Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?

On p.82 of 'Battle of the Flames', David Needham's new book on the Nottingham Blitz, he states that on May 8th 1941, after KG100 and KG26 had located Nottingham with navigational beams, they generally marked their target for the main bomber force with flares or 'by ringing it with a vapour trail if visibility was good'.

He continues: 'At 23.37 hours, a Heinkel of KG26 approached the city from the south east. It was flying at a height of around 4,000 ft and it began to mark out a rectangular box in the sky by means of a vapour trail. The box extended from Tollerton to just past Trent Bridge and then ran down river to Colwick, enclosing the south-east part of the city. Air Raid Warden Salter was at his post in West Bridgford and he watched the aircraft marking out the box in the sky and then he noticed flares burning down the Trent Valley.'

Have you ever heard of this 'vapour trail marking'? Did it happen? How was it created? Are the eye-witnesses just confusing aircraft trails passing through smoke clouds and forming lines? If it did exist, how could Luftwaffe crews see it at night or distinguish it from other aircraft contrails etc? I have spoken to eye-witnesses who say that often the bombers criss-crossed over cities on their bombing runs to specific targets and I wonder if this, as a by-product, is what left 'vapour trail marking'-type patterns?

Thanks

Re: Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

First of all, the marking for Nottingham this night was by III/KG 26 between 2347 and 0012 hrs; KGr 100 were not involved. However, II/KG 27 was the first unit over the city between 2330-0015 hrs. As an aviator, such marking would be almost invisble in the dark by aircraft at similar altitudes, imprecise due to wind/flames/other aircraft/explosions/flak etc etc etc. Furthermore, vapour trails are subject to the meteorological conditions prevailing at the time allowing for such trails....... Another myth?

Re: Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

Thanks Chris... that's that myth 'vapourised' (apologies...)

Austin

Re: Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

Hi,

I'd agree with Chris - another myth!

David

Re: Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

Nicely put, Bombphoon - raised a smile here!

Re: Luftwaffe 'Vapour trail marking'?
 

I suspect it is a myth, but some of the reasons presented here don't necessarily hold. If it was visible from the ground, it could be visible from the air. If it was used as an initial guide, it wouldn't matter if it was dissipated by smoke and flames - by then it would have done its job.

It seems more like an pathfinder awaiting its right time by flying a holding pattern.