6 Bomber Group June 28/29 1944
100 Halifaxes from 424, 426, 427, 429, 432, and 433 squadrons were ordered on an attack of the rail yards at Metz. The crews were over the target at between 12,000 and 15,000 feet, releasing 686,000 lbs of high explosives.According to reports, the rail yard was accurately bombed with much damage caused.
Also on this night, 8 Halifaxes from 428 and 433 squadrons were ordered on a mining operation to Brest and Lorient. The crews were over the gardens at 15,000 feet, sowing 12@1500 and 12@1800 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 302 AL-E was attacked by a night fighter during an operation against rail communications in Metz, France in support of the D-Day Landings. The bomber was abandoned by the entire crew and crashed in a forest near La Folie farm, just north of the hamlet of Palesne, 3 km south-west of Pierrefonds, Oise, France
Sergeant GE Dunham (RCAF), Sergeant EO Clinton(RCAF) and Sergeant J Warrington (RAF) survived and all were taken as Prisoners of War
Flying Officer PG Agur (RCAF), Flying Officer JF Kennedy (RCAF), Flying Officer DF Hay (RCAF) and Sergeant KK Lyle (RCAF) survived and Evaded with the help of the French Resistance and escape organizations
Agur, Kennedy and Hay were all at the Freteval Camp, set up in the forest by the Resistance to help Allied evaders and escapers, but the Evader information for Lyle is unknown to date
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