Kassel - 3/4 October 1943
Diversions and Deception – A New Phase
With the initial advantage of Window dissipating Harris was keen to keep up the pressure against Germany. Berlin was proving a dangerous and difficult target deep inside the Reich and in the pause between the initial three probing attacks and the full offensive which commenced in late November he sent his crews out to targets of importance but which were within easier range. The Germans had been quick to counter the worst effects of Window on their airborne radar sets and by November an improved version of SN-2 was in operational use. Its chief advantage was its ability to penetrate the Window jamming. However Bomber Command was also becoming adept at tactics of route and target deception. The night bomber war was entering yet another phase.
On the 3rd October 1944 Kassel was selected as the target for 547 bombers. A diversionary raid was set for Hanover by 10 aircraft with 12 more, Oboe equipped, attacking the Knapsack power station on the outskirts of Cologne. Four more aircraft were to conduct Oboe Mark II trials near Aachen. The main and diversionary force flew in a straight line for Hanover, giving the German controllers ample opportunity to decide to assemble the single engine night fighters over that city. Some 30 miles short of the city of Mosquito force continued on while the Main Force turned south. Four Mosquitoes dropped green target indicators and released a few scattered bombs forcing the night fighters to remain in case the main attack should yet developed. When that failed to happen and target indicators had burned out the fighters were vectored to Brunswick.
Meanwhile the Main Force had swung southeast on to Kassel dropping yellow target markers. Seven minutes after the attack opened up the night fighters were again given a new heading, this time for Kassel, and they arrived in time to intercept the final wave of bombers.
These diversionary attacks had worked but the raid did not go as planned as the H2S blind marking aircraft overshot the aiming point by a wide margin and the visual markers were unable to correct these are because of the ground haze prevalent in the industrial regions of Germany. There was also some evidence that German decoy markers were used, a device with which they were now having some success. The main weight of the bombing fell on the western section of the city with the outlying towns and villages catching the overflow. By chance Ihringshausen, three miles north of the Kassel, was hit by a stray bomb load. As luck would have it this housed one of the largest ammunition dumps in Germany. 10 minutes later several other aircraft bombed the now fiercely burning depot and several massive explosions occurred.
In spite of over shooting the aiming point the bombing creepback caused a number of large fires to develop in the city and the Henschel and Fiesler Aircraft Works were among those damaged.
For the defending night fighter force everything seemed to have gone wrong. Delays in communications to flak batteries resulted in some firing on their own aircraft as they were vectored north eastwards from the beacon at Munstereifel, causing damage to two of them.
The ground radar lost the bomber formation temporarily but the running commentary broadcasts brought them back into the picture and the fighters gathered near Magdeburg. At that point the diversion was seen for what it was and the fighters are headed for Kassel only to be shot at by flak which failed to limit the height of its barrage to 4000 metres. There was an understandable air of frustration amongst night fighter crews over the whole affair. However 24 bombers were brought down from all causes - an unsatisfactory result for the Luftwaffe with ominous overtones for the defence of the Reich.
….......
The 103 Squadron records state 9 aircraft were detailed for this attack. First up W/O K R Lee and crew in LM314 at 1846. The flak in the target was negligible but the searchlights were effective and F/S Hinton was coned three times for several seconds and then was attacked by a twin engined night fighter on the port quarter from 200 yards and 100ft up. Both Air Gunners returned fire causing the starboard engine of the enemy aircraft to burst into flames. It was claimed as a probably destroyed. This was Hinton's first operation. The Squadron aircraft bombed from between 21,300ft to 19,500ft .All 9 103 Squadron aircraft returned safely to base. Sgt Stevens returned early as his starboard outer engine caught fire and he jettisoned his bomb load and returned to base. First down was F/S H Campbell and crew in JB350 at 0018.
….......
3/4 October 1943
Kassel: 547 aircraft - 223 Halifaxes, 204 Lancasters, 113 Stirlings, 7 Mosquitos. 24 aircraft - 14 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Lancasters - lost, 4.4 per cent of the force.
A number of Mosquito operations took place. 10 aircraft on a diversion to Hanover, 12 Oboe aircraft to Knapsack power-station near Cologne and 4 on Mark II Oboe trials to Aachen. No losses.
7 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians, 7 OTU sorties. No losses.
Compiled by David Fell mostly from 103 and 576 Squadron ORBs, 1 Group ORB, By Day and by Night: Bomber War in Europe, 1939-45. Ken Merrick, Middlebrook's Bomber Command War Diaries.
....................
|
