This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The city of Bremen was captured in April 1945. It was subsequently estimated that between 135,000 and 150,000 of Cologne’s population of nearly 700,000 fled the city after the raid. Over three thousand buildings were destroyed and another nine thousand damaged. In Cologne itself, the reaction of the civil defence force was slow. So, Britain's air marshal sent over 1,000 British bombers to hit the city with over 1,500 metric tons of ordnance. The newspapers and radio said it all at daybreak. These are his words…. Harris thought he could find them. Churchill agreed with the plan as a means of demonstrating that Britain was hitting back directly at Germany. This, it was hoped, would swamp the ‘flak’ defences at the target and deliver such a concentration of blast and incendiary bombs in a short period that the fire services would be overwhelmed. Looking up and checking facts, as I go. Cannon, Gary Marshal. Every spare aircrew member and aircraft was gathered in by the operational squadrons, and Bomber Command’s operational training units (OTUs) were also ordered to commit every available operationally-capable aircraft. He had finished his first tour as a Wop /AG on 9 Squadron (Wellingtons), and was sent to Wellesbourne for his rest period. Over the course of the war 55,573 men of Bomber Command gave their lives. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, Flying Officer Manser held on his dangerous course and bombed the target successfully from a height of 7,000 feet. With Christopher George, Laraine Stephens, J.D. Harris briefed Churchill that Bomber Command was now approaching the position where they could inflict serious damage on Germany – provided they threw everything at it. Jo Lancaster, 98, was speaking on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Cologne, regarded as a turning point in the Second World War. newspaper archive. It was seen as a demonstration of the might of the RAF in response to Nazi raids on Britain. All of his crew parachuted to safety, only one of them was taken prisoner whilst the others evaded capture and made it back to Britain. The figure of over 1000 aircraft was only achieved by using every available aircraft in Bomber Command including those in the Training wing, with partially trained crew. We wanted a memorial for the friends we lost, but we got nothing until five years ago.”. As the number of heavy bombers in the RAF increased, greater tonnage could be dropped on a target with fewer aircraft. I did a tour of ops on Liberators over Burma, and came through without a scratch. He took the aircraft up to 2,000 feet. When it became apparent that this was a raid, the bombers … Any information welcome. Register to receive our latest news and competitions by email. Operation Gomorrah in 1943 and the attack on Dresden in 1945 each used nearly 800 aircraft. Over the target, where earlier in the war four hours had been allowed for raids by only 100 aircraft, a mere 90 minutes was planned for 1,000 aircraft to bomb. The searchlights and flak followed him until the outskirts of the city were passed. Learn how your comment data is processed. 69 and would like to know more about this raid, starting to do research for a probable book. At this critical moment, Flying Officer Manser once more disdained the alternative of parachuting to safety with his crew. Header image: Vickers Wellingtons made up the majority of the force that took part in the RAF’s first 1,000 bomber raid. Thankfully, in the small hours, we heard the first planes from the group returning and, over a period of about an hour, all were to return safely. … also with some stories from 1945 (75 years ago) until September …. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He received a commision, and had his uniform only ten days, and was due to be married at Prestbury, Cheshire on the Thusday after the raid. I am 88 now – the only survivor of five brothers, but I will never forget Bill, and his unfortunate demise. The aircraft were being loaded up with live bombs and gun ammunition – not the usual requirement for training flights. The operation was led by experienced crews with ‘Gee’ equipped aircraft from Nos 1 and 3 Groups. The crew were supplied with two gas operated Vickers Machine Guns which they were supposed to poke through the skin of the aircraft if they came under fighter attack from above. Flying Officer Manser was captain and first pilot of a Manchester aircraft which took part in the mass raid on Cologne on the night of May 30th, 1942. The front cabin filled with smoke; the port engine was over-heating badly. In 2012 a £6million memorial to the airmen of Bomber Command who died in the Second World War was unveiled by the Queen in London’s Green Park. The intention was that the bomber stream would pass through the minimum number of German radar night-fighter boxes in the minimum time, swamping the defences as the German controllers could only direct a maximum of six potential night-fighter interceptions per hour in each box. The Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, Air Marshal Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris, eventually managed to assemble a force that exceeded the ‘magic number’. As we approached we saw a mass of flames, then dropped the bombs from about 15,000 feet. Flying Officer Leslie Manser, a 50 Squadron pilot flying an Avro Manchester who sacrificed himself so that his crew could abandon the aircraft, was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. Within 15 minutes of the first bombs landing, the old town was ablaze. The raid on Cologne damaged 12,840 buildings, killed hundreds and made 45,000 people homeless. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights. Two and a half thousand separate fires were started, 1,700 of which were classed by the German fire brigade as "large". It comprised: 602 Vickers Wellingtons, 131 Handley Page Halifaxes, 88 Short Stirlings, 79 Handley Page Hampdens, 73 Avro Lancasters, 46 Avro Manchesters and 28 Armstrong-Whitworth Whitleys. My mother, Sybil Hargreaves (née Alexander) , was engaged to a Bill Caldwell, who I know was killed just before their wedding….am I right in thinking this is the same one?! As the aircraft was approaching its objective it was caught by searchlights and subjected to intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire. Soon, the aircraft became extremely difficult to handle and, when a crash was inevitable, Flying Officer Manser ordered the crew to bale out. It was their testimony that led to the award of the V.C. The major innovation was the introduction of a bomber stream in which all aircraft would fly by a common route and at the same speed to and from the target, each aircraft being allotted a height band and a time slot in the stream to minimize the risk of collision. So far all that the Lubeck and Rostock attacks had proved was that we could saturate the passive defences of a town by concentration of attack; it remained to be seen whether the active and passive defences of a vital industrial area could be similarly overcome. 1,000 bombers took part in largest World War II bombing raid The city of Cologne, Germany, had survived daytime bombing raids, and Britain wanted its chemical and industrial factories knocked out of the war. Pilot and crew could all have escaped safely by parachute. 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