First bombing raid on Chichester Feb 1943 - RFI

This is a Request for Information.

I am interested in identifying the geschwader and/or the type of plane involved in a small raid on Chistester Feb 10th 1943.

In 2008 there was a discussion thread here.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archiv...p?t-13291.html
In this thread Chris Goss contends that it may not have been a "tip & run" raid. Though the dates of March 1943 don't quite square with an account I am working with.

Here is the diary reference that may be of interest to some of you.
Feb 10 Wed 1943


Morning in office. Afternoon. Decided at last to go to Chichester. Left Borden at 1:10 and arrived in Chichester at 3:10. Walked up to the Cathedral. The Cath is not large … [and] has a single type of arch. throughout which helps. The Cloisters are like a sagging square. There had been no bomb damage in Chich. Only a few broken windows, from gun blast[s].

While there, the sirens went off and shortly I started back to the station. When about 200 yds away from the Cath. a bomb fell about 200 yds behind me. Windows were blown out of all the stores for 2-300 yds around. I returned to the Cath. & found 3 west windows blown in. The bomb was not a large one but started quite a fire. 4 people were killed. Another bomb in the town hit a school & killed a few. The return journey (about 30 miles) took 6 hours due to a bomb having landed by the track & having destroyed one line.

Any information would be appreciated.
Many thanks
~Flatlander

[liberator]

Details of this raid are in my publication 'The Second World War Bombing of Chichester
If you contact me on kaagreen@talktalk.net I will mail you a copy of the section on the raid
Ken Green
Chichester

[liberator]

The bomber that carried out the raid was a Dornier 217-E4 from the German Fifth Kampfgeschwader40 (Battle Wing No.40) (5./KG40) a Luftwaffe bomber unit based at the Soesterberg Air Base, 14 kilometres North east of Utrecht in Holland.
The Do 217-E4 was a light bomber with a crew of four. Its armaments comprised a dorsal turret with a 13 mm machine-gun and a similar gun mounted ventrally. It had three 7.92 mm machine-guns in the forward fuselage, and a 15 mm MG 151 cannon in the nose. Its bomb load consisted of 4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb) of bombs which could be loaded into the bomb bay in varying configurations.
Following Bomber Command’s raid against Lübeck on 28 March 1942, which destroyed 1,425 buildings, Hitler ordered a series of retaliation raids. These became known as the ‘Baedeker’ raids after a speech in which Hitler promised to destroy every city mentioned as of historical or artistic interest in a Baedeker guide book. These raids hit Bath, Exeter, Norwich, York, Cowes and Canterbury.

On February 10th 1943 29 aircraft from KG2 and II/KG40 squadrons set out on nuisance raids against the UK. These included one or two Dornier 217s making low level attacks, thus avoiding British radar. Sixteen places were attacked including Reading, Midhurst and Horsham. One Do217 of 5/KG40 was shot down by Anti Aircraft fire at Saltdean, Brighton.
The plane thought responsible for bombing Chichester was hit by light anti aircraft fire near Tangmere and crashed in fields near to The Royal Oak at Lagness, south of Chichester.
All four of the crew died in the crash, one Obergefreiter [Leading Aircraftsman] Josef Eitenauer age 25 is buried in Chichester Cemetery. The others, Oberfeldwebel [Flt Sgt] Erich Dohring, Oberleutnant [Flying Officer] Hans Kleeman and Unteroffizier [Corporal] Gunther Ladwig are interred in St Andrew’s Churchyard at Tangmere.

Hi Liberator

The information you supplied is simply extraordinary!
I would hardly have believed such detailed information was available.

I thank you profusely for helping me out.


For anyone who is interested, broken glass from the Chichester Cathredral ended up in a Canadian Curch as a memorial to fallen soldiers.

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/mag..._warpieces.asp

Email sent.

Again, many thanks.
~Flatlander

[Chris Goss]

The Do 217 E-4 (Werk Nummer 1200 coded F8+AN) was from 5 Staffel, II Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 40 which roughly translates 5th Sqn of II Wing of Bomber Group 40. I would describe this ac as more like a medium bomber not light. It was shot down at 1650 hrs, the one at Saltdean being shot down at 1630 hrs. Two more aircraft returned with wounded crews-0bergefreiter Hans Weizert was wounded over Winchester and Unteroffizier Erich Pieper at an unknown location.

This attack was way after the Baedecker attacks and was described by the Luftwaffe as nuisance attacks. 29 aircraft took off between 1503 & 1559 hrs and reported hitting such targets as Brighton, Worthing, Horsham, Reading, Tangmere, Petworth, Newbury, Hailsham, Willingdon, Pulborough, Rye and Dartmouth. One aircraft reported hitting Chichester from 50m altitude at 1643 hrs (reporting fires in housing) and returned. If Kleeman's Do 217 hit Chichester, I cannot say for certain

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for the additional information.

It is extraordinary that, 70 years after my grandfather's experiences of a raid by a single plane in a vast war, within 72 hours of posting a question, details like the make and model of the plane and the possible names of its crew can be identified with any degree of certainly. The power of the internet!

I am familar with the Dornier 217 through my enjoyment of the IL-2 Sturmovic flight sim series.

If I may ask, where do you get the information you have? It must take years of searching through archives and museums.

My grandfather was posted at Bordon Camp at this time, along with many other Canadians. He was serving as a Army chaplin with the Royal Regiment of Canada. From his entry, it would appear that Bordon Camp was also shot up by a plane from this raid.
Feb 10 Wed

Morning in office. 2 Int. Afternoon. Decided at last to go to Chichester. Left Borden at 1:10 and arrived in Chichester at 3:10. Walked up to the Cathedral. There is a huge elaborate Market Cross built in 15 something by one of the Bishops. The Cath. Is only 100 yards south. It is very good Norman architecture. Most of it was built from 1075 on for 100 years. But there are later additions. It has a lovely spire & an odd Belfry which is a huge square tower standing at the road about 75 feet from the Church. The Cath is not large … [and] has a single type of arch. throughout which helps. It is attractive tho’ the windows are rather gawdy. They had the flags of the United Nations on the chancel steps. The cathedral has many irregular lines. The Cloisters are like a sagging square. There had been no bomb damage in Chich. Only a few broken windows, from gun blast[s]. While there, the sirens went and shortly I started back to the station. When about 200 yds away from the Cath. a bomb fell about 200 yds behind me. Windows were blown out of all the stores for 2-300 yds around. I returned to the Cath. & found 3 west windows blown in. I was given some glass from the debris. The bomb was not a large one but started quite a fire. 4 people were killed. Another bomb in the town hit a school & killed a few. The return journey (about 30 miles) took 6 hours due to a bomb having landed by the track & having destroyed one line. Arriving back at the camp about 11:30 I found that a bomber had straffed the camp about the same time as Chich. was hit. No casualties in camp. It was a double celebration of the 10th Feb. – my baptism of fire.




Again, my sincere thanks.
~Flatlander

[Chris Goss]

Info comes from Luftwaffe records and published German unit histories. Of interest, a month after, a Do 217 was shot down by a nightfighter whilst attacking Southampton. The 2 German survivors came down by parachute near to Bordon so I wonder if your Grandfather's diary has a mention as they were captured by Canadian troops. From memory the date was 8 March 43