Royal Air Force holdt et vågent øje med Karup og Mosquitoes udførte mange patruljer i luftrummet over flyvepladsen. Det var ikke kun i de mørke timer, at II./NJG 3 på Fliegerhorst Grove fik besøg af No. 100 Group. Den 26. september 1944 gennemførte to Mosquitoes fra No. 23 Squadron en Day Ranger mod Grove. De to maskiner var:

Mosquito VI HR211 YP-T                      F/O Stewart & F/O Beaudet
Mosquito VI HR216 YP-Z                      F/O Badley & Sgt. Wilson

De to Mosquitoes startede fra RAF Little Snoring klokken 09.55 og begge maskiner indfandt sig over Grove, hvor man overraskede det tyske luftforsvar.
F/O Stewart havde held til at beskyde en Ju 88, der var parkeret i udkanten
af flyvefeltet. Den tyske maskine blev kraftigt beskadiget.

Det lette luftværnsskyts på flyvepladsen åbnede ild, men det var en enkelt tysk soldat med et håndholdt våben, der forårsagede de største skader. Han ramte Badleys Mosquito i den ene motor samtidig med, at han ramte højderoret, så Badley kun kunne stige, hvis han anvendte hans trim tab.

De to Mosquitoes opholdt sig ikke længe over Fliegerhorst Grove, men satte kursen mod vest og krydsede den jyske vestkyst nord for Ringkøbing Fjord. Badley og Stewart havde valgt at krydse kysten netop der, hvor radarstationen ‘Ringelnatter’ befandt sig. Stewart beskød radarstillingens Wassermann M og beskadigede drejemekanismen, så radarudstyret var ude af drift i flere dage.
Til gengæld blev Stewarts Mosquito ramt, men det lykkedes Stewart at nå tilbage til England, hvor han foretog en ‘safe landing’. Det samme kunne man ikke sige om Badley. Hans Mosquito var alvorligt beskadiget, men det
lykkedes ham at krydse Nordsøen og nå tilbage til England, hvor han blev dirigeret til Woodbridge. Badley beordrede Wilson (navigatøren) til at springe
ud med faldskærm, men Wilson kom til at udløse faldskærmen i cockpittet og Badley havde ingen anden mulighed end at forsøge en landing på Woodbridge.

Badley landede en stærkt beskadiget Mosquito på en motor og uden brug af roret. Togtet udløste et DFC til Badley for bringe Mosquitoen tilbage til England - noget som absolut var i Badleys interesse.

CP: Mosquitoes and Grove* George Stewart * George Stewart - Ansons * Grove-Karup

Carsten Petersen, the author of Air War over Denmark, vol. I-V, and others
about the subject, wrote this about Day Ranger to Fliegerhorst Grove 26 SEP 1944
about 25 years ago:

The Royal Air Force kept a keen eye on Karup and Mosquitoes carried out many
patrols in the air space above the airfield. It was not only at night that II./NJG3 at Fliegerhorst Grove was  visited by No. 100 Group. On 26 September 1944
2 Mosquitoes of No. 23 Squadron carried out a Day Ranger to Grove. They were

Mosquito VI HR211 YP-T                      F/O Stewart & F/O Beaudet
Mosquito VI HR216 YP-Z                      F/O Badley & Sgt. Wilson

The 2 Mosquitoes took off from RAF Little Snoring at 09.55 hrs and both aircraft
appeared over Grove where the German air defence was taken by surprise. F/O
Stewart managed to strafe a Ju88 which was parked in the outskirts of the dispersal
area. The German aircraft was heavily damaged.

The light flak of the airfield opened fire, but a single German soldier with a handheld weapon caused the most severe damage. He hit Badley’s Mosquito in one engine
and he hit the elevator, so that Badley could only ascend if he used his trim tab.

The 2 Mosquitoes did not stay long over Fliegerhorst Grove. They headed west and crossed the west coast of Jutland north of the Ringkøbing Fjord. Badley and Stewart
had chosen to cross the coast right at the radar station Ringelnatter. 

Stewart strafed the Wassermann M radar and damaged the machinery, used for
rotating the tower, so the radar was out of order for a number of days. In return
Stewart’s Mosquito was hit, but Stewart managed to get back to England and make
a ”safe landing”. 

Badley’s Mosquito was seriously damaged, but he managed to cross the North Sea
and get back to England where he was directed to Woodbridge. Badley ordered Wilson (the navigator) to bail out, but Wilson happened to release his parachute in the cockpit and Badley’s only option was to attempt a landing at Woodbridge. Badley landed a heavily damaged Mosquito on one engine and without using the steering wheel.

The raid gave a DFC to Badley for bringing the Mosquito back to England – very much
in the interest of Badley.