Description
The World War II Raid to Break Open Amiens Prison
On February 18, 1944, RAF de Havilland Mosquito bombers attacked Amiens Prison in German-occupied France in one of the most daring and controversial missions of World War II. Operation Jericho aimed to breach the prison walls and open an escape route for Resistance members and political prisoners believed to be facing execution, but the mission carried a terrible risk: the bombs meant to free prisoners could also kill the people inside.
This documentary follows the planning, flight, attack, and aftermath of the Amiens Prison raid. It examines the skill required from the Mosquito crews, the prisoners who escaped, the lives lost in the bombing, and the debate that still surrounds the operation. Operation Jericho remains a powerful example of wartime precision, moral uncertainty, and the difficult choices made when rescue and destruction depended on the same attack.