LG1 and 1/KG54 attack Leicester - please help!

[Bombphoon]

Hi everyone - this is my first posting on this very interesting forum.

I'm writing to kindly ask if anyone can help me with some research I am doing.

I have been given some documents that show the Luftwaffe bomber units LG1 and 1/KG54 bombed Leicester on 19/20 November 1940.

I have the book 'Kampfgeschwader 54: Eine Chronik Nach Kriegstagebuchern, Dokumneten und Berichten 1935-1945' by Siegfried Radtke, Schild-Verlag (1990), but unfortunately it makes no mention of the raid.

I see there is a book called 'Die Geschichte des Lehrgeschwaders 1: Band 1: 1936-1942' by Peter Taghon. Does anyone own it? Can they please tell me if it mentions the Leicester raid of 19/20 November 1940?

Does anyone have any further info on this raid?

Anyone who is able to answer these questions will get a full credit in the book I am writing on the air raids on Leicestershire.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this posting.

[steve sheridan]

Hi Bombphoon,
I have Taghon's book and a check for that date reveals that there is no mention of Leicester raided for that night!
The primary target appears to be Birmingham, with 16x Junkers 88's despatched between 22.27 and 23.08hrs. The other details mentions type of bombs used.
Sorry cant provide more info!

Best regs,
Steve.

[Bombphoon]

Hi Steve

Many thanks for your speedy reply!
Square this one! Leicester civil defence reports state that about 150 HE bombs were dropped on the city, yet Bundesarchiv records state that only one Ju88 of LG1 and one Ju88 of 1/KG54 attcked Leicester that night!

I know that bombs were often double reported on the ground by more than one person leading to exaggerated bomb reports, but even so, to get that number (150) the two aircraft would have to have dropped SD2 butterflies! But the damage was much more severe, SC50's and above.

Also, does anyone know if more than one German guidance beam could be used on a raid (i.e. one beam on Birmingham and one on Leicester?) or did they only use one beam per night/raid?

Thanks again

[steve sheridan]

Hi Bombphoon, glad i could help, albeit not giving you the info your seeking!
Perhaps maybe you could help me? From Radtke's book on KG54 do you have any information on losses for either 20.5.40 or 30.5.40. Looking to tie up scant information i have from another source.

Best regs,
Steve.

[Bombphoon]

Will look it up tonight Steve.

Any ideas about my beam question?

Cheers

[steve sheridan]

Hi Bpn! Many thanks for looking.
Sorry i cant help with searchlight querie, i have no information as such, on
searchlight beams etc. Perhaps you might have luck posting a separate thread.
Good luck with your querie.
Steve.

[Brian Bines]

In both Ulf Balke's books on KG 2 and KG 100 only Birmingham is mentioned as a target on 19/20-Nov.-1940 with 357 bombers attacking. ADI(K) report 914/1940 for a Ju 88 of 3/KG 54 shot down near Chichester that night has the target as factories in Birmingham. The two POW's gave their bombload as 4 x 50kg bombs internal and 2 x 250kg bombs under the wings. If the C.D. reports are correct that would seem to indicate 20+ aircraft attacking Leicester. Sorry not to have anything more definite,

Regards
Brian Bines

[Bombphoon]

Hi Brian

Thanks for your reply. That's an interesting persepective about the bombloads.

Sorry, I don't think I made myself clear regarding 'beams' - what I meant was, does anyone know if the Luftwaffe used more than one guidance (X or Y Gerat) beam during a raid i.e. would they have had one aimed at Birmingham for the main raiding force and another beam aimed at Leicester to guide the bombers to the city, or would the Leicester bombers just have to use regular navigation as Leicester was a secondary target?

Many thanks

Austin

[Brian Bines]

Hi Austin,

I am not certain but I am sure someone could correct me. I believe KGr100 would use X beams for targeting while the main force could use Knickebein and then home in on the KGr100 bombing. I do not know if the X transmitters at Cherbourg and Audembert would be able to direct onto two targets in the same period. The Y beams operated by 111/KG26 would operate independent of the other systems,

regards

Brian Bines

[Chris Goss]

It would appear that in addition to the major raid on Birmingham that night, a lone Ju 88 of I/LG 1 (IV Fliegerkorps) dropped 1 x SC500, 1 x SL 500 and 1 x LZ250 bombs at 2200 hrs whilst a Ju 88 from I/KG 54 (V Fliegerkorps) dropped at SC500, 5 x SC50 and 5 x SD 50s at 0050 hrs. There were many other German aircraft roaming the Midlands that night but none reported attacking Leicester