The Thousand Plane Raid: The Story of the First Massive Air Raid-1000 Bombers Against the City of Cologne

308 Pages·1966·21.51 MB·English

by  Ralph Barker

ORIGINAL 75C
A BALLANTINE WAR BOOK
THE THOUSAND
PllNE RAID
THE STORY OF THE HRST My*':SIVE AIR RAID-
1000 EOMBERS AGAINST THE CITY OF COLOGNE
RALPH BARKER

—
'^''Gentlemen, the target for
tonight is Cologne!''
The time is 6:00 p.m., Saturday, May
30th, 1942. On scores of airfields along
the eastcoastofEngland, the preparations
have been pressed forward feverishly all
week. For this is to be thebiggest bomber
raid yet launched by either side in World
War
II.
In this single raid, Bomber Co—mmand
has committed its entire force every
plane that will fly, and every man, includ-
ing service squadrons, flight instructors,
studentbombercrews, andvolunteers who
have finished their tours of duty.
This night one thousand planes will
take off to bomb Cologne. They will en-
counter overcast and icing conditions,
radar-controUed night fighters, search-
lights, and intensive flak.
By morning the result will be known
either Cologne has been smashed or
R.A.F. Bomber Command will have
ceased to exist!
—
RELATED READING
IN BALLANTINE WAR BOOKS
When you have finished this book, you will want to
read the following Ballantine war books which give
much valuable information on the story of air combat
over Europe:
Wing Leader, Group Captain J. E. Johnson 60^
A vivid combat narrative by the top-scoring Allied
fighter pilot "Johnny" Johnson, who flew for the
R.A.F. from 1939 to the end of the war. "A graphic,
absorbing narrative." Air Force Times
The First and the Last, Adolf Galland 50(J
The rise and fall of the Luftwaffe: 1939-45—by
Germany's Commander of Fighter Forces. Without
question the best book about Germany's war in the
air. With 8 pages ofphotographs.
The Dam Busters, Paul Brickhill 50(J
The full story of the R.A.F.'s legendary Guy Gibson
and the daring raid deep into Germany to smash the
great Moehne and Eder dams. Over 750,000 copies
sold.
The Destruction of Dresden, David Irving 75(J
The appalling power of bombing reached its climax
in the great Dresden fire raids that took more lives
than Hiroshima and completely annihilated a city.
This is the full story. With 16 pages of photographs.
For a complete list of Ballantine war books, write to
Dept. CS, Ballantine Books, 101 Fifth Avenue, New
York, New York 10003
THE
THOUSAND
PLANE
RAID
Ralph Barker
BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK
©
Ralph Barker 1965
Published in Great Britain by Chatto &. Windus, Ltd.
as The Thousand Plan
©
Ralph Barker 1966
First American edition: July, 1966
Manufacturedin the UnitedStatesofAmerica
BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC.
101 FifthAvenue,NewYork, NewYork 10003
1
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments poge vii
Sources viii
Prologue 1
Part
MOTIVATION
I 15
PREPARATIONS AT THE STATIONS
II 79
BRIEFING AND INTRUSION
III 133
IV THE RAID 153
V ASSESSMENT 251
Appendix A The Gee System 276
Appendix B Extract from the Files of Police President,
Cologne 277
Appendix C Analysis of Bombs Dropped 280
Index 281
MAPS AND DIAGRAMS
1. Location of Bomber Command stations used for
The Thousand Plan 137
2. The Recommended Route 141
3. Intruder Operations 146
4. Cologne 162
5. Leaflet dropped after the raid, with translation 261

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In gathering material for this book I have been greatly helped
by various departments of the Ministry of Defence (Air), and
particularly by the Historical, Public Relations, Records and
Casualty Branches and the Library.
In reconstructing the planning stages of the raid I have had
much valuable assistance from Air Marshal Sir Robert Saund-
by, formerly Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Bomber Com-
mand. I am also indebted to Dr B. G. Dickins, formerly Head
of the Operational Research Section at High Wycombe; to
Group Captain Dudley Saward, formerly Command Radar
Officer; and to Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur
Harris.
The stories from the various stations, squadrons and train-
ing units, covering preparations for the raid and experiences
on the raid, have come from the surviving aircrews, the men
of Bomber Command. There would have been no book with-
out their resolution at the time and their generosity twenty
years later.
The evaluation of the raid is based on the relevant Bomber
Command Night Raid Report, prepared by the Operational
Research Section at High Wycombe; photographic cover of
raid damage obtained by the Photographic Reconnaissance
Unit, R.A.F.; and the files of the Police President, Cologne.
I have made considerable use of B.B.C. and Imperial War
Museum material, which I gratefully acknowledge.
I have been greatly helped in tracing survivors by the R.A.F.
Record Office; the Department of Veterans' Affairs, R.C.A.F.;
the Department of Air, Commonwealth of Australia; the
Director of Public Relations, R.N.Z.A.F.; the Admiralty His-
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
torical Section; the Royal Air Forces Association; and the
Pathfinder Association.
Several writers and students of air history have very kindly
lent me material from their private collections, and among
these I must specially mention David Irving, Philip Moyes
and Leslie Hunt. Above all I must acknowledge my very great
indebtedness to G. J. Zwanenburg, of Amsterdam, for his re-
searches into the fate ofcrashed aircraft.
A valuable account ofthe raid as seen through German eyes
was provided for me by Glaus-Dieter Maass, of the Bundes-
presse und Informationsamt, Bonn.
Copyright of photographs is acknowledged as follows:
Plates 1, 2 (b) and (d), 7 (a) and (b), 8 (a) and (d), 13,
14 and 15 to Imperial War Museum. Plates 3 and 12, Air
Ministry.
The loan of the remaining photographs, from private
sources, is gratefully acknowledged.
I have appended a list ofbooks, documents and papers from
which factual information and background, and in some cases
quotations, have been extracted. Acknowledgment is made in
all cases to the authors and publishers of these works.
The arrangement of material, treatment, opinions expressed
and final assessment are of course entirely my own.
R.B.
SOURCES
THE STRATEGIC AIR OFFENSIVE AGAINST GER-
MANY
(History of the Second World War, United King-
dom Military Series) Sir Charles Webster and Noble
:
Frankland (H.M.S.O.)
No. 5 BOMBER GROUP R.A.F. (1939-1945): W. J. Law-
rence (Faber and Faber)
BOMBER OFFENSIVE: Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Sir Arthur Harris (Collins)
BOMBER PILOT: Group Captain Leonard Cheshire (Hutch-
inson)
THE BOMBER'S EYE: Group Captain Dudley Saward
(CasseU)
viii