The previous article about the flying bombs may have given the impression that the flying bomb was slow in flight. Not a bit of it, The blasted thing flew so fast that only by diving on it could the Spitfire gain enough speed to catch it…
They could be caught by the very fastest of the later fighter planes. But, God help the pilot that shot it down, for he may well have been carried away with the blast.

The Bloodiest Square Mile in Normandy!
The Chateau de la Londe.

Modern war is not fought by massive lines of troops who line up and advance in the face of withering shell, mortar, and machine gun fire. Having said that, strangely enough, there were times when we went into battle “En-mass” But for the most part, modem war is a series of local, but bloody actions, that are fought out virtually face to face. When one hears of huge losses incurred in battle, the total is usually made up of the casualties from many local actions. 100 here, 200 there, 350 somewhere else. It is the total of local actions that so often make up a large casualty list. There is another factor that one constantly comes across in war, and that is, 500 yards away from a violent and fiercely fought, hand to hand battle, there can appear to be an entirely different war.

What follows; is a description of a very violent, and bloody, hand to hand battle, that became known as the “Bloodiest Square Mile in Normandy” A battle that is still talked about in hushed tones by those survivors who fought there. For this was PURE SAVAGERY, where the combatants were intermingled and fought it out face to face, and to the death.
The Chateau stood fair and square in the centre of Third British Infantry Division’s thrust towards Caen. It had to be taken. What follows are the personal memories of men who took part in that battle. “The Chateau de la Londe” This is what happened
To be continued, bit busy at present!
Sapper