Maybe also a post war target towing one in this sort of scheme:
I like it! But meanwhile ...
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A Return to Daylight BombingOn the night of 15-16 November 1940, RAF
Wellington bombers pounded Hamburg again. The raid was aimed at Hamburg docks, the Blohm und Voss shipyards, railway centres, power stations, and general industrial targets. The final wave hit dockside again just before first light at 5:30 am. As always, the results were uncertain. Hamburg was shrouded with smoke but how much of that was the result of bomb damage and how much came from decoy fires was unclear. Either way, it had been a long night for Hamburg. The
Flak Hilfern and
Feuerschutzpolizei were more than ready for a rest when the 'all clear' was signaled at 6:00 am. Their relief was premature.
Just before 8:00 am, more British bombers appeared over Hamburg in broad daylight. This time, the bombers were the Handley Page
Hampdens. Having left Lincolnshire at dawn, the aircraft of No.83 Squadron (from RAF Scampton) and No.44 'Rhodesia' Squadron (RAF Waddington) formed up out over the North Sea just before 6:00 am.
Their targets were three oil refineries around Hamburg with an emphasis upon the Deutsche Gasolin AG facility and the nearby Ruhrchemie hydrogenation plant. IG Farben's Deutsche Gasolin was producing synthetic petroleum from coal mineral oil as military fuel. [1] The first bombs fell at 8:05 amid fairly intense flak. The first Bf 110Cs interceptors of II./ZG 76 appeared as the second wave of RAF bombers began their run-in. From the German pilots' perspective, the lumbering
Hampdens appeared to be
leichte Beute or 'easy prey'!
Hals- und Beinbruch!The
Zerstörer crews were in for a nasty shock. Many of the
Hampdens had sprouted a new nose defence in the form of a flexibly-mounted Vickers 'K' gun. As the leader of the first
Kette found to his cost, approaching
Hampdens from the front had just become a bit more dangerous. The second 'bounce' came from above. That only made matters worse. Positioned amongst the
Hampden Mk.Is were newly-built
Hampden Mk.IIIs. [2] These Mk.IIIs had an added 'sting'. In place of the
Hampdens' usual dorsal 'K' gun position, the Mk.IIIs mounted Boulton Paul Type A turrets. [3] Capable of 360° traverse, each BP Type A turret mounted four .303-inch Browning machine guns. And for
Hampden Mk.III gunners, these twin-engined Messerschmitt fighters presented fat targets.
(To be continued ...)
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[1] It was on the recommendation of Standard Oil of California (via the American Kellogg Co., makers of refinery equipment) that IG Farben brought Deutsche Gasolin AG into an arrangement with Ruhrchemie (hydrogenation being a key part of synthetic fuel production).
[2] The
Hampden Mk.IIs were a pair of prototypes with alternative, American-made engines.
[3] The
Hampden Mk.III was that bit heavier and 'draggier' than the Mk.I (or nose-gunned Mk.IA). To compensate, the Mk.IIIs carried a reduced bombload - 3,000 lbs versus the 4,000 lb full load of the
Hampden Mk.Is.