The rare early Second World War Fall of France May 1940 Advance Air Striking Force dive bombing sortie ‘immediate’ Distinguished Flying Medal awarded to Leading Aircraftman later Flight Sergeant R.W.J. Green, Royal Air Force. Green from Newbury. Berkshire, would became one of only a handful of aircraft to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in the rank of Leading Aircraftman, when as part of the crew of Pilot Officer D.A.C. Crooks’ Fairey Battle of No.226 Squadron, he and his entire crew were decorated for a dive bombing mission on 28th May 1940. During this mission, Green displayed considerable gallantry in attacking ground targets from a low altitude with his rear gun. His aircraft carried out an extensive reconnaissance of the Amiens-Albert Road. At a iow altitude, and under heavy fire from the ground, the crew bombed a large convoy of enemy armoured vehicles, obtaining direct hits with their bombs. Although the aircraft was hit by heavy pom-pom fire the crew succeeded in reaching the base.
Distinguished Flying Medal, GVI 1st type bust; (547790. L.A.C. R.W.J. GREEN. R.A.F.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Reginald William John Green was born in 1920 in Newbury, Berkshire, and originally enlisted into the Royal Air Force in 1938 as an Aircraftsman (No.547790) with the Royal Air Force, and completed training as a Wireless Operator / Air Gunner, being then posted to No.226 Squadron at Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire.
However shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War was posted to France during the Phoney War period and was stationed there at the time of the German invasion of France and the low countries when equipped with Fairey Battles and operating from the airfield at Faux-Villecerf as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force.
Green was then thrown into operations as part of the crew of Pilot Officer D.A.C. Crooks, and then took part in numerous sorties including a dive bombing mission on the village of Boeimer one mile south of Breda on 10th May 1940, a dive bombing mission near Rethel when his aircraft dropped four 250 lbs instant fuse bombs on a wood alongside the road one mile west of Hauteville whilst experiencing fairly heavy anti-aircraft fire. Then on 19th May 1940 he flew in a dive bombing mission on a convoy on the road north of Florenville and Neufchateau, making a shallow dive from 3000 down to 2000 feet. On 22nd May he flew a five bombing mission and dropped four bombs in sticks in a shallow dive from 4000 down to 2000 feet at Florenville. No results were observed for this mission, but during this sortie his aircraft was held by searchlights and then a large convoy was observed moving west, which his aircraft then machine gunned from a height of 1000 feet some four miles southwest of Florenville. During this mission, after the first attack on the convoy, they then attacks another convoy in the same area, which replied in turn with intense machine gun fire.
On 28th May, the day on which Green earned his ‘immediate’ award of the Distinguished Flying Medal, they flew a dive bombing mission to Conz and dropped four bombs in a slow stick during a shallow dive from 5000-2000 feet, with the bombs being seen to burst between the hours and the river bank. After this his aircraft flew south along the railway line from Conz to Sierck, during which they observed two trains, one moving south and one moving north about one mile south of Nittel, which the rear gunner then machine gunned, emptying three pans from his gun, and the observer in turn then opened fire and emptied 11 pans of ammunition on the train. Their aircraft then dived to 1000 feet on the train moving south, and fired from the front gun. They in turn experienced intense anti-aircraft fire from the ground after firing on this train, with 36 searchlights having been spotted in the target area.
This appears to have been his last sortie with No.226 Squadron during the Battle of France, and after the evacaution, both Green, now a Leading Air Craftsman and his pilot, Pilot Officer Crooks D.F.C., were posted with the squadron to join Fighter Command, being retrained to operate in Blenheim aircraft.
Green’s recommendation for the ‘immediate’ award of the Distinguished Flying Medal, a joint recommendation together with the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to his pilot and the Distinguished Flying Medal to his observer, Sergeant T.C. Davies, reads as follows:
‘During a day (28th) in May 1940, Pilot Officer Crooks carried out an extensive reconnaissance of the Amiens-Albert Road with great determination and gallantry. At a iow altitude, and under heavy fire from the ground, he bombed a large convoy of enemy armoured vehicles, obtaining direct hits with his bombs. Although his aircraft was hit by heavy pom-pom fire he succeeded in reaching his base. Sergeant Davies, an air observer, has been a member of Pilot Officer Crook’s crew on all missions, and has used his gun most effectively during low flying bombing attacks on convoys. He has also shown exceptional navigational ability under difficult conditions by day and night. As wireless operator, air gunner in Pilot Officer Crook’s aircraft, Leading Aircraftman Green has displayed considerable gallantry in attacking ground targets from a low altitude with his rear gun. Pilot Officer Crooks and his crew have shown initiative and exceptional devotion to duty in many missions undertaken by night and under adverse weather conditions. They have pressed home their attacks, invariably from low altitudes, in spite of enemy opposition from the ground and from the air.’
Green’s award of the Distinguished Flying Medal was announced in the London Gazette for 25th June 1940. His is a rare award in the rank of Leading Aircraftman.
Posted to Fighter Command, Green now a Flight Sergeant, became Air Gunner in Wing Commander Hurst’s crew flying in Blenheim’s with No.226 Squadron. On 4th July 1941, Hurst’s crew took off from Wattisham at 0530 hours in Blenheim MkIV (Serial No.27291 MQ-) for an operation over Nordeney, the aircraft was hit by flak and crashed into the sea off Nordeney. All the crew, which included Green, were killed in actin, but Green’s body was subsequently recovered, and he now lies buried in Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Germany.
