Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 16:11:00 GMT 12
Here is a firsthand account in a newspaper of the raid on the MAN U-boat diesel engine factory at Ausgburg, deep in Germany. This raid I think was the first operational use of the Avro Lancaster. I had not seen the details of this before and man what a daring raid it must have been, up there with the Dambusters in bravery but sadly the results were not as successful. It was a very low level daylight attack further than any heavy bomber raid had been before in the war. Amazing stuff.
This is from the Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 92, 20 April 1942, Page 4
RAID ON AUGSBERG
U-BOAT ENGINE FACTORY
RUGBY, April 18.
In daylight yesterday a number of heavy bombers of the R.A.F. bombed an important factory at Augsberg, 40 miles north-west of Munich, in southern Germany. The raid was conducted by 12 of the new four-engined Lancaster aircraft, and their crossing of more than 1000 miles of enemy and enemy-occupied territory in daylight was one of the most daring flights of the war. They flew all the way at a very low level. Last night a strong force of R.A.F. bombers attacked the port of Hamburg, and this afternoon a small force of Hurricane bombers, escorted by squadrons of fighters, attacked targets in northern France.
Augsberg is the home of the huge Messerschmitt works, and it was from there that Rudolf Hess flew to Britain on May 10 last year. The target in Augsberg was a factory which manufactures Diesel engines for submarines. Augsberg is 400 miles deeper in Germany than any target previously attacked in the daytime. It is the first time Lancasters have been mentioned as participating in an operational flight.
The Machinenfabrik Augsberg Nurnberg factory, which was the objective of the raid, makes no less than 50 per cent, of the Diesel engines for submarines, and to cut down the supply of these engines is to throw the whole submarine building programme out of gear. Our bombers went in over the factory at chimney height, and the aircrews saw the burst of bombs on the target.
STRONG A.A. DEFENCE.
The factory was heavily defended by anti-aircraft guns, and there were even gunposts on the roof. Almost from the start of the outward journey, the Lancasters experienced fierce engagements with enemy fighters, and four of our bombers were shot down south of Paris, but the remainder pressed on to their objective. Three other Lancasters were shot down by anti-aircraft fire after making their attack, but the remaining five returned and landed safely at their bases well before midnight.
A squadron-leader who led the first section, giving his own account of the raid, said: "As soon as the French coast came into sight, I took my formation down to 25 to 30 feet, and we flew the whole of the rest of the way to Augsberg at that height. Soon after we crossed the coast, enemy fighters appeared in fairly big numbers, and a fierce running fight developed. "It was our job to pierce straight through to the target, so we kept in the tightest possible formation—wing-tip to wing-tip—so as to support each other by our combined fire. We went roaring on over the countryside, lifting over hills and skimming down valleys. Fighter after fighter attacked us from astern. Their cannon shells were bursting ahead.
"We were continually firing at them from our power-operated turrets. We rushed over the roofs of a village, and I saw cannon shells which had missed us crashing into houses, blowing holes in the walls and smashing the gables of roofs. The fight lasted 15 minutes or so, and aircraft were lost both by ourselves and by the Germans. Then their fighters gave up, probably running out of ammunition. After that we had no more trouble till we reached the target.
STRAIGHT IN ON THE TARGET.
"We swept in across France and skirted the border of Switzerland into Germany. I pulled the nose of my aircraft up a trifle to clear a hill, pushed it down on the other side, and saw the town of Augsberg.
"We charged straight at it. Our target was not simply the works, but certain vital shops in the works. We had studied their exact appearance from photographs, and we saw them just where they should be. Low angle flak began to come up thick and fast. We were so low that the Germans were even shooting into their own buildings. They had quantities of quick-firing guns. All our aircraft had holes made in them.
"The big sheds which were our targets rose up exactly ahead of me. My bomb-aimer let go. Our bombs, of course, had delayed action fuses, or they would have blown us all up. We roared on past the town, and I had the painful experience of seeing one of my formation catching fire. I was thankful to see it make a perfect forced landing.
"At that moment, all our bombs went up. I had turned and so could see the target well. Debris and dust were flying in the air.
"Then I set course for home. The light was beginning to fail. I was not attacked again. Till dark we again flew a few feet above the ground. Then we rose to normal height and got home without further incident."—B.O.W.
Imagine being in a French field and suddenly seeing a tight formation of Lancasters pass 25 feet above you!
I looked up in Volume One of Errol Martyn's For Your Tomorrow books, and found that one New Zealander was killed on the raid, Sgt Lawrence Heaton Baxter NZ41300, of No. 44 Squadron RAF. He was the 2nd Pilot of Lancaster I, L7536/H captained by Sgt G.T. Rhodes RAF. Their aircraft was one of those shot down en route to target in France.
I am curious as to whether other New Zealanders were among the crews of the twelve Lancasters on this raid?
This is from the Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 92, 20 April 1942, Page 4
RAID ON AUGSBERG
U-BOAT ENGINE FACTORY
RUGBY, April 18.
In daylight yesterday a number of heavy bombers of the R.A.F. bombed an important factory at Augsberg, 40 miles north-west of Munich, in southern Germany. The raid was conducted by 12 of the new four-engined Lancaster aircraft, and their crossing of more than 1000 miles of enemy and enemy-occupied territory in daylight was one of the most daring flights of the war. They flew all the way at a very low level. Last night a strong force of R.A.F. bombers attacked the port of Hamburg, and this afternoon a small force of Hurricane bombers, escorted by squadrons of fighters, attacked targets in northern France.
Augsberg is the home of the huge Messerschmitt works, and it was from there that Rudolf Hess flew to Britain on May 10 last year. The target in Augsberg was a factory which manufactures Diesel engines for submarines. Augsberg is 400 miles deeper in Germany than any target previously attacked in the daytime. It is the first time Lancasters have been mentioned as participating in an operational flight.
The Machinenfabrik Augsberg Nurnberg factory, which was the objective of the raid, makes no less than 50 per cent, of the Diesel engines for submarines, and to cut down the supply of these engines is to throw the whole submarine building programme out of gear. Our bombers went in over the factory at chimney height, and the aircrews saw the burst of bombs on the target.
STRONG A.A. DEFENCE.
The factory was heavily defended by anti-aircraft guns, and there were even gunposts on the roof. Almost from the start of the outward journey, the Lancasters experienced fierce engagements with enemy fighters, and four of our bombers were shot down south of Paris, but the remainder pressed on to their objective. Three other Lancasters were shot down by anti-aircraft fire after making their attack, but the remaining five returned and landed safely at their bases well before midnight.
A squadron-leader who led the first section, giving his own account of the raid, said: "As soon as the French coast came into sight, I took my formation down to 25 to 30 feet, and we flew the whole of the rest of the way to Augsberg at that height. Soon after we crossed the coast, enemy fighters appeared in fairly big numbers, and a fierce running fight developed. "It was our job to pierce straight through to the target, so we kept in the tightest possible formation—wing-tip to wing-tip—so as to support each other by our combined fire. We went roaring on over the countryside, lifting over hills and skimming down valleys. Fighter after fighter attacked us from astern. Their cannon shells were bursting ahead.
"We were continually firing at them from our power-operated turrets. We rushed over the roofs of a village, and I saw cannon shells which had missed us crashing into houses, blowing holes in the walls and smashing the gables of roofs. The fight lasted 15 minutes or so, and aircraft were lost both by ourselves and by the Germans. Then their fighters gave up, probably running out of ammunition. After that we had no more trouble till we reached the target.
STRAIGHT IN ON THE TARGET.
"We swept in across France and skirted the border of Switzerland into Germany. I pulled the nose of my aircraft up a trifle to clear a hill, pushed it down on the other side, and saw the town of Augsberg.
"We charged straight at it. Our target was not simply the works, but certain vital shops in the works. We had studied their exact appearance from photographs, and we saw them just where they should be. Low angle flak began to come up thick and fast. We were so low that the Germans were even shooting into their own buildings. They had quantities of quick-firing guns. All our aircraft had holes made in them.
"The big sheds which were our targets rose up exactly ahead of me. My bomb-aimer let go. Our bombs, of course, had delayed action fuses, or they would have blown us all up. We roared on past the town, and I had the painful experience of seeing one of my formation catching fire. I was thankful to see it make a perfect forced landing.
"At that moment, all our bombs went up. I had turned and so could see the target well. Debris and dust were flying in the air.
"Then I set course for home. The light was beginning to fail. I was not attacked again. Till dark we again flew a few feet above the ground. Then we rose to normal height and got home without further incident."—B.O.W.
Imagine being in a French field and suddenly seeing a tight formation of Lancasters pass 25 feet above you!
I looked up in Volume One of Errol Martyn's For Your Tomorrow books, and found that one New Zealander was killed on the raid, Sgt Lawrence Heaton Baxter NZ41300, of No. 44 Squadron RAF. He was the 2nd Pilot of Lancaster I, L7536/H captained by Sgt G.T. Rhodes RAF. Their aircraft was one of those shot down en route to target in France.
I am curious as to whether other New Zealanders were among the crews of the twelve Lancasters on this raid?
