RAF Bomber Command was on the point of pushing most of its resources into Area bombing with the new four engined heavy bombers. But it was also developing a precision bombing capability with light and medium bombers. The first aircraft in this role was the American made Douglas A-20 Havoc. In the RAF this aircraft was known as the ‘Boston’ when used as a bomber - but the night fighter version continued as the ‘Havoc’.
226 Squadron RAF had practising low level bombing - mainly using smoke bombs against exercise targets. On 8th March 1942 they attacked their first enemy target. The Ford Matford lorry factory on the outskirts of Paris was a similar target to the Billancourt Ford Factory, attacked by heavy bombers on the 3rd March. However on this occasion civilian casualties were minimal.
Pilot Officer Peter Saunders was the navigator-observer on a plane closely following a Boston commanded by Wing Commander V.S. Butler DFC, who was leading the raid:
The Wingco swung his Boston round and began to climb. We hung on his tail.
‘Bomb doors open!’ I bawled to Bill.
He yelled back, ‘They’re open!’
We were at bombing height - 400 ft - and levelling out. I had a momentary sight of Paris to the south-east but it was a glimpse only, as we turned. I felt a brief disappointment I could not see more but the Matford works lay ahead and the Wingco was running in. What a perfect target; a huge, long rectangular building lying close to the river bank and a tower nearby with the name ‘MATFORD’ on it. How obliging to mount it there, to help make doubly sure this was our target!
