Ventnor out of order

[CJE]

Hi there!
When was the radar station at Ventnor put out of order?
Was it on 12 August by Erpr.Gr. 210 or on 16 August by III./St.G. 2?

Thanks in advance.

PS - Was not sure to post it there or on the "Allies" board.

[Bruce Dennis]

The morning of the 12th, by fifteen Ju88s.

Regards,
Bruce

[Chris Goss]

63 Ju 88s of KG 51 (TO 1130 hrs) attacked Portsmouth Harbour and Ventnor simultaneously 12 Aug 40. Ventnor was the target for Stab & II/KG 51. A recce mission by a Ju 88 of 1/121 (TO 1246 hrs) reported, amongst other things, bomb damage to the masts and burning buildings in the victinity. 2 Ju 88s were lost and the radar was off line until 15 Aug 40. See my 'The Luftwaffe Bombers' Battle of Britain' for a more detailed account

[CJE]

Thanks to the two of you.
Hello Chris! Hope things are going well.

Chris

[Bruce Dennis]

Hello Chris,

In broad terms, this is what happened.

On the morning of August 12th, Luftwaffe strikes were directed at several targets, among them Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. These attackers were from Kg51, who had formed up over France without being detected by British radar. The first warning of this raid came from Polling radar station at 11:45. The main body of the Luftwaffe force headed north towards Brighton, turned west along the coast to pass between the IOW and Portsmouth. They then split, with the bulk of the bombers veering sharp north just outside the entrance to Portsmouth, exploiting a gap in the balloon barrage. Fifteen Ju88s broke south and headed for the centre of the Isle of Wight, then dived on the CH station perched on the high ground above Ventnor on the eastern coast. The German fighter cover was circling at 10,000 feet. Three Bofors guns sited near the radar station had no chance of stopping the Ju88s. After dropping their bombs, the attackers from Kg51 raced for the south coast of the island. They were bounced by Spitfires of 152 and 609 Squadrons as they made their escape: 109s of Jg53 then intervened and a dogfight with 609 aircraft followed, allowing 152 to continue after the bombers. Park also directed twelve Hurricanes of 615 Sq. to engage another nearby group of 109s to prevent them joining the fray off the Isle of Wight.

Every building at the Ventnor station was damaged or destroyed by fire, the masts were a mess and the power and landline cables were out of action. Dover, Rye and Pevensey stations were also bombed that day, causing temporary disruption to radar coverage, but none were damaged as seriously as Ventnor which was off the air for three days.

Hope this helps,

Bruce

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Brian-I have a pretty good idea of what happened from the German side. Note also that ZG 2, ZG 76, V/LG 1, JG 2 & JG 27 were also involved as well as JG 53. I should have said they dropped 22 x SC500 & 52 x SC250 on Ventnor

Chris: What are you working on now-get in touch if you want?

[Bruce Dennis]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

Thanks Brian-I have a pretty good idea of what happened from the German side.

I'm sure you do

My comment was intended for the other Chris, but I am grateful for the additional information. I must get your book.

Regards,

Bruce

[Chris Goss]

Bruce. Too many people name Chris....

The book includes accounts & photos from Lüderitz (Stab), Zimmermann (3 Staffel) & Wildermuth (8 Staffel)

[John Beaman]

Gee, so it was not bombed out of action by Stukas as shown in the movie, BoB? I can't believe Hollywood made a mistake.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by John Beaman

Gee, so it was not bombed out of action by Stukas as shown in the movie, BoB? I can't believe Hollywood made a mistake.

I don't think they said it was Ventnor but it is mentioned in a subsequent scene in the control room as one of the stations off the air. Anyway, you should be worrying about the really important historical errors in the film: the Squadron Leader's cottage has an all-glass front door and electric bell-push 25 years ahead of their time and an up-and-over garage door (ditto) - I guess they'd spent all their scenery budget by then!

You want historical inaccuracy? Get the dvd of "Flyboys"!