More GAF UK Targets. Harbours 1-115

[Chris Going]

Not doing enough on this site recently, so, back to Target documents. It seems that Harbour (class 45) installations, docks and warehouses, might be useful. Here are the basis of Nos 1-115

London 45 1
London 45 2
London West India Docks 45 3
London Rotherhithe 45 4
London West India Docks 45 5
Tilbury. 45 6
Lowestoft 45 7
Great Yarmouth 45 8
London 45 9
Middlesborough 45 10
Portland Weymouth 45 11
West Hartlepool 45 12
Barrow in Furness 45 13
Barrow in Furness 45 14
Falmouth 45 15
Cowes 45 16
Holyhead 45 17
Sharpness 45 18
Unknown 45 19
Unknown 45 20
Hull 45 21
Hull 45 22
Hull 45 23
Hull 45 24
Hull 45 25
Immingham 45 26
Grimsby 45 27
Grimsby 45 28
Unknown 45 29
Southampton 45 30
Southampton 45 31
Southampton 45 32
Southampton 45 33
Southampton 45 34
Plymouth 45 35
Plymouth 45 36
Plymouth 45 37
Unknown 45 38
Greenock 45 39
Greenock 45 40
glasgow 45 41
glasgow 45 42
glasgow 45 43
Glasgow 45 44
Clyde Bank 45 45
Unknown 45 46
Fraserburgh 45 47
Runcorn 45 48
Manchester 45 49
Bristol 45 50
Bristol 45 51
Bristol 45 52
Unknown 45 53
Avonmouth 45 54
Avonmouth 45 55
Bristol Portishead 45 56
Unknown 45 57
Cardiff 45 58
Cardiff 45 59
Cardiff 45 60
Cardiff 45 61
Unknown 45 62
Barry 45 63
Port Talbot 45 64
Swansea 45 65
Swansea 45 66
Swansea 45 67
Swansea 45 68
Barry 45 69
Newcastle on Tyne 45 70
Newcastle on Tyne 45 71
Newcastle on Tyne 45 72
Sunderland 45 73
Milford Haven 45 74
Fishbuard 45 75
Leith 45 76
Leith 45 77
Leith 45 78
Sunderland 45 79
Dundee 45 80
Birkenhead 45 81
Birkenhead/East Float Dock 45 82
Birkenhead/East Float Dock 45 83
Birkenhead Dock 45 84
Liverpool 45 85
Liverpool Bootle 45 86
Liverpool Sandon, Wellington & Bramley 45 87
Liverpool 45 88
Birkenhead 45 89
Liverpool 45 90
Liverpool 45 91
Liverpool 45 92
Liverpool 45 93
Liverpool 45 94
Liverpool 45 95
Liverpool 45 96
Bromborough 45 97
Ellesmere Port 45 98
Unknown 45 99
Manchester 45 100
Manchester 45 101
Manchester Salford 45 102
Unknown 45 103
Leith 45 104
Leith 45 105
Unknown 45 106
Unknown 45 107
Grangemouth 45 108
Grangemouth 45 109
Grangemouth 45 110
Grangemouth 45 111
Alloa 45 112
Burntisland 45 113
Burntisland 45 114
Methill 45 115

Probably a few errors, but mainly right.

Keep well everybody.

Best.

ChrisG

[Chris Going]

and moving swiftly on, here's the remaining harbours and docks of which I am aware. Probably some spelling and number glitches, but useful nevertheless. 500s for ireland, and one 800 issue in Scotland. Id be grateful if anyone can plug the Unknowns.

Burntisland 45 113
Unknown 45 114
Methil 45 115
Whitby 45 116
Cardiff 45 117
Llanelly 45 118
Unknown 45 119
Briton Ferry Hafen 45 120
Bridgewater Hafen 45 121
Lyfney Hafen 45 122
Gloucester 45 123
Neath b Swansea Hafen 45 124
Chepstow 45 125
Port Dinorwic Hafen 45 126
Beaumaris 45 127
Barnstaple 45 128
Unknown 45 129
Chester (sic) 45 130
Bangor hafenanlagen 45 131
Scaborough Hafenanlage 45 132
Goole Hafenanlage 45 133
Unknown 45 134
Unknown 45 135
Kings Lynn Hafenanlage 45 136
Ipswich Hafen 45 137
Harwich Hafen 45 138
Rochester Hafenanlage 45 139
Ramsgate Hafenanlagen 45 140
Sandwich Hafen von Sandwich-Richborough 45 141
Folkestone 45 142
Hastings 45 143
Newhaven Hafenanlagen 45 144
Unknown 45 145
Unknown 45 146
Unknown 45 147
Unknown 45 148
Unknown 45 149
Unknown 45 150
Unknown 45 151
Unknown 45 152
Unknown 45 153
Unknown 45 154
Unknown 45 155
Unknown 45 156
Unknown 45 157
Unknown 45 158
Unknown 45 159
Unknown 45 160
Unknown 45 161
Unknown 45 162
Unknown 45 163
Unknown 45 164
Freeston 45 165
Unknown 45 166
Unknown 45 167
Unknown 45 168
Unknown 45 169
Unknown 45 170
Unknown 45 171
Unknown 45 172
Unknown 45 173
Unknown 45 174
Unknown 45 175
Unknown 45 176
Unknown 45 177
Greenock 45 178
Greenock 45 179
Unknown 45 180
Unknown 45 181
Belfast 45 182
Penarth 45 183


Wicklow 45 500
Dublin 45 501
Kingstown 45 502
Wexford 45 503
Waterford 45 504
Queenstown 45 505
Cork 45 506
Unknown 45 507
Unknown 45 508
Unknown 45 509
Limerick 45 510
Unknown 45 511
Unknown 45 512
Rosslare 45 513

Lossiemouth 45 800

All the best

ChrisG

[dp_burke]

Hi Chris

What would be the context of these file refs? Or where were you able to gather them from? The latter few are in neutral Ireland.

[Andy Mitchell]

Chris,

Belated thanks for these - very useful

[Chris Going]

Andy,

You are very welcome. I've been a bit quiet recently because of work and other pressures, but I look forward to plugging some of the Unknowns, and getting a few more details into the lists.

Dennis, Hello

The Eire target documents were among the 'Dick Tracy' seizure I think. I appreciate that Eire was neutral, but the Targeting folks in the RLM clearly got the bit between their teeth, to the extent of classifying their own harbours and other targets using the same system. Clearly they did not intend to bomb themselves -or Eire-, but somewhere along the way the desire to classify these 'objectives' overcame objections that these were sites in Neutral territory -or indeed their own bailiwick. But I think some of the more significant Eire targets were printed up as sets. PM me if you want more...

Best

ChrisG

[dp_burke]

Thanks Chris

I'll get back to you soon hopefully

[Bombphoon]

Hello Chris
Do you have any targets for Leicestershire please, such as steel works etc etc.
Thank you
Austin

[Chris Going]

Hello Bombphoon

You have got me there, for the simple reason that I have not put together (by location) a full list of GAF UK Target documents.

OK. There are some 3,000 known allocated UK target numbers. We don’t know the identities of all of the targets (hence the ‘Unknowns’ in my various lists). Also, not all target sets survive, so one can end up having a known target, and knowing its number, but not have a document set. We can also have a likely target (a steelworks for example), and know it must be one of the ‘Unknowns’ in the category lists -see end of this note.

So who has holdings of target documents? Well, the IWM has a holding, and there is a holding at NARA (Archives 2, MD). But I think they are only about 75% duplicates of each other. There is also the so called Chiévres hoard in Mons Museum (some years ago, so the situation may be different now). Each has some unique target sets.

The biggest category is Airfields (Class 10), which is about 20% of all target numbers. Now, looking at the NARA list of UK Targets, for Leicester we have sets for targets 50/9, and 10/126 (the latter of course, is an airfield). Now, listed in the IWM list is Leicester Gaswerk (No 52/5). This is not in the NARA list as far as I know, but there is also a set in the so called Chiévres hoard (see above).

So, the best way to advance this mess is to go through the Dick Tracy catalogue of TM material (a tautology, I know) at NARA, talk nicely to IWM and get a list of theirs, and then Mons, for their list.
There are also loads of City street maps overprinted by the Germans with endless categories of breweries, waterworks, sewage works, industrial plant, hospitals, etc which are usually offered by auction houses who think these are bombing maps and thus ask for silly prices. They are not but the point is, if you can get one of Leicester, you will be able to pick off the gasworks, steelworks, dog tracks, etc which THEY have highlighted or otherwise identified, and you will have a list of targets for which, as like as not, target sets would have been in preparation, or printed up (but which are now unknowns).

Another way, is to get all of the target Stammkennzeichnen (which will be with the sets), as on these are often listed numbers of nearby targets. By this route, little by little, it should be possible to whittle down the number of ‘unknowns’.
I’m in the process of writing some of this up, so if you like, I will keep you posted on progress.

Best

ChrisG

[Bombphoon]

Originally Posted by Chris Going

Hello Bombphoon

You have got me there, for the simple reason that I have not put together (by location) a full list of GAF UK Target documents.

OK. There are some 3,000 known allocated UK target numbers. We don’t know the identities of all of the targets (hence the ‘Unknowns’ in my various lists). Also, not all target sets survive, so one can end up having a known target, and knowing its number, but not have a document set. We can also have a likely target (a steelworks for example), and know it must be one of the ‘Unknowns’ in the category lists -see end of this note.

So who has holdings of target documents? Well, the IWM has a holding, and there is a holding at NARA (Archives 2, MD). But I think they are only about 75% duplicates of each other. There is also the so called Chiévres hoard in Mons Museum (some years ago, so the situation may be different now). Each has some unique target sets.

The biggest category is Airfields (Class 10), which is about 20% of all target numbers. Now, looking at the NARA list of UK Targets, for Leicester we have sets for targets 50/9, and 10/126 (the latter of course, is an airfield). Now, listed in the IWM list is Leicester Gaswerk (No 52/5). This is not in the NARA list as far as I know, but there is also a set in the so called Chiévres hoard (see above).

So, the best way to advance this mess is to go through the Dick Tracy catalogue of TM material (a tautology, I know) at NARA, talk nicely to IWM and get a list of theirs, and then Mons, for their list.
There are also loads of City street maps overprinted by the Germans with endless categories of breweries, waterworks, sewage works, industrial plant, hospitals, etc which are usually offered by auction houses who think these are bombing maps and thus ask for silly prices. They are not but the point is, if you can get one of Leicester, you will be able to pick off the gasworks, steelworks, dog tracks, etc which THEY have highlighted or otherwise identified, and you will have a list of targets for which, as like as not, target sets would have been in preparation, or printed up (but which are now unknowns).

Another way, is to get all of the target Stammkennzeichnen (which will be with the sets), as on these are often listed numbers of nearby targets. By this route, little by little, it should be possible to whittle down the number of ‘unknowns’.
I’m in the process of writing some of this up, so if you like, I will keep you posted on progress.

Best

ChrisG

Chris - very interesting, many thanks - and yes, I would like to follow your progress, please. TBH, I'm just amazed none of these august organisations have sorted a full list in the last 77 years since 1945!

[Chris Going]

It might seem amazing that there isn’t a definitive list of UK targets -or captured target documents, but when one thinks about it further, one gets a bit more sanguine.

One of the things the Western Allies were keen to do in the early Cold war era was keep under wraps what they actually had secured in 1945-6: films, prints, target documents, the lot- so while there was quite a vast amount of cataloguing and evaluation of documents seized (the so called ‘Turban’ programme) this tended to be written up in reports and lists which got destroyed when they were ‘perished’ (in service terms). There’s a report commenced in 1949 which aimed to record the ‘prehistory of Turban’ before memories faded (the author of it noted that there had been a dislike of writing things down and a ‘preference for the telephone’ among Turban personnel), and there is a document by a slightly demob-happy guy in 1960 which is in the UK National Archives, which is a great read. These are rare survivals. Unless documents and lists were declared to be ‘Historic’, a process not everything went through, they were destroyed.

I’m not sure when the Chièvres hoard (got accent wrong last time) turned up -probably soon after the area was freed in late 1944 at a guess, but Dick Tracy was May-June 45, and the IWM stuff probably from 21 AG and a mix of this and that. They were once all catalogued, but precious little of that has come down to us after 77 years.

Best

ChrisG