French pilot who saved city
from Nazis honoured

SEVENTY one years ago the bravery of a young French pilot helped force German bombers to abandon their intense bombing of a Yorkshire city.

Forty Luftwaffe bombers flew to Britain on Wednesday April 29, 1942, with their sights firmly set on the historic city of York. For over 90 minutes, the German bombers attacked the historic city, setting it ablaze.

York’s own blitz, known as the Baedeker Raids, saw over 95 civilians killed, around a third of all of the homes in the city damaged and the city’s medieval Guildhall largely destroyed.

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However the damage could have been much worse but for the intervention of lone French fighter pilot 23-year-old Yves Mahé, serving with 253 Squadron RAF Fighter Command, who saw the city ablaze from a distance and immediately dived into the action to help.

Ian Richardson, communications manager with the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, near York, said: “He almost single-handedly saved York. He was flying and saw that the attack was taking place over York and he intervened and attacked one of the bombing aircraft and intercepted it and carried on his attack and the German bombers left.

“He effectively saved York because it was coming under serious attack,” he added.

Today an exhibition will open in York, which will run until May 5, marking the significant wartime event, which will see the Yorkshire Air Museum’s Hawker Hurricane fighter located in St Sampson’s Square, Parliament Street. The Hurricane carries the emblem of No 341 Squadron also known in French as Groupe de Chasse n° 3/2 Alsace, and was a Free French Squadron in the RAF during the Battle of Britain and thereafter.

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The exhibition, next to the Hurricane fighter plane, will be officially opened by the Lord Mayor of York, Coun Keith Hyman.

Children from Year 5 at St Wilfred’s Primary School, York, who have spent the last 12 months campaigning for a memorial for Yves Mahé will also be in attendance.

Overnight April 29-April 30, 1942, he destroyed a Heinkel 111 and damaged a Junkers Ju 88, in the skies above York. For over 90 minutes, the attacking German bombers rained down 84 tonnes of bombs on the historic city, setting it ablaze. The air raid sirens in the city sounded at 2.42am, some minutes after the attack began.

The medieval Guildhall was largely destroyed and Rowntree’s North Street Factory was burnt to the ground. The railway station, an obvious target, was hit and badly damaged, as was the London to Edinburgh express train, carrying soldiers and other service personnel among its passengers.

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Clifton Aerodrome along with St Peters, Queen Anne’s, Nunthorpe, Bar Convent and Bootham Schools were also badly damaged.

Over 95 civilians died, 212 were injured and 579 homes destroyed and it is estimated about a third of all the homes in the city were damaged.

These casualty totals do not include service personnel who were killed at Clifton Moor Aerodrome when a direct hit destroyed the Guard House and other buildings.

The damage was devastating – but it could have been worse.

The young French pilot immediately dived in with his Hawker Hurricane and shot down a Heinkel; he then targeted a Junkers JU88 twin engined bomber, but this, along with the rest of the attacking force decided it was time to leave and turned away under the cover of the smoke from hundreds of buildings.

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One of the bombers, a Dornier Do17, later crashed near Castle Howard.

A spokesman for the air museum said: “Yves Mahé’s intervention was just in the nick of time, as the bombers were lining up to attack Rowntree’s main factory which, unbeknown to anyone, had a secret ammunition filling area containing hundreds of tons of high explosive.

“The outcome would 
have been catastrophic to 
the whole northern part of the city.”

The young French pilot was later given a civic reception at the Mansion House, with the Free French Flag flying over the city.

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Yves had escaped from occupied France to join the RAF and this was his first “kill.”

Later, General de Gaulle presented him with the Croix de Guerre.

He went on to fly with French Squadrons fighting with the Soviet Air Force and was shot down in August 1944. He was captured by the Germans and condemned to death but, managed to escape and returned to France a year later.

He served with the French Air Force until 29th March, 1962, when he was killed flying a jet nightfighter in Belgium. He was 42.

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