Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 29, 2021 17:38:10 GMT 12
It would be interesting to know if any RNZAF personnel or Kiwis in the RAF were part of this, as detailed in the Waikato Times dated 11th of August1944.
DARING AIR RAIDS
MINES LAID ON VITAL CANAL
(Received Aug. 11, 2 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10
The Bomber Command carried out one of the most daring and most important mine-laying operations of the war on the night of August 9, when Mosquitoes laid mines in the vital Dortmund-Ems canal from a height of 50 feet, says the Air Ministry. Scarcely a stretch of this canal is not protected by heavy and light flak, numerous searchlights, and balloons.
In addition the ground defences have crack fighter packs within easy call. The mine-layers were preceded by a special force of Mosquitoes, who almost silenced the ground defences before the mine-layers arrived. A special marking technique was used, in which markers were dropped some distance from the canal, from which the mine-layers made a timed run, bringing them exactly over the stretch of water to be mined.
Many pilots, who had been carefully briefed and knew the vital importance of dropping the mines exactly right, made three separate runs before laying the mines. The operations were planned to enable a plane to spend 10 minutes over the canal and a second batch of markers was laid to ensure accuracy.
DARING AIR RAIDS
MINES LAID ON VITAL CANAL
(Received Aug. 11, 2 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10
The Bomber Command carried out one of the most daring and most important mine-laying operations of the war on the night of August 9, when Mosquitoes laid mines in the vital Dortmund-Ems canal from a height of 50 feet, says the Air Ministry. Scarcely a stretch of this canal is not protected by heavy and light flak, numerous searchlights, and balloons.
In addition the ground defences have crack fighter packs within easy call. The mine-layers were preceded by a special force of Mosquitoes, who almost silenced the ground defences before the mine-layers arrived. A special marking technique was used, in which markers were dropped some distance from the canal, from which the mine-layers made a timed run, bringing them exactly over the stretch of water to be mined.
Many pilots, who had been carefully briefed and knew the vital importance of dropping the mines exactly right, made three separate runs before laying the mines. The operations were planned to enable a plane to spend 10 minutes over the canal and a second batch of markers was laid to ensure accuracy.
