Operation Crossbow

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Operation Crossbow was the World War II code name "to designate Anglo-American operations against all phases of the German long-range weapons programme -- operations against German research, experimentation, manufacture, construction of launching sites, and the transportation and firing of finished missiles, and also against missiles in flight, once they had been fired."^[3] In December 1943, the original Bodyline code name was dropped, and Crossbow was substituted.^[1]

[edit] Offensive operations

Main article: Strategic bombing during World War II

Operation Hydra bombed the Peenemünde Army Research Center after midnight of August 17/18 1943 and was the opening of the campaign subsequently named Operation Crossbow.^[4] Crossbow bombing was characterized as a "Secondary Campaign"/"special enterprise" with the following effectiveness:

The bombing of the launching sites being prepared for the V weapons delayed the use of V-l appreciably. The attacks on the V-weapon experimental station at Peenemunde, however, were not effective; V-l was already in production near Kassel and V-2 had also been moved to an underground plant. The breaking of the Mohne and the Eder dams, though the cost was small, also had limited effect.^[2]

Crossbow bombing included use of Tallboy bombs and Operation Aphrodite drones, particularly against the "Heavy Crossbow" installations^[5] (Watten,^[1]p168 Wizernes, Mimoyecques, Siracourt, Söttevast, Martinvast).^[6] The underground V-1 storage depots at Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, Nucourt and Rilly La Montange also were bombed.

On September 3, 1944, all CROSSBOW offensive countermeasures (e.g., bombing raids) were temporarily suspended.^[6]

[edit] Bombing of V-1 launch sites

In addition to V-1 storage depots, Operation Crossbow repeatedly bombed many of the V-1 launch sites. After initially constructing sites with curved ramps like snow skis ("ski sites"), the Germans began constructing modified sites with limited structures that could be completed quickly, as necessary. This also allowed the modified sites to be quickly repaired after bombing (until the sites were overtaken by Allied ground forces).

• Abbeville (Tilley-le-Haut): 16/17 December^[7]

• Abbeville (site in wood at Flixecourt): 16/17 December^[7]
• Ailly: 14/15 January 1944^[7]
• Amiens ("Wemars/Cappel"): 28 August^[7]
• Anderbeck: 21 July^[7]
• Anderbelck: 14/15 July^[7]
• Acquet: 18/19 July^[7]
• Acquet: 24 July^[7]
• Ardouval: 20/21 July^[7]
• Bachimont: 20 June^[8]
• Belle Croix: 23 June ^[8]
• Belloy-sur-Summe: 23 August^[8]
• Blangermont:17 July ^{[8] [9]}
• Bois de la Justice (#74): 28 February, 13 March^[10]
• Bonneton: 14/15 January^[7]
• Bremont les Hautes: 12/13 July^[7]
• Bristillerie: 4/5 January^[7] and 14/15 January^[7]
• Cachie D'Eque: 23, 24 June ^[8]
• Cocques: 25 June ^[8]
• Coubronne: 24 June^[8]
• Droinville (#50): 24 December^[11]
• Ferfay: 24/25 July^[7]
• Ferme du Forestal: 10 August^[7]
• Forêt de Croc: 20 July and 23 July^[7]
• Gapennes: [[11 July^[7]
• Gorenflos: 19 June ^[8]
• Grand Parc (#107): 14 January and 21 January^[12]>
• Herbouville: 27/28 January and 29/30 January^[7]
  
• Jardins: 15/16 July^[7]
• La Glacerie: 1/2 April and 4/5 April^[7]
• La Houssoye: 2 August^[8]
• Les Hauts Buissons: 23/24 July^[7]
• Les Landes: 14/15 July^[7]
• Maisoncette: 1 May ^{[8] [13]}
• Mont Candon: 23 July^[7]
  
• Mont Louis: 1 August ^[8]
• Oisemont: 20 June ^[8] and 30 June^[7]
  
• Pont A Verdin: 25 June ^[8]
• Prouville: 24 July^[7]
• St Philibert Ferme: 14 July and 16 July^[7]
• Regnaville: 20 June ^[8]
• Remaisnil: 2 August ^[8]
• Rollez: 12 July^[7]
• Sottevast: 29 February/1 March, 3/4 March^[7] and 5 May ^[8]
• Wadicourt: 17 July ^{[8] [14]} and 1 August ^[8]

[edit] V-1 defence

Main article: operation Diver

On January 2, 1944, Air Chief Marshal Roderic Hill, C-in-C of Fighter Command submitted his plan to deploy 1,332 guns to defend London, Bristol, and the Solent against the the V-1 Offensive (the "Operations Room" was at Biggin Hill).^[15] V-1s were downed by select units of Fighter Command operating high speed fighters, the anti-aircraft guns of AA Command, and barrage balloons (Ballon Command).

Overall, 4,261 V-1s were destroyed by fighters, anti-aircraft fire and barrage balloons. Of the fighters, Hawker Tempests accounted for 638, de Havilland Mosquito for 428, Supermarine Spitfire XIV for 303, and North American Mustang for 232. A further 158 were shot down by other fighters. The artilery defences destroyed 17% of all flying bombs entering the coastal 'gun belt' their first week on the coast. This rose to 60% by 23 August and 74% in the last week of the month, when on one day 82% were shot down. The rate improved from one V-1 destroyed for every 2,500 shells fired initially, to one for every 100. Barrage balloons officially claimed 231 V-1s.

865 modified V-1s were air-launched from Heinkel He 111 bombers from September 16, 1944 to January 14, 1945^[16]Only 638 were observed by the 'Diver' defences. Guns and fighters downed 403, leaving 66 reaching the London Civil Defence Region, one reaching Manchester, and 168 falling elsewhere.^[15]p131 The British had initially considered that a July 18-21, 1944 effort of 50 air-launched V-1s had been ground-launched from the Low Countries, particularly near Ostend.^[1]p256

[edit] V-2 defence

Main article: V-2 rocket

A sound-ranging system provided "data on the rocket's trajectory from which the general launching area could be determined," and the microphone(s) in East Kent reported the times of the first V-2 strikes on London: 18:40:52 and 18:41:08.^[17]

Happenstance instances of Allied fighters engaging launched V-2 rockets include the following:

• a No. 602 Squadron RAF Supermarine Spitfire firing a burst of gunfire as a V-2 reared out of the clouds,^[18]p162
• an October 29, 1944 attempt by P-38 Lightning Lieutenants Donald A. Schultz and Charles M. Crane to photograph a launched V-2 above the trees near the River Rhine,^[19]
• a pilot of 4th US Fighter Group "observed a Big Ben^[20] act up for firing near LOCHEM … the rocket was immediately tilted from 85 deg. To 30 deg" on January 1, 1945^[17]p256

However, only a single V-2 was shot down -- by a .50 cal machine gun in an American B-24 Liberator returning from a raid over Germany, which overflew a V-2 launch site in the Hague just when a missile lifted off.^[21]

On March 21, 1945, Frederick Alfred Pile's plan for Engagement of Long Range Rockets with AA Gunfire (gunfire into a radar-predicted airspace to intercept the V-2 rocket) was ready, but the plan was not used due to the danger of shells falling on Greater London.^[17]p262

[edit] Named Activities

Named activities of Operation Crossbow included the following:

• Bodyline Joint Staff Committee^[22]
• Bodyline Scientific Committee (19 members, including Duncan Sandys, Edward Victor Appleton, John Cockcroft, Robert Watson-Watt)^[1]p131
• Cabinet Defence Committee (Operations)
• Diver - a secret British Defence Instruction named the code word: "Enemy Flying Bombs will be referred to or known as 'Diver' aircraft or pilotless planes."^{[18]p50,61[23]} (often called Operation Diver without citation)
• Flabby - Allied code name for medium weather conditions when fighters were allowed to chase flying bombs over the gun-belt to the balloon line.^[18]p197
• Flying Bomb Counter Measures Committee (Duncan Sandys, chairman)^[18]p42
• Fuel Panel of the Special Scientific Committee^[1]p149
• Operation No-ball - bombing attacks on suspected Crossbow launching sites, e.g.,
  • 'No-ball 27', Ailly-le-Vieux-Clocher^[18]p49
  • 'Noball No. 50', Droinville^[24]
  • 'Noball No. 74', Bois de la Justice^[24]
  • 'Noball Target No. 78'^[24]
  • 'Noball No. 93', Cherbourg area^[24]
  • 'Noball No. 107', Grand Parc^[24]
  • 'no ball' V1 site No.147, Ligercourt – (602 Sqn)
  • other No-ball targets include those attacked by the 447th^[24] and 466th Bombardment Groups were Bachimont, Belle Croix, Belloy-sur-Somme, Blangermont, Cachie D'Eque, Cocques], Coubronne, Domleger, Gorenflos, La Houssoye, LaGrande Vallee, Maisoncette, Mirnayesques (sic), Mont Louis, Nucourt, Oisemont, Pont A Verdin, Regnaville, Remaisnil, Sourtrecourt (sic), Siracourt, Sottevast, Villers L'Hopital, Wadicourt
• Operation Aphrodite
• Operation Hydra (with associated Operation Whitebait)
• Operation Totter - The Royal Observer Corps fired ‘Snowflake’ illuminating rocket flares from the ground to identify V-1 flying bombs to RAF fighters.^[18]p102
• Questionnaire … to establish the practicability … of the German Long-Range Rocket (by Frederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell)^[1]p131

• Operation Bigben - countermeasures against and reporting of V-2 rocket attacks ^[25]

[edit] References and Notes