Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

. . . does anyone here know who flew - RAF or USAAF - a bombing mission to Kiel, Germany (U-boot harbor) on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 7th 1942?

Always assumed it was likely the USAAF since the RAF had pretty much ceased daylight precision bombing by then. If possible, some details . . . bomber groups involved, where based in England, personnel and results. Thanks from an admitted newbie here.
Otto

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

Hi tekenaar !
You're sure about the date?
The USAAF Chronology gives FRIDAY, 14 MAY 1943
as the first U.S. raid onto Kiel.


EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 56: A maximum force is put in the air
as part of a combined offensive against the Wehrmacht. 154 B-17's, 21 B-
24's and 12 B-26's are dispatched against 4 targets. The principal attack
is against submarine yards and naval installations at Kiel, Germany; 136
B-17's and 21 B-24's are dispatched with 126 B-17's and 17 B-24's hitting
the target at 1200-1203 hours local. We claim 62-24-27 Luftwaffe aircraft;
we lose 5 B-24's and 3 B-17's with 1 B-24 damaged beyond repair and 9
B-24's and 27 B-17's damaged. Casualties are 3 KIA, 17 WIA and 81 MIA.

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

First, thanks for the quick reply, Frankie, but that's precisely why I asked whether it was the Brits or Amis who bombed Kiel on that date's afternoon! I could not confirm any USAAF mission on that date based on Theo Boiten's excellent, very detailed book on the 1942-1945 Airwar focused on the Luftwaffe vs. the USAAF!

As to my curiosity in that particular place and time? . . . well, rumor has it that I was born in a "Bunker" during a "Bombenangriff" in Kiel at that precise place and time and I don't think either "Bomber Command" took any "weekends off", do you?!

It is interesting to note that the time in your later "earliest USAAF raid on Kiel" example coincides exactly with the time of my birth there on 7 November 1942. This would precisely support either of the England-based, RAF/USAAF bomber groups' arrival times over the Kiel target!

Hmmm . . .

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

Indeed, sometimes BC took some days off:

According to the "Luftlage Reich":

01.11.42: Keine Feindeinflüge ins Reichsgebiet
02.11.42: Keine Einflüge ins Reichsgebiet
03.11.42: Keine Einflüge ins Reichsgebiet
04.11.42: Kein Nachteinsatz, keine Feindeinflüge
05.11.42: Kein eigener Nachteinsatz, keine Feindeinflüge
06.11.42: ... keine Einflüge ins Reichsgebiet. 5 a/c in the Terschelling - Baltrum area, propably mine layers
07.11.42: 4 a/c in the German Bight, propably mine layers...

Regards

Heuser

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

Hello Otto,

I had a quick look in Bomber Command War Diaries by Middlebrook and Everitt and they list the following for 7 November 1942.

6 Mosquitoes of 105 squadron made a low level attack on the 5,000 ton German ship Elsa Essberger in the mouth of the River Gironde.
In other operations, 9 Bostons, 6 Venturas and 5 Wellington aircraft attempted raids to many places in Germany, Belgium and Holland,
but most only achieved attacks on minor targets of opportunity.
1 Boston and 1 Ventura lost.

Not much help I'm afraid.
Regards,
Wayne.

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

Hello ?

Maybe this EXPERT can help:
http://spurensuchesh.de/contact.html

P.S.: Is there the slight possibility that there was NO raid onto Kiel that afternoon ?

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

Looking in my references there is nothing to say it was No.2 Group RAF. The nearest they got that day was Holland and anyway they were preparing for the Phillips Raid on the 9th.

Did the Russians ever get that far in 1942?

Re: Nov. 7th, 1942 Kiel bombing mission . . .
 

There were no air raid alarm in Kiel that day. The German air raid system did not detect any planes and there is no mention of this raid in bomber Command files.

Are you sure of the date ?? And where does the information come from ??