Hit and Run Raids

Clifford Bloomfield’s Wartime Recollections

First published in Jo Kirkham’s ‘Memories of Rye Series

Autumn and Winter 1942

During this time the towns and villages of South East England were subjected to attacks by German Focke Wolf 190 fighter bombers. They carried one 500Ib bomb as well as being armed with machine guns and 20mm cannon. They were referred to as Hit and Run Raiders. To help combat this menace, units of the RAF regiment were drafted to the town and surrounding countryside. They were equipped with their standard airfield defence systems – small armoured cars fitted with a pair of matching guns. Other guns were sited on high static positions. I remember it being said that one such site was at the rear of Durrant House in Market Street. Continue reading Hit and Run Raids