|
Royal Air Force Bomber
Command 60th Anniversary
Campaign Diary
1940
July - October : The Battle of Britain
The fall of France meant that Britain stood alone. But, instead of
continuing the advance across the Channel, Hitler basked in the glory
of the successful campaign in Western Europe. Plans were drawn up
to cross the Channel with a huge flotilla of invasion barges, and
as these massed in the coming months, Bomber Command visited the Channel
ports on many occasions. But the Command's operations were split between
destroying the invasion ports and attacking German industry and, in
particular, its oil installations. The first Polish squadrons, Nos
300 and 301 (both with Battles), became operational in September,
as did the first Czech-manned squadron - No 311 (Wellingtons).
Full details of bomber operations during the Battle of Britain can
be found HERE.
November
With the immediate threat of invasion gone for the time being, it
was new theatres that were starting to draw on Bomber Command's resources.
A number of squadrons were sent to the Middle East after Italy had
commenced its invasion of Libya and East Africa but for those squadrons
that remained the general pace of operations slowed during the winter
months. Total numbers of aircraft committed to a single night's operations
rarely exceeded 100, and those that were used were still despatched
to a multitude of targets in piecemeal formations. There were two
notable exceptions to this. The first was a raid by 63 aircraft on
night of 7/8 November to the Krupps factory at Essen, the first of
many visits to this sprawling complex. Although many crews believed
they had found the target, subsequent analysis of photographs taken
by the crews showed that many were some distance from the target,
possibly attracted by decoy fires which the Germans were known to
light for just this reason. Then during the nights of 15/16 and 16/17
November, a total of over 200 aircraft were despatched to Hamburg.
(Curiously, in light of subsequent events, these were the second and
third consecutive nights that the city had been targeted). One the
first night, heavy damage was caused at the Blohm & Voss shipyard
and over 60 fires started, but on the next raid, only 60 aircraft
were able to find their target. A further 25 found alternatives, but
the damage as far less severe.
December
The night of 16/17 December will be remembered as the first area
attack carried out by Bomber Command. The raid on Mannheim, code-named
Operation Abigail Rachel, was authorised in retaliation for recent
heavy bombing of English cities (particularly Coventry) and a force
of 200 aircraft was prepared. In the end, 134 aircraft were sent -
still the largest number to a single target. The attack was opened
by 8 Wellingtons using incendiaries which, it was hoped, would start
a fire and aid identification of the target. Figures vary, but no
more than 102 aircraft actually bombed Mannheim, and the majority
of bombs fell away from the city centre as the fire-raising Wellingtons
had missed the centre of the city. The casualties for the night totalled
34 dead with 81 injured.
| Nos 49 and 83 Squadrons, Scampton,
August 1940 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| No 204 Squadron, Stradishall, October
1940 |
|
|
|
| Damage to Whitley of No 102 Squadron,
12/13 November 1940 |
| |
|
|
| Visit by HM King George VI to a Bomber
Command station, 27 November 1940 |
|
|
|
| German attempts to camouflage parts
of Hamburg, 1940 |
|
|
|
|
