The Calais raid
The Ottawa Journal, 22 June 1940 · The Calais raid, June 1940
Young [unclear: Canadian] Gun Emplacements Scotched By British Naval Bombers
Canadian Brings Back Vivid Pictures Of Havoc Wrought by Hurricanes— Other Enemy Air Bases Also Blasted
LONDON, June 21.—(CP)— Bombers of the fleet air arm, striking at German military preparations in French Channel ports apparently for forthcoming attacks on England, raided the key harbor of Calais today—led by a young Canadian airman—and blasted important gun emplacements.
Britain thus took the initiative in striking at enemy points where the Germans may be establishing bases from which they might be expected to attempt any planned invasion of Britain.
The “successful attacks” on the Calais guns—with a range of 30 miles or more and pointing at this island across 22 miles of the Channel—were carried out at about the same time that Royal Air Force flyers dropped more than 400 incendiary bombs on the airdrome at Rouen, France. Rouen, now German-occupied, is a port on the Seine estuary more than 150 miles down the Channel from Calais.
The Canadian aviator, whose name was not given, first dropped his bombs on Calais gun positions and then circled around, photographing the rest of the attack. He brought back vivid pictures of devastation caused by many direct hits.
The same Canadian had discovered and photographed the German gun emplacement on a previous reconnaissance when he flew at less than 1,000 feet to get pictures.
German gunfire then was so heavy he only brought his machine home by great skill. One wing was shattered and collapsing. the fuselage riddled and the gas tank split with fuel pouring over everything.
A pompom shell exploding inside the fuselage wounded his navigator.
His Revenge Came.
He made a forced landing at a south coast airdrome. Today he got his revenge.
The Air Ministry announcement said the naval bombers, protected by Hurricane fighters, “swept down on the target at Calais in three waves, dive-bombing in the face of tremendous fire”.
One British plane was hit and went down in the sea while the others returned safely.
More than 80 bombs—dropped within four minutes—also were dropped among aircraft on a runway of the Schiphol airdrome, Amsterdam.
Other airdromes were reported attacked and at Munster, Germany, many fires were started near 14 big sheds.
The scan is cut off at the right edge: the main headline is only partly visible ('Young Canadi...', probably 'Young Canadian' but the rest may continue), and the second headline line is complete. The second paragraph here is the printed sub-headline (deck); 'His Revenge Came.' is a printed cross-head. The paragraph beginning 'The Canadian aviator' is printed in bold. 'the fuselage' follows a full stop in the print ('collapsing. the fuselage'), kept as printed. A Boggs Barbecue advertisement and a floor-refinishing advertisement in the left column were left out. The article does not name Martyn. Hard to read in the print: Main headline is cut off at the right edge of the scan after 'Canadi'; the ending (probably 'an') is an assumption, and further words may follow beyond the cut.