Len Owens (deceased)

Retired schoolmaster, Len Owens, regards the period which he spent as a member of No.5285G Signals Unit as the most rewarding part of his wartime service in the Royal Air Force. Its highlight was unquestionably the unit's participation in the liberation of Paris, as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force which entered the city on Friday 25th August 1944. 'The First Time I Saw Paris', an article he has written on the 2nd TAF role, appeared in the July - August 1984 issue of The Military Chest and is believed to be the only published account of this virtually unknown operation. On 24th August 1944, No.5285G Signals Unit left Capriquet airfield for Le Mans to join up with No.15082 Ground Controlled Interception Unit. From Le Mans, the fifty strong combined contingent motored to Longjumeau, some fifteen niles south of Paris where the Free Fench 2nd Armoured Division, speearhead of the liberation force, as assembling for its drive on the French capital. Following in the wake of one of its armoured columns, the 2nd TAF force entered Paris during the afternoon of Friday 25th August. Its objective within the city was Longchamp racecourse, where it established a GCI station and was immediately put into action. As the threat of further Luftwaffe raids receded in early September, the site was closed down. No.5285G Signals Unit returned to No.148 Wing, its parent unit, based at Capriquet. Len was awarded the Military Medal. He died aged 92 in 2013.

Items Signed by Len Owens (deceased)

Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Len Owens (deceased)