NOVAK, Jaroslav

The Germans saw the aircraft approaching and the alarm was raised and the Flak guns defending the harbour put up a huge wall of Flak in defence it was all calibres and colours including machine gun fire, despite which the aircraft pushed home their attack on a convoy consisting of twelve boats, claiming four hit, with three damaged and one probably sunk, although they in fact did not sink any. They had also fired in retaliation towards Bréhon Tower as it was recorded later that one crew members was killed and there was also another crew member badly wounded in the same attack.

The action that evening was described by the pilots as complete hell, with flak bursting all around the aircraft which made it difficult in manoeuvring due to flying so close together, they could not go up any higher as the flak was bursting above them, they did not want to go any lower as they felt their propellers were already too close to the waves and so bunched together they were stuck flying in a very narrow corridor banking over to make the attack. One pilot was 27 year old Flight Officer Jaroslav Novak (service number 117370) of 312 Czech Squadron. Novak’s aircraft was a Mk Vb Supermarine Spitfire EP539 with the squadron code DU – C, which received a hit in the starboard side of the engine and it immediately billowed with thick black smoke, his starboard wing tip was also shot off, so he turned his aircraft away from the harbour heading south east with three other aircraft in his flight following.