This series deals with operational analyses of the principal operations in north-west France following the D-Day landings in which heavy bomber forces were deployed in a tactical role in close support of ground forces. SZ had supported the view of Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, C.-in-C. of AEAF, that heavy bombers had the capacity to provide tactical support for ground forces in their post D-Day advance.
The studies are based on attack data such as operational orders, signals, maps, air reconnaissance photographs and their associated interpretation reports, ground investigations of the target areas, and interviews with eye witnesses including German prisoners of war. The investigations were conducted during late July and August 1944 for the most part, spanning the phase between the planning and execution of Operation Overlord (covered by Series SZ/AEAF) and the establishment of the RAF Bombing Analysis Unit in the early autumn of 1944.
SZ/BSGF/1 Observations on RAF Bomber Command’s attack on Caen - July 7th, 1944, by Air Commodore Kingston-McCloughry & Professor S. Zuckerman 1944
Contains five sub-files
The file consists of drafts and multiple copies of the report Observations on Bomber Command’s attack on Caen, July 7, 1944, 14.7.44, by E.J. Kingston-McCloughry and SZ, together with rough preliminary notes and maps and copies of a later paper entitled The air operation N of Caen on July 7, 1944, 5.9.44. The first sub-file is missing.
The operation to which the report refers was an attack by heavy bombers on the night of 7.7.44 on two targets north of Caen in support of Operation Charnwood, an advance by allied ground forces into the northern area of the city as far as the river Orne.
The report was based on field investigations conducted shortly after the operation by SZ and Kingston-McCloughry, both of whom were attached to the planning directorate of AEAF, Air Vice Marshal Oxland of Bomber Command, Group Captain Lucas of AEAF, Col. Hobbs of 21 Army Group, and Major Bennett of SHAEF.
SZ/BSGF/1/1 [File missing]
SZ/BSGF/1/2 Maps - Operation North of Caen 1944
Contains seven items, all of which are copies of the same 1:25,000 scale map of Caen and the area to the south-east. Six of the copies have two aiming points marked, east and west of St Julien.
SZ/BSGF/1/3 Observations on Bomber Command’s attack on Caen July 7, 1944, drafts and workings 1944
Contains seven items being MS calculations, a map and draft texts. Two items are copies of a separate text entitled The air operation N of Caen dated 5.9.44.
SZ/BSGF/1/4 Draft Report - Observations on Bomber Command’s attack on Caen – July 7th, 1944, by Air Commodore Kingston-McCloughry & Professor S. Zuckerman (unexpurgated copy) 1944
Contains three items being copies of the full version of the report Observations on Bomber Command’s attack on Caen, July 7, 1944, 14.7.44. Copy SZ/BSGF/1/4/1 lacks the accompanying map. All of the copies are marked "draft". This version of the report includes accounts of interviews with: the C.-in-C. No. 83 Group, RAF; personnel from the 2nd Army, the 9th British Brigade, and the 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles; Squadron Leader E. Sprawson, who had been sheltering with a French family since being shot down on D-Day; and the journalist Alan Moorehead, who had accompanied the 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles.
SZ/BSGF/1/5 Draft Report - Observations on RAF Bomber Command’s attack on Caen – July 7th, 1944, by Air Commodore Kingston-McCloughry & Professor S. Zuckerman (expurgated copy)
Contains six items being a version of the report Observations on Bomber Command’s attack on Caen, July 7, 1944, 14.7.44, from which paragraphs 1-9, interviews conducted in the field, have been omitted.
SZ/BSGF/2 Operation Goodwood 1944
Contains 10 sub-files
The file deals with an operational analysis of close air support in Operation Goodwood based on field investigations carried out shortly after the operation and attack data and other documentation obtained from the commands of the air and land forces involved.
Operation Goodwood, also referred to as Goodwood Meeting, was an offensive operation mounted by the British 2nd Army on 18.7.44 the objective of which was to secure those areas of Caen not yet in allied hands and advance towards Falaise. It was decided to incorporate into the operation close support by heavy bombers along the lines of an operation on 7.7.44 that had resulted in allied occupation of northern areas of the city.
SZ/BSGF/2/1 Operation Goodwood - attack data 1944
Contains 22 items being post-attack reports, including air reconnaissance photographs, and pre-attack field orders to the air forces providing close support for ground units.
SZ/BSGF/2/2 Maps - Operation Goodwood 1944
Contains seven items, six of which are copies of a 1:25,000 scale map of Caen and the area to the south-east. The maps are marked with the locations of air targets and appear to be those prepared as accompaniments to the report Preliminary analysis of air operations "Goodwood". The other item is a bomb plot of target area M (Cagny) at a scale of 2 inches: 1 mile that also shows German artillery positions.
SZ/BSGF/2/3 Operation Goodwood - Army instructions & notes, 18/7/44 1944
Contains four items being memoranda setting out 2nd Army’s plan to advance across the river Orne, 18.7.44, the principal difficulties to be overcome, the air support tasks, and target areas for air forces.
SZ/BSGF/2/4 Operation Goodwood - 2nd TAF Memorandum examination 1944
Contains one item, a paper entitled Memorandum. Examination of Operation "Goodwood", 26.7.44, by Air Commodore A.J.W. Geddes, Deputy Senior Air Staff Officer, 2nd Tactical Air Force. Geddes’ report takes up only a small part of the document, which is annotated [by Air Chief Marshal Coningham, C.-in-C. 2nd TAF?] "Not to be circulated". The remainder consists of: accounts of discussions with Air Vice Marshal Broadhurst, C.-in-C. No. 83 Group, RAF, and 2nd Army personnel; comments on the operation by Lt General J.T. Crocker; and a paper by Lt. Colonel J.H. Orgill of 2nd Army entitled Notes on Air Support for Operation "Goodwood". Geddes’ memorandum is distinctly critical of the planning of the operation and questions its value.
SZ/BSGF/2/5 Operation Goodwood - drafts of report 1944
Contains 18 items being drafts of the report Preliminary analysis of air operations "Goodwood" [by SZ?], a map of the target area showing allied forward lines, a paste up and prints of the key to a map, copies of which are in Sub-file SZ/BSGF/2/2, and [photostat?] copies of two maps of the Demouville area. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/2/6 Report - Preliminary analysis of air operations "Goodwood" 1944
Contains seven items being six copies of the report and a circulation list. It is clear from this list that the report was issued in two versions, Dr Frank Yates and Col. McKinnon receiving expurgated texts.
SZ/BSGF/2/7 Operation Goodwood - correspondence 1944
Contains nine items being a triangular correspondence over the period 7.7.44 to 21.7.44 between General Eisenhower, General Montgomery (C.-in-C. 21 Army Group) and Air Chief Marshal Tedder concerning the urgent need for allied ground forces to break out of the Normandy beach-head area. The texts are all headed "Copy" and appear to be contemporary.
SZ/BSGF/2/8 Operation Goodwood - computations 1944
Contains 13 items being bundles and single sheets of MS data detailing air forces involved, bomb loads, and bombing accuracy in relation to air support for Operation Goodwood. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/2/9 Operation Goodwood - field notes & basic data 1944
Contains 42 items being computations, air reconnaissance reports and photographs, and ground photographs of bomb damage in and around Caen. Items SZ/BSGF/2/9/1-6 are not catalogued separately. These consist chiefly of MS notes and tables relating to target areas, bombing accuracy, and damage inflicted by close air support during the operation.
SZ/BSGF/2/10 Operation Goodwood - crater sizes for bomb concentration at Cagny 1944
Contains one item, a table giving crater dimensions for each of 1,017 bombs and summary notes relating to a further 104 bombs. A bomb plot for the Cagny target area is in Sub-file SZ/BSGF/2/2.
SZ/BSGF/3 Operation Cobra 1944
Contains seven sub-files
The file deals with an operational analysis of Operation Cobra based on field investigations conducted shortly after the operation, attack data and post-operation reports.
Operation Cobra was a breakthrough on the US 1st Army’s front in the St Lô area at the end of July 1944 that was followed by an advance towards Coutances. Again the perceived success of the use of heavy bombers in close support on 7.7.44 influenced their deployment in a similar role on this occasion in carpet-bombing attacks. In the course of the air attacks bombing ‘short’ resulted in casualties among allied ground forces, including the death of Lt-General Lesley McNair.
SZ/BSGF/3/1 Operation Cobra - attack data 1944
Contains eight items being field orders to air and ground forces detailing the plan for Operation Cobra, air targets and the timing of air attacks. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/3/2 Operation Cobra - maps 1944
Contains two copies of a composite 1:25,000 scale map of the St Sauveur L’Endelin and St Lô areas. Both copies are annotated to indicate those aiming points to be marked with coloured smoke and target areas and timing of attack for the various forces (fighter bomber, medium bomber, and heavy bomber) engaged in the operation.
SZ/BSGF/3/3 Operation Cobra - papers 1944
Contains four items including a memorandum from AEAF to the US 8th Air Force and Advanced AEAF outlining the plan and purpose of Operation Cobra and assigning targets, and reports on the operation by the US 9th Air Force and US 12th Army Group.
SZ/BSGF/3/4 Operation Cobra - draft preliminary analysis 1944
Contains three items being drafts of the report Preliminary analysis of air operation "Cobra" and notes on the preparation of diagrams to be incorporated into the report.
SZ/BSGF/3/5 Operation Cobra - investigation of successful attack on German column near La Baleine 1944
Contains one item, a report by Patrick Johnson of 21 Army Group entitled An investigation of a successful attack by Typhoons and Thunderbolts on a German column near La Baleine, 9.8.44.
SZ/BSGF/3/6 Operation Cobra - field notes 1944
Contains 19 items being preliminary data collected in the field in the form of plans, tables and MS notes. The material refers chiefly to bomb strikes but also includes eight hand-drawn plans of what appears to be a coastal defence battery, and an MS text ‘Proposed Questions for Prisoner interrogation’ briefing interrogators of German prisoners of war to seek information on: German artillery defences against attempts at sea-borne landings; the "demoralising effect" of bombardment of military installations; stocks of ammunition available to German forces; and the date at which German guns were put out of action by allied bombing operations. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/3/7 Operation Cobra - intelligence 1944
Contains seven items which include: a bundle of summary ‘consolidated reports’ by the US 9th Air Force on air support for Operation Cobra based on the interpretation of air reconnaissance photographs (not separately catalogued); and two interpretation reports by the Allied Central Interpretation Unit (ACIU) of the operation also drawing on air reconnaissance photographs.
SZ/BSGF/4 Operation Bluecoat 1944
Contains five sub-files
The file relates to an operational analysis of Operation Bluecoat based on field investigations conducted shortly after the operation and post-operation reports.
Operation Bluecoat was an offensive operation by the British 2nd Army in the area Villers Bocage-Caumont-Jurques in which carpet bombing by heavy bombers was again used to support the ground forces. Operational orders to air forces stressed the need for accuracy in target marking and identification in the light of experiences in Operation Cobra.
SZ/BSGF/4/1 Operation Bluecoat - maps 1944
Contains seven copies of a 1:25,000 scale map of the area south-west of Villers Bocage all of which are marked with aiming points for the air targets.
SZ/BSGF/4/2 Operation Bluecoat - papers 1944
Contains five items being: a controller’s action sheet for 29.7.44, summary of operations 30.7.44 –31.7.44 and report on operational sorties for the 24-hour period to 07.30 hours, 31.7.44 from RAF Bomber Command; and a report by K.N.H. Thompson of G2, SHAEF Carpet bombing in Caumont area, 12.8.44, which deals with accounts of the bombing by German prisoners of war.
SZ/BSGF/4/3 Draft - preliminary analysis of the attack on the Caumont area on 30th July 1944
Contains three items, being three draft texts of the report Preliminary analysis of the Attack on the Caumont area on 30th July which are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/4/4 Report - Preliminary analysis of the attack on the Caumont area on 30th July 1944
Contains three items being typescripts of the final text of Preliminary analysis of the attack on the Caumont area on 30th July, 16.8.44. The report focussed on an assessment of bombing accuracy in Operation Bluecoat.
SZ/BSGF/4/5 Operation Bluecoat - field notes 1944
Contains eight items being diagrammatic bomb plots, tables of bomb strikes and calculations of bombing accuracy achieved in air support of Operation Bluecoat. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/5 Operation Totalize 1944
Contains 12 sub-files
The file deals with an operational analysis of close air support in Operation Totalize, based on field investigations carried out shortly after the operation, attack data and post-operation reports.
Operation Totalize was a major action south of Caen by the Canadian 1st Army to cut off German forces facing the British 2nd Army and to impede the retreat of German forces generally. The operation, supported by close air support, began on 7.8.44. In this operation, as in Operation Cobra, ‘short’ bombing caused casualties among allied ground forces.
SZ/BSGF/5/1 Operation Totalize - attack data 7/8 August 1944 1944
Contains seven items being: field orders, a Bomber Command controller’s action sheet and report on operational sorties for the 24-hour period ending 07.30 hours, 8.8.44, and a Bomber Command Air Staff Intelligence report Interceptions/Tactics no. 191/44, 12.8.44.
SZ/BSGF/5/2 Operation Totalize - maps 7/8 August 1944 1944
Contains seven items six of which are copies of a 1:25,000 scale map of the area south-east of Caen all of which are marked with aiming points of the air targets, and the start line for the advance by ground forces and their objectives. The seventh item is a 1:25,000 scale composite map of Bretteville and the area to the north-west, and Caen and the area to the south-east marked with targets for the air operations, together with two overlays. One overlay shows the target areas marked to indicate the effect required (cratering, blast, or fragmentation), the other shows the target areas with their aiming points and plots of bombfalls outside the target areas.
SZ/BSGF/5/3 Operation Totalize - 1st Canadian Army request for air support 1944
Contains one item, Operation "Totalize". Request for air support, 4.8.44 from Canadian 1st Army, which is a detailed statement of the objectives of the operation and the means of achieving them. Appendices A and B are a map of the area surrounding Bretteville-sur-Laize and an overlay showing the allied ground forces involved, their start line and their objectives, and the air targets with aiming points.
SZ/BSGF/5/4 Operation Totalize - prisoner of war interrogations 1944
Contains two items being a report by D.N. Royce of 21 Army Group of the interrogation of German soldiers taken prisoner after Operation Totalize on their experiences of the operation and a covering note from the Scientific Adviser’s Branch of 21 Army Group.
SZ/BSGF/5/5 Operation Totalize - report of operations by 8th Air Forces 1944
Contains one item, Operation "Totalise". A report of operations by VIIIth Air Forces.
SZ/BSGF/5/6 Operation Totalize - Army correspondence and planning 1944
Contains 14 items being memoranda, tables, maps and photographs relating to Operation Totalize dealing with the objectives of the operation, tasks assigned to the participating air forces, targets and the timing of air attacks. Most of the material relates to preparatory activities but the last item is a post-operation report from the Scientific Adviser’s Branch of 21 Army Group Operation "Totalise": RAF heavy bombing on night of 7/8 August, 14.8.44.
SZ/BSGF/5/7 Operation Totalize - draft & workings of analysis of bombing attacks 1944
Contains two items being variant typescripts with MS additions and annotations of Operation "Totalize". Analysis of bombing attacks. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/5/8 Operation Totalize - preliminary analysis 1944
Contains three items being drafts of part of the text of Operation "Totalize". Analysis of bombing attacks. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/5/9 Report - Operation "Totalize". Analysis of bombing attacks 1944
Contains seven items being copies of the report Operation "Totalize". Analysis of bombing attacks, 8.9.44, by SZ. The report summarises the plan of the operation, gives a detailed account of the air support operations and evaluates their accuracy and effectiveness on the basis of field investigations, including evidence gathered from German prisoners of war. There is a detailed breakdown of allied casualties caused by inaccurate bombing.
SZ/BSGF/5/10 Report by Squadron Leader Piper [on Operation Totalize] 1944
Contains one item, Operation "Totalize" 7/8th August, 1944, [by R.W. Piper]. This is a factual account of the operation with the emphasis on bombing accuracy.
SZ/BSGF/11 Operation Totalize - attack on area South of Caen on 8.8.1944 1944
Contains two copies of Interpretation Report S.A.2513, Attack on area South of Caen on 8 Aug. 1944, 10.8.44, which was based on photographic reconnaissance following an attack by US 8th Air Force on targets in the areas of Bretteville-sur-Laize and St Sylvain.
SZ/BSGF/5/12 Operation Totalize - field notes 1944
Contains 17 items, most of them MS bomb plots, tables and calculations relating to the degree of bombing accuracy achieved in Operation Totalize and gathered from field investigations. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/6 Operation Tractable 1944
Contains seven sub-files
The file relates to the analysis of air support of Operation Tractable based on attack data, post-operation reports and field investigations conducted shortly after the operation.
Operation Tractable was an offensive operation by the Canadian 1st Army to resume its advance on Falaise, which had lost momentum within a few days of Operation Totalize. As with Totalize, heavy bomber support was employed and once again ‘short’ bombing resulted in allied casualties.
SZ/BSGF/6/1 Operation Tractable - attack data 14.8.44 1944
Contains seven items including the following from RAF Bomber Command: controller’s action sheet; summary of operations 14/15 August, 1944; report on operational sorties for the 24-hour period ending 07.30 hours, 15.8.44; and a table summarising Bomber Command’s effort in support of Operation Tractable.
SZ/BSGF/6/2 Operation Tractable - maps 14.8.44 1944
Contains 10 items being: a 1:250,000 scale composite map of the Rouen-Paris and Cherbourg-Avranches areas annotated "Or day after alternative east of the gap e.g. Trun, St Pierre, Chambois, Crocy, Gace. Heavies=10,000 tons..." and with many towns and villages circled; a 1:80,000 scale map of the area around Fontaine-le-pin with several towns and villages circled; an annotated bomb plot superimposed on a 1:1,000 scale blueprint of a mine at Soumont; and seven copies of a 1:25,000 scale map of Potigny and the area to the south-west marked with air targets and aiming points.
SZ/BSGF/6/3 Operation Tractable - prisoner of war information 1944
Sub-file empty.
SZ/BSGF/6/4 Operation Tractable - preliminary analysis 1944
Contains six items being drafts and [final?] typescripts of Preliminary analysis of air operation Tractable, not separately catalogued.
SZ/BSGF/6/5 Operation Tractable - Bomb plot Area 28. BAU Report 21 1944
Contains one item, a tracing of a plan of part of target area no. 28, Operation Tractable, showing the locations and dimensions of bomb craters.
While the sub-file title implies that the item formed part of BAU Report No. 21, it should be noted that the latter deals with a quite different topic. It is possible that the analysis of Operation Tractable was originally intended for circulation as a BAU report.
SZ/BSGF/6/6 Operation Tractable - aiming points 1944
Contains two charts showing the aiming points for attacking aircraft. The legends give information on the types of target, timing of attack and ‘safety line’ beyond which allied troops were not to advance between H-hour plus two and H-hour plus four. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/6/7 Operation Tractable - field notes 1944
Contains eight items being MS bomb plots, notes, tables and calculations relating to bombing accuracy in Operation Tractable and gathered from field investigations. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/7 Operations Cobra, Bluecoat and Goodwood 1944
Contains nine items being: a report Prearranged heavy close support bombing, 27.8.44, by R.W. Piper in which the results of three close support operations are compared; associated correspondence between SZ and H. Larnder of AEAF’s Operational Research Section; and four sketch maps of approximate scale 2inches:1mile of areas south-east of Caen, south -east of Caumont, and north -east of Marigny showing target areas and the forces assigned to them, lines of ground forces, and bomb plots.
SZ/BSGF/8 Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role 1944
Contains six sub-files
The file consists of drafts and the [final text?] of a report Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role, 30.8.44, issued jointly by AEAF and 21 Army Group, associated correspondence, and related papers.
SHAEF was commissioned by the JTWC to report on the close air support operations in support of ground forces that were mounted during July and August 1944 in the Normandy battle. SHAEF delegated the task jointly to AEAF and 21 Army Group. This report is the result. All apparently final copies are marked ‘draft’, the report being circulated in advance of formal endorsement by SHAEF.
SZ/BSGF/8/1 Professor Zuckerman. Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role (draft) 1944
Contains seven items being a circulation list and six copies of the report.
The report deals with the four different approaches to the use of heavy bomber forces in a tactical role which had been employed in various operations. It examines in detail the forces engaged, the tactics used, the observed effects, and opinions proffered or canvassed as to the value of such operations. Recommendations are made for future operations, the report concluding that, while the technique "is still new and experimental", where heavy bombers were deployed "land operations have been greatly facilitated. In several instances the help provided has been a decisive factor in the overall success achieved."
SZ/BSGF/8/2 J.T.W.C. - Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role - (draft) 1944
Contains three items, a copy of the report and covering notes by the secretaries of the JTWC and its sub-committee on Fire Support of Seaborne Landings (Traill Committee). See also Sub-series SZ/FS/2.
SZ/BSGF/8/3 21 Army Group - Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role - (draft) 1944
Contains two items, a draft version of the report which 21 Army Group was planning to distribute and an accompanying letter from Brigadier B.F.J. Schonland, Scientific Adviser to 21 Army Group, to SZ.
SZ/BSGF/8/4 Correspondence regarding Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role 1944
Contains 18 items. The correspondence is for the most part between AEAF and 21 Army Group and deals chiefly with the distribution of the report. SZ was concerned that 21 Army Group appeared to have pre-empted joint publication by sending a draft to the JTWC without consulting AEAF. The circumstances of its despatch to JTWC are explained and assurances given that the correct procedures were being observed, including the issue of formal approval of the document by SHAEF. The sub-file includes correspondence relating to a paper received by the Air Ministry for comment and to RAF Bomber Command’s analyses of close support operations.
SZ/BSGF/8/5 Comments on Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role 1944
Contains nine items being comments on the report by General de Guingand, Chief of Staff, 21 Army Group, and correspondence with Brigadier Schonland regarding changes to the text made by SZ.
SZ/BSGF/8/6 Workings on Use of heavy bombers in a tactical role 1944
Contains 12 items being signals, MS notes and tables, a memorandum from E.J. Kingston-McCloughry to the C.-in-C., AEAF, relating to allied casualties caused by ‘short’ bombing in Operations Totalize and Tractable, and an early draft of the report. Only items SZ/BSGF/8/6/3-4 are catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/9 Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces
Contains three sub-files
The file consists of working papers, drafts and the final text of the report Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces, 29.9.44, by SZ with assistance from Dr Frank Yates.
SZ/BSGF/9/1 Report - Yates and Zuckerman. Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces 1944
Contains five items being four copies of the report and a statistical diagram.
SZ/BSGF/9/2 Drafts - Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces 1944
Contains 20 items, being MS and typescript drafts of sections of the report. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/9/3 Workings - Accuracy achieved by heavy bombers in operations in support of ground forces 1944
Contains 33 items being MS notes, tables, calculations and bombfall diagrams based on field data relating to various close support operations in the Caen area in 1944. The contents are not catalogued at item level.
SZ/BSGF/10 Bombs for close support of ground forces 1944
Contains 12 items being a set of five reports on trials supervised by Professor E.S. Pearson of the Applied Ballistics Department of the Ministry of Supply under the auspices of the Ordnance Board and the Ministry of Supply’s Fragmentation Panel. The trials were conducted during the Spring of 1944 at Ashley Walk and involved the use of 500 lb. medium capacity and high explosive bombs and British and American 20 lb. fragmentation bombs, variously fused, against such targets as aircraft on the ground, mechanised transport, guns, and personnel. Aircraft used were Mitchell bombers and Typhoon fighters.
Contains four items being drafts of a report A Ground study of the results achieved by the use of heavy bombers in close support of Army operations and comments on it by RAF Bomber Command’s Operational Research Section, the head of which, B.G. Dickens, remarked that it would be of interest to compare specific results for those raids that had been analysed by the methodologies of both his department and BAU.
In spite of the file title, this document is not the report distributed by BAU as Report No. 21, which is on a different topic. The drafts were produced between December 1944 and January 1945 and the report was the work of a team from BAU’s Field HQ in Caen led by a Scientific Director, Squadron Leader E.A. Lovell who was detached from Bomber Command, operating in the Caen-Falaise area during November and December 1944. The team conducted a field survey covering Operations Goodwood, Totalize and Tractable.
Contains two sub-files
SZ/BSGF/12/1 Comments by SZ on paper on density of attack in relation to air support for Operation Overlord 1944
Contains eight copies of a detailed critique submitted to Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory of a paper on close support operations by RAF Bomber Command produced by the Directorate of Bomber Operations (D.B.Ops), Air Ministry. D.B.Ops did not, on balance, favour the use of heavy bombers in close support of ground forces. In his critique SZ expressed the view that evidence of Bomber Command’s performance indicated that its heavy bomber forces were capable of executing such operations successfully and rebutted many points in the paper from that perspective.
SZ/BSGF/12/2 Paper by Day [sic] Bomber Ops. on density of attack in relation to air support in Operation Overlord 1944
Contains nine items, being drafts of SZ’s critique of the paper by D.B.Ops on close support operations.