Operation Big Ben: The Anti-V2 Spitfire Missions

When Hitler unleashed his V1 and V2 rockets on Great Britain in 1944, it was the first military attack on the British civilian population without invasion. Innocent families were wiped out without mercy and terror gripped the nation. Churchill and the Crossbow Committee knew that widespread panic would soon ensue, because the British public were becoming increasingly anxious about the Nazis superior technology, which was destroying their lives. But through important intelligence from Bomber Command, Naval commandos, the French and Dutch Resistances in Europe, and the precise plotting of V rocket activity in the Filter Room of Fighter Command through air reconnaissance, a Top Secret plan was formed to dive-bomb V rocket installations with Mark IX and Mark XVI Spitfires.

Craig Cabell is the writer and historian responsible for bringing Operation Big Ben to world attention. He has studied the original documentation since its release from the National Archive in 2004 and interviewed veterans who took part in the operation, such as Flight Lieutenant Raymond Baxter. Cabell’s initial research resulted in many accolades and now resides in the 602 ‘City of Glasgow’ Squadron Museum. But now, for the first time, Cabell has put together the whole story of Operation Big Ben, showing the work of the Crossbow Committee, intelligence Commandos under the orders of Commander Ian Fleming, the French and Dutch Resistances, and the brave men who flew the Spitfires of 124, 229, 303, 453, 602 and 603 squadrons. Witness one of the British Military’s Finest Moments and Most Covert Operations.