The Bombing of Sotteville Marshalling Yard 2
April 19, 1944
500 lb bombs dug large craters but it seems that most of the rolling stock has not been hit. No real dammage has been caused to the tracks in the southern part of the yard. Though the marshalling yard is no longer functional, a few trains are still able to circulate. It compares in no way with the bombing of the Juvisy Marshalling Yard .
Ground markers were dropped by the Mosquito Pathfinders. 250-pound bomb cases were filled with 12-inch pyrotechnic candles. 60 candles fitteed snugly into the case and a barometric fuse was used to eject them. Fused to function at 3,000feet, the target indicators made a ground pattern of approximately 100 yards in diameter, but when fused for 1,500 feet, the ground pattern was reduced to 60 yards in diameter. The burning time of a candle was approximately 3 minutes, later extended to seven minutes.
Target indicators were used with doubtful results on Sotteville (Target indicators were fist used on Berlin on January 16-17, 1943.)
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