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Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. |
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#1
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Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Hi Gents,
On June 7th 1940, the NC (Farman) 2234 S/N 02 registred F-ARIN "Jules Vernes" bombed for the first time Berlin by dropping partly the 80 flamers & explosives 10kg-bombs on the airfield Tempelhof .This was the first allied bombing over Berlin. The 2nd mission was executed by british bombers on Sept'40 with no tangible results and some bombers were destroyed by germans. This mission was pursued by Shorts Sterling in 1941. After this, we have to wait till March'44 with massive US & British bomber raids over Berlin. I try to obtain the date/mission linked to the 1st allied bombing done by English, US or Russian bombers over Berlin. Does anyone know information about this? Cheers Jerome |
#2
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
25 August 1940: first RAF raid
Later that afternoon, eighty-one British Hampden bombers were preparing for what to be the first attack to be made on the German capital Berlin. "If ever a bomb drops on Berlin, then you can call me Meier" G?g once joked convinced that British bombers would never be able to reach the capital. That night, the Hampdens did get through and Berlin was bombed, although damage was described as only being light. 8 August 1941: first Soviet raid The Red Airforce targets Berlin for the first time in the war. Five Ilyushin Il-4 heavy bombers took off from bases in Estonia. Two bombers were shot down, two failed to find Berlin and one dropped its bombs just outside the city. 6 March 1944: first US raid STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 250: 504 B-17s and 226 B-24s are dispatched to hit industrial areas in the suburbs of Berlin; fierce fighter opposition claims 69 bombers (the highest number lost by the Eighth Air Force in a single day) and 11 fighters; the bombers claim 97-28-60 Luftwaffe fighters; details are: 1. 248 B-17s hit secondary targets in the Berlin area; 18 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 172 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 8 WIA and 184 MIA. 2. 226 B-17s hit targets of opportunity at Templin, Verden, Kalkeberge, Potsdam, Oranienburg and Wittenberg; 35 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 121 damaged; casualties are 15 WIA and 354 MIA. 3. 198 B-24s hit the primary target (Genshagen industrial area), secondary targets in the Berlin area and targets of opportunity at Potsdam; 16 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged; casualties are 15 KIA, 8 WIA and 148 MIA. Escort is provided by 86 P-38s, 615 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 100 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; results are: 1. P-38s claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 is lost, the pilot is MIA. 2. P-47s claim 36-7-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 P-47s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged; casualties are 2 WIA and 5 MIA. 3. P-51s claim 43-1-20 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged; casualties are 5 MIA. The fighters also claim 1-0-12 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground. By the way, the French raid of 7-8 June 1940 was also totally unefficient, and just a propaganda affair. The crew had orders to raid Berlin but not to bomb the city itself (for fear of reprisals against Paris?), so dropped bombs in the suburbs.... |
#3
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Bonsoir Laurent,
Thank you for these interesting information re the 1st allied bombing over Berlin. Now, I have a clear picture about this. Re the daring mission over Berlin done by the Farman, I agree with you about the unefficiency of the action, more political and psychological and of course used by the propaganda at the time where France was submerged by the Blitz. However, The main action took place over the airfield Tempelhof where the bombs were thrown by hand then flew over Berlin and the outskirts when the farman flew back to France. The report of the mission is interesting especially the Flak track over berlin Details are recalled on a book and various documents; I will post the name of the book and links tomorrow. Regards Jerome |
#4
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Hello Everyone,
Following my last correspondance on this outsanding mission over Berlin, please note the book on this mission described by the piolot of the Farman : "Le Jules Verne, avion corsaire" by Henri Yonnet et Yves Laty Ed. France-Empire, 1983. you can find it on e-bay: http://cgi.ebay.fr/AVIATION-YONNET-J...QQcmdZViewItem Other link on the subject (unfortunately in french!): http://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/derniersavionsfarman.pdf Best regards Jerome |
#5
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Quote:
Actually 12 DB-3 medium bombers took off from Kagul airfield (Oesel island) for Berlin raid in the evening of August 8, 1941 and at night of August 9 at 0:55-1:25 they all reached Berlin and dropped 72 100kg HE-bombs and 2500 leaflets there. Only one DB-3 failed to return from this mission.
__________________
Best regards, Andrey |
#6
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Re the first USAAF raid on Berlin - I have see references which state that, while the USAAF raid attempted on 4 March 1944 (Mission 247) was largely disrupted by bad weather, one wing did reach Berlin and thirty bombers attacked their primary target eg see the entry for 4 March 1944 at the following site:
http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii...ml/Mar.44.html Obviously the attack on 6 March 1944 was the first time when the US bombers attacked Berlin en masse - perhaps the question as to which was the 'first' USAAF attack on Berlin is largely semantic. That said, it may be that the first US attack which landed bombs on Berlin was the 4 March 1944 mission - there may be USAAF experts out there who could throw more light on this. Cheers Boomerang |
#7
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
The 1st USAAF Bombing of Berlin was March 4, 44. Most of the force turned back due to a recall order. Colonel Mumford , 95th BG Commander, elected to continue the mission and bombed Berlin. The Force attacking consisted of 25 B - 17s from the 95th BG , 9 from 100th BG , 1 pathfinder from 382d BG. 95th lost 4 , 100th lost 1. Elements of the 357th FG and 4th FG elected to stay with the Force. 16 P - 51s lost. 11 LW aircraft shot down.
Colonel Mumford was awarded a silver star and the 95th BG a Presidential Unit Citation. Cheers |
#8
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
Quote:
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#9
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
I found this recent video on the June 7-8, 1940 raid flown in the Jules Verne.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7qz_osKC-w Also this article: https://www.historynet.com/target-be...an-capital.htm |
#10
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Re: Allied Bombing over Berlin - 1st Mission
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