Amiens Prison Pinpoint Bombing
Raid

The Amiens prison was attacked to release high ranking members of the
French resistance who had been convicted of terrorist attacks on German
soldiers and French citizens. Eighteen Mosquito aircraft, with two 1,600
horsepower Merlin engines, were to swoop down from a high elevation at 360
miles per hour (580 kilometres per hour), to 20 metres (65 feet) elevation
to release bombs that would blow holes in the brick 1 metre (3 feet) thick
surrounding wall, and allow the inmates to escape.

In January, 1944 the left model was built from air photos such as the
one on the right in planning the February 18th, 1944 Amiens Prison raid -
known as "Operation Jericho".

February 18, 1944, at 12 noon, two Mosquitos
approach the prison at low altitude.

The prison is smoking after the guards sleeping and eating areas have
just been hit with bombs to generate confusion. As shown by the dark wall
bricks that have been strewn across the white snow, two holes have been
blown in the outer wall, one on the left and one on the right of the
photo. Through these holes, hundreds of inmates
escaped.

3,600 horsepower Mosquito on an English airfield in 1944, similar to
the planes used in Operation Jericho.

The 3.5 m (12 ft) wide hole blasted in the south wall, through which
258 prisoners escaped, of whom 179 were common criminals, 29 were termed
'French politicals' (which usually meant they were Communist Party
workers), and 50 were members of the French Resistance, some of whom had
been convicted of committing terrorist acts against German soldiers or the
local French population.

Photo taken the day after the raid, shows one hole in the north wall.