2 and 26 (JG 2 and JG 26), the Dornier Do 217s of Kampfgeschwader 2, and various anti-shipping bomber elements of III./KG 53, II./Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG 40) and I./KG 77.
Although initially slow to respond to the raid, the German fighters soon made their presence felt over the port as the day progressed. While the Allied fighters were moderately successful in protecting the ground and sea forces from aerial attack, they were hampered by operating at the extreme limits of their range. The Spitfires in particular were stretched to capacity, with some able to spend no more than five minutes over the combat area.
The raid on Dieppe marked the baptism of fire for the new Spitfire Mark IX - the only British fighter considered a match for the Fw 190. Six squadrons, four British and two Canadian, were flying the new Spitfire Mark IX at Dieppe. During the battle, the RAF flew 2,500 sorties and achieved a narrow victory over the Luftwaffe.
The intense air fighting prevented the Luftwaffe from mounting major attacks on either the landing or the evacuation of Allied forces, who consequently suffered relatively little from aerial assault. However, in achieving the goal of the "greatest air battle" that would cripple the Luftwaffe over France, Operation Jubilee was less successful. During the air battles over Dieppe, the Royal Air Force lost 91 aircraft and 64 pilots (17 taken prisoner, the remainder killed), while the Royal Canadian Air Force lost 14 aircraft and nine pilots. The British also lost six bombers over Dieppe. The Luftwaffe lost 48 aircraft destroyed and a further 24 seriously damaged, with 13 pilots killed and seven wounded.
RAF intelligence at the time claimed the Allies had shot down 96 German aircraft, declaring a major victory. In reality, the Luftwaffe in France was back to full strength within days of the raid. In his assessment, Copp concluded that Dieppe had failed to deliver the knockout blow against the Luftwaffe that the RAF had sought. He noted, however, that even though the Allies continued to lose on average two aircraft for every German aircraft destroyed throughout the remainder of 1942, the superior industrial output of the United States, Britain and Canada - combined with a stronger Allied pilot training programme - led to the Luftwaffe gradually losing the war of attrition over France. Copp concluded that the battle for air superiority was won on many fronts by continuous effort, and that 19th August 1942 was part of that achievement.
(1) Sgt. Andre Norbert Imbert 791047 (then serving under FFAF No. 35.007), aged 23, was himself shot down and killed on 25th July the following year. Flying Spitfire Vc EE603 SK-M, he was one of three pilots killed from 165 Squadron (10 Group) during an afternoon Ramrod operation to Ostend.
The others were:
Fl/Sgt. William Brown AUS/409288 RAAF, aged 23, from Victoria, Australia - Killed. Flying Spitfire Vc EP555 SK-E.
Fl/Sgt. John Henry Curry 1335808 RAFVR, aged 28, from Charlton, London - Missing, believed killed. Flying Spitfire Vc AR609 SK-C. Fl/Sgt. Curry had previously been shot down flying Spitfire Vb BM518 on 9th February 1943, evaded capture, and returned to his unit - only to lose his life on 25th July 1943, the very day of his return.
On that same day, a further pilot from the Squadron, F/O. Richard Granville Lewis 67061 RAFVR, flying Spitfire Vb BM450, also lost his life.
Course 17-1, 58 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Grangemouth, Scotland.
Front row: Sgt. Hardy, F/O. Bronislaw Kuzniar P-0759, P/O. Zygmunt Jelinski 782004, P/O. Hoben, Sq/Ldr. Geoffrey Cockayne Hyde 37403, F/O. Tigler-Wybrandi, F/O. Klink, F/O. Stanislaw Domanski 782357 KIA, Sgt. Sayers.
Rear row: Sgt. Holbert, Sgt. Wood, Sgt. Jozef Pawel Karczmarz 780874, Sgt. Arkadiusz Bondarczuk 793159 KIA, Sgt. Stanislaw Eustachy Lucyszyn 783213, Sgt. Bonie, Sgt. Thompson, Sgt. Mildeau, Sgt. Evans. (Aircrew Remembered Arch)
BURIAL AND FURTHER DETAILS:
Sq/Ldr. Geoffrey Cockayne Hyde. Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, Hautot-sur-Mer. Grave D.34. Born on the 03rd August 1915. Husband of Pamela Hampson Hyde, of Elford, Staffordshire, England. The son of William and Jessie Hyde. He was educated at Christ's Hospital (Horsham) from 17 September 1924 to 2 December 1929. On leaving, he was planning to join HMS Worcester.
William Hyde died when Geoffrey was very young, and his mother went on to remarry.
Geoffrey joined the RAF in 1935. During the early war years, he was based at RAF Weston Zoyland and commanded A Flight, No. 1 AACU, which flew Hawker Henleys. In July 1941, he was posted to command RAF Castle Bromwich and No. 7 AACU. He then went on to No. 58 OTU, which I presumed he volunteered for. Geoffrey then spent time with No. 54 squadron, 65 squadron and 64 squadron before taking command of 41 squadron in late July 1942. (courtesy Graeme Brookes)
Others mentioned within this report:
Sgt. Andre Norbert Imbert. Born 4th May 1920. Initially buried in Vlissingen (Flushing); in 1949 exhumed and reinterred at Kapelle (French Field of Honour, Netherlands). No further details.
Fl/Sgt. William Brown. Flushing Northern Cemetery (Vlissingen). Row F, Grave 28. Born 4th December 1919 at Patrick, Scotland; son of John and Isabella Spiers Brown, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Grave inscription reads: "He Chose The Hard Road. Lived And Died Our Loved One And Hero."
Fl/Sgt. John Henry Curry. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 136. Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Curry, of Charlton, London, England.
F/O. Richard Granville Lewis. Grandcourt War Cemetery. Grave A.8. Son of P/O. Granville Vernon Loch Lewis RFC, who died on service 5th October 1917, and of Myfanwy Jacob Lewis, of Ewell, Surrey, England.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
With sincere thanks to the following for their generous assistance in compiling this report:
Graeme Brookes - relative of Sq/Ldr. Hyde, for his personal research, family details, and the photograph of the newspaper report from the Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard.
Steve Brewer - author of 'Blood Swear and Tears'.
SOURCES:
Dibbs, J. and Holmes, T. - Spitfire - Flying Legend. Osprey Publishing, 1996
Price, A. - The Spitfire Story. Arms and Armour Press, 1986
Morgan, E. and Shacklady, E. - Spitfire - The History. Key Publishing, 1987
Robertson, B. - Spitfire - The Story of a Famous Fighter. Harleyford Publications, 1960
Imperial War Museum - iwm.org.uk
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - cwgc.org
National Archives, Kew - AIR/27/425 - No. 41 Squadron Operations Record Book
RAF Commands - rafcommands.com
Wikipedia - Operation Jubilee
Aircrew Remembered - Image clarification
Blood Sweat and Valour (Hardback)
41 Squadron RAF 1942-1945
Author: Steve Brewer
Pages: 992
Illustrations: 350 Integrated b&w images
ISBN: 9781781551936
Published: 30th November 2012
Purchase here
DIEPPE CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY, HAUTOT-SUR-MER
Total identified casualties - 765
The Dieppe Raid of 18-19 August 1942 was the first large scale daylight assault on a strongly held objective on the Continent since the Allied withdrawal of 1940. The objectives of the raid were the destruction the Dieppe defences and neighbouring radar and aerodrome installations, the raiding of a German divisional headquarters close by and the capture of prisoners. The largely Canadian military force undertook the main assault on Dieppe itself, with flanking assaults by Commando units and additional Canadian battalions to the east and west of the town intended to neutralise batteries that commanded the direct approach. Support was provided by more than 250 naval vessels and 69 air squadrons.
Only the assaulting parties on the extreme flanks came within reasonable reach of their ambitious objectives and casualties were very heavy, with more than 3,600 of the military force of 6,100 killed, wounded, missing or captured. Naval casualties numbered 550.
Many of those who died in the raid are buried at Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, where 948 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War are now buried or commemorated, 187 of which are unidentified. There are 7 non Commonwealth and 2 non World War burials here. Other casualties of the raid are at Rouen, where some of the wounded were taken to hospital.
Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, designed by Philip Hepworth, was the first new cemetery of the 1939-45 war to be completed in 1949.
(Report initially uploaded 21 January 2019)
