First RAF bombing raid of the war.

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by Owen, Sep 4, 2009.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Just been reading up on the attck on Wilhelmshaven on 4th September 1939 by 107 & 110 Squadrons.

    HyperWar: Royal Air Force 1939–1945: Volume I: The Fight at Odds [Chapter II]

    This extract got me,
    These operations of 4th September, which cost seven of the twenty-nine aircraft taking part, may be regarded as characteristic of our first attempts to damage the enemy from the air. The over-optimistic view of what might be achieved: the care taken to avoid harming the German civil population:


    It says 7 planes were lost.
    I have found them on lost bombers, I won't post info from there on here.
    I know one or two of our members have a 'thing' about that website.
    I'll wait for Peter to quote direct from Chorley about the lost planes and their crews.
     
  2. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    The R.A.F. seemed to be quite scrupulous about not harming the population for the first few months of the war. Just wondering if the raid was undertaken by Blenheim's only or were other types involved?
     
  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    A few details of the raid of 4 September 1939 taken from 'The Bomber Command War Diaries' - Middlebrook / Everitt

    4 September 1939

    WILHELMSHAVEN AND BRUNSBUTTEL

    After an early Blenheim reconnaissance. 15 Blenheims and 14 Wellingtons were dispatched to bomb German warships. 5 planes from each force failed to find targets in low-cloud conditions. Most of the remaining Blenheims carried out low-level attacks on the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer and on the cruiser Emdenin Wilhelmshaven harbour. At least 3 bombs hit the Admiral Scheer but they failed to explode; the Emdenwas damaged and suffered some casualties when a Blenheim crashed on to it. 5 Blenheims were shot down, all or most by anti-aircraft (Flak) fire; 107 Squadron lost 4 of its 5 planes on the raid. The first Bomber Command casualties of the war are believed to have been Flight Lieutenant W. F. Barton and his crew - Flying Officer J. F. Ross, navigator, and Corporal J. L. Ricketts, wireless operator/gunner - of 107 Squadron, all killed when Blenheim N6184 was shot down by anti-aircraft gunfire of the Admiral Hipper.
    Little is known of the Wellington attacks on ships at Brunsbuttel in the mouth of the Kiel Canal. 4 crews reported that they had found targets to bomb. Owing to navigation error, 2 bombs were dropped on the Danish town of Esbjerg, 110 miles north of Brunsbuttel, and 2 people were killed there. Some of the Wellingtons were attacked by German fighters and 2 Wellingtons were lost.

    Total effort for the day: 30 sorties, 7 aircraft (23-3 per cent) lost.
     
  4. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Losses for the Wilhelmshaven raid

    107 Squadron
    Blenheim IV N6184 OM-
    3 crew lost

    107 Squadron
    Blenheim IV N6188 OM-
    3 crew lost

    107 Squadron
    Blenheim IV N6189 OM-
    3 crew lost

    107 Squadron
    Blenheim IV N6240 OM-
    1 crew lost
    2 pow

    110 squadron
    Blenheim IV N6199 VE-
    4 crew lost.


    Losses for the Brunsbuttel raid

    9 squadron
    Wellington I L4269 WS-
    5 crew lost

    9 Squadron
    Wellington I L4275 WS-H
    5 crew lost
     
  5. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    That day a Whitley of 58 Sqn crashed after on a raid over the Ruhr.
    The crew were un-injured.
    Peter, what is a 'Nickel' raid ?
     
  6. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Quite a coincidence relating to the No.110 Squadron loss of 4 September.

    The aircrafts pilot was F/O H L. Emden. He attacked the German cruiser Emden at Wilhelmshaven and crashed onto the ship killing nine of her crew and wounding several more.
     
  7. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    That day a Whitley of 58 Sqn crashed after on a raid over the Ruhr.
    The crew were un-injured.
    Peter, what is a 'Nickel' raid ?

    A 'Nickel' raid was the dropping of propaganda leaflets over the enemy.

    Details on the Whitlley loss as follows.....

    58 Squadron
    Whitley III K8969
    Op. Nicklel

    Took off 2219 hrs Leconfield for a Nickel raid on the Ruhr.. Forced landed at 0545 hrs in a cabbage field at Dormans (Marne) on the east bank of the River Marne 35 km SW of Reims, France. The crew of five escaped injury despite some of the crop entering the aircraft.
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Cheers, just found something here.
    RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary

    No. 58 was flying Whitleys from Yorkshire at the outbreak of the Second World War, and first went into action on the night of 3rd/4th September, 1939, when - in conjunction with No. 51 Squadron - it maid a leaflet raid over Germany. This was the first occasion on which R.A.F aircraft penetrated into Germany during the Second World War.


    51 Sqn had a few firsts.
    RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary

    On the very first night of the war - 3rd/4th September - three of the squadron's Whitleys, operating from Leconfield, made, in conjunction with Whitleys of No. 58 Squadron, the first Nickel or leaflet raid over Germany. This was the first occasion that RAF aircraft penetrated into Germany during the Second World War. In 1940, No. 51 began to drop bombs as well as leaflets on the enemy and during the year shared in several notable Bomber Command "firsts", including the first attack on a land target (the mine-laying seaplane base at Hornum on the island of Sylt, 19/20th March), the first big attack on the German mainland (the exits of Monchengladbach, 11/12th May), the first attack on Italy (primary target Fiat works at Turin, 11/12th June), and the first area bombing attack on a German industrial centre (Mannheim, 16/17th December).
     
  9. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    German propaganda related to the raid of 3-4 September 1939

    First British air raids on German soil against Wilhelmshaven and Cuxhaven, with negligible results (10 Wellingtons shot down by German fighters)
     
  10. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    This was the leaflet dropped that night:

    [​IMG]


    More details and translation here:
    Propaganda Leaflet Archive

    Lee

    A 'Nickel' raid was the dropping of propaganda leaflets over the enemy.

    Details on the Whitlley loss as follows.....

    58 Squadron
    Whitley III K8969
    Op. Nicklel

    Took off 2219 hrs Leconfield for a Nickel raid on the Ruhr.. Forced landed at 0545 hrs in a cabbage field at Dormans (Marne) on the east bank of the River Marne 35 km SW of Reims, France. The crew of five escaped injury despite some of the crop entering the aircraft.
     
    Owen likes this.
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Is there a full translation of the text?
    Amazed to see there were over seven and a half million dropped.
     
  12. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    Is there a full translation of the text?
    Amazed to see there were over seven and a half million dropped.


    Here you go Owen:
    http://www.psywar.org/translation_1939EH273T.pdf

    The text is quite dull and unrealistic. It received a lot of criticism at the time.
     
    Owen likes this.
  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Cheers, actually the warning is quite apt,

    "Instead your rulers have condemned you to the massacre , miseries and privations of a war they can't hope to win."

    It took awhile but ultimately is was true.
     

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