Lighthouses

[Chris Goss]

Likewise the lighthouse on the Needles, Isle of Wight by IV/SKG 10

[Hallvor]

Originally Posted by Mark McShane

" [...] but overall the effects of these attacks however was difficult to detect as the lengthening daylight made it easier for German coastal convoys to sail along the coast and the attacks were cancelled after 31 March.

That is some brilliant military planning. Not to mention the Norwegian government in exile agreeing to blow them up just before the end of the war.

[Graham Boak]

I don't think the source states when the request was first made to attack the lighthouses. It could well have been earlier in the winter and simply taken a long time to get political clearance.

Earlier in the war the RAF did not have the means to close down German supply lines from Norway: only once they achieved this capability would it be worth even considering attacking secondary targets that could fairly easily be repaired. As the number of ships shrank, the Germans put more effort into protecting what remained, and travelling only at night. Only then would it be worth closing down the lighthouses - which may after have had a small secondary purpose of assisting RAF navigation.