Siracourt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the French commune. For the World War II bunker, see Bombing of Siracourt in World War II.
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Commune of Siracourt |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Arras |
| Canton | Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes du Saint-Polois |
| Mayor | Freddy Bloquet (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 124 m–154 m |
| Land area¹ | 3.14 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
228 |
| - Density | 72/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62797/ 62130 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Siracourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département of northern France.
| Siracourt | |
|---|---|
| Part of Nazi Germany | |
| France | |
 Remains of Siracourt WWII V-1 storage depot |
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| Type | bunker |
| Coordinates | |
| Built | 1943 |
| Built by | Organisation Todt |
| Construction materials |
concrete |
| In use | captured before being used |
| Battles/wars | Operation Crossbow, Operation Aphrodite |
[edit] Bombing of Siracourt in World War II
To supply World War II V-1 flying bombs to launch sites in the Calais region, Germany began construction on several V-1 storage depots, including a large bunker at Siracourt, between Calais and the river Somme.[1][2] The Siracourt and Équeurdreville sites were completed as V-1 bunkers (Siracourt was to also have a launch ramp),[3] but a V-1 bunker at Lottinghen never progressed beyond site clearance.[4] A No. 542 Squadron RAF photo on October 3, 1943, depicted the Siracourt V-1 site,[3] and the British Chiefs of Staff enjoined Eisenhower to attack Siracourt as an Operation Crossbow target.[1][5]Siracourt was captured by the Allies in late 1944.[1]
| Bombing of Siracourt in World War II | |||||
| Date | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 31, 1944 | Mission 203: 74 of 74 B-24's hit V-weapon site construction at St. Pol/Siracourt, France; 2 aircraft are damaged beyond repair; no losses. The B-24's are escorted by 114 P-47's)[6] | ||||
| February 2, 1944 | Mission 205: 95 of 110 B-24s hit V-weapon construction sites at St Pol/Siracourt and Watten, France; 2 B-24s are lost, 1 is damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; casualties are 10 KIA and 19 MIA. 183 P-47s escort the B-24s without loss.[6] | ||||
| February 6, 1944 | Mission 212: 150 B-24s are dispatched to St Pol/Siracourt V-weapon site but 37 hit Chateaudun Airfield[6][1][2][3] | ||||
| February 8, 1944 | Mission 214: 53 of 54 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at Siracourt[6] | ||||
| February 11, 1944 | Mission 218: 94 of 201 B-24s bomb the Siracourt V-weapon site in France with PFF equipment[6] | ||||
| February 12, 1944 | Mission 220: 97 of 99 B-24s hit the V-weapon site at St Pol/Siracourt, France; 29 B-24s are damaged; no losses or casualties; escort is provided by 84 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47's and 41 P-51s; no claims, losses or casualties.[6] | ||||
| February 13, 1944 | Mission 221 included the 453rd Bombardment Group[6][4] | ||||
| February 15, 1944[5] | Mission 223: 52 of 54 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at St Pol/Siracourt, France; 29 B-24s are damaged; no losses or casualties.[6] | ||||
| March 12, 1944[6] | Mission 256: 46 of 52 B-24s dispatched hit a V-weapon site at St Pol/Siracourt, France and 6 hit targets of opportunity, all using blind-bombing techniques; 1 B-24 is lost and 26 damaged; casualties are 1 WIA.[6] | ||||
| April 5, 1944 | Mission 288: 21 of 50 B-24s dispatched hit V-weapon sites at St Pol/Siracourt, France without loss; heavy clouds and the failure of blind-bombing equipment cause other B-24s to return to base without bombing. 50 P-47s escort the B-24s without loss.[6][7] | ||||
| April 20, 1944 | Mission 309 included the 466th Bombardment Group[8] | ||||
| April 22, 1944 | B-17 42-95928 Shot down by flak on a mission to Siracourt V-1 launch site. MACR#4093.[9] | ||||
| April 27, 1944 | Mission 322 included the 466th Bombardment Group[10] | ||||
| April 30, 1944 | Mission 329: 52 of 55 B-24s bomb V-weapon sites at Siracourt; 3 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escort is provided by 128 P-38s, 268 P-47s and 248 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s[6][11] | ||||
| May 1, 1944 | A mission included the 401st Bombardment Group[12] | ||||
| May 2, 1944 | Mission 335 included the 453rd Bombardment Group[6][13] | ||||
| May 6,1944 | Mission 340: 168 bombers and 185 fighters are dispatched to hit NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in France; 90 B-17s dispatched to the Pas de Calais area return to base with bombs due to cloud cover over the target; 70 of 78 B-24s hit Siracourt; 48 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 57 Ninth Air Force P-38s, 47 P-47s and 81 P-51s without loss.[6] | ||||
| May 15,1944[14] | Mission 356: 166 bombers and 104 fighters hit V-weapon sites in France with 1 fighter lost; 38 of 58 B-17s bomb Marquise/Mimoyecques with 5 B-17s damaged; 90 of 108 B-24s bomb Siracourt with 8 B-24s damaged; escort is provided by 104 P-51s with 1 lost (pilot is MIA).[6] One B-24 received a direct hit by an AAA shell.[7] At least one aircraft aborted.[8][15] | ||||
| May 21,1944 | Mission 360: 150 bombers and 48 fighters hit V-weapon sites in France without loss; 25 of 40 B-17s hit Marquise/Mimoyecques and 13 B-17s are damaged; 99 of 110 B-24s hit Siracourt and 1 B-24 is damaged. Escort is provided by 48 P-47s without loss.[6] At least one aircraft aborted.[8][16] | ||||
| May 22,1944[17] | Mission 361: 94 of 96 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at Siracourt, France; 1 B-24 is damaged. Escort is provided by 145 P-38s, 95 P-47s and 328 P-51s; P-38s claim 8-1-5 Luftwaffe aircraft, P-47s claim 12-1-2 and P-51s claim 2-2-1; 3 P-38s, 3 P-47s and a P-51 are lost; 1 P-38 and 2 P-47s are damaged beyond repair; 1 P-38, 2 P-47s and a P-51 are damaged; 6 pilots are MIA.[6] | ||||
| May 30, 1944 | Mission 380 included the 447th Bombardment Group[6][18] | ||||
| June 21, 1944[19] | Mission 429: In the late afternoon, 31 B-24s bomb CROSSBOW (V-weapon) supply sites at Oisemont/Neuville and Saint-Martin-L'Hortier and 39 bomb a rocket site at Siracourt, France. AA fire shoots down 1 B-24; escort is provided by 99 P-47s, meeting no enemy aircraft, but 1 group strafes railroad and canal targets.[6] | ||||
| June 22,1944 | 234 aircraft - 119 Lancasters, 102 Halifaxes, 13 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5 and 8 Groups to special V-weapon sites and stores. The sites at Mimoyecques and Siracourt were accurately bombed by 1 and No 4 Group forces with Pathfinder marking but the No 617 Squadron force attacking Wizernes failed to find its target because of cloud and returned without dropping its bombs. 1 Halifax lost from the Siracourt raid.[9][20][21] | ||||
| June 25, 1944[22] | 323 aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 106 Lancasters, 15 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and No 8 Group attacked 3 flying bomb sites. The weather was clear and it was believed that all 3 raids were accurate. 2 Halifaxes of No 4 Group were lost from the raid on the Montorgueil site. No 617 Squadron sent 17 Lancasters, 2 Mosquitos and 1 Mustang to bomb the Siracourt flying-bomb store.[9] | ||||
| June 29,1944 | 286 Lancasters and 19 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups attacked 2 flying-bomb launching sites and a store. There was partial cloud cover over all the targets; some bombing was accurate but some was scattered. 5 aircraft - 3 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos - lost, including the aircraft of the Master Bomber on the raid to the Siracourt site.[9] | ||||
| July 6, 1944 | 551 aircraft - 314 Halifaxes, 210 Lancasters, 26 Mosquitos, 1 Mustang (Group-Captain Leonard Cheshire's marker aircraft)[3] - attacked 5 V-weapon targets. Only 1 aircraft was lost, a No 6 Group Halifax from a on siracourt flying-bomb store. Four of the targets were clear of cloud and were believed to have been bombed accurately but no results were seen at the Forêt de Croc launching site.[9] Three Tallboy bomb hits are claimed, but the postwar Sanders Report indicates no direct hits.[3] | ||||
| August 1, 1944 | No. 617 Squadron RAF[23] | ||||
| August 4,1944 | Mission 515: The first Operation Aphrodite mission is flown using 4 radio-controlled war weary B-17s as flying bombs. The B-17G 42-39835 Wantta Spa[10] pilot was killed, and the Siracourt drone had control problems and crashed in a wood at Sudbourne.[11] | ||||
[edit] References & Notes
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
- ^ a b c Irving, David (1964). The Mare's Nest. London: William Kimber and Co, p168,220,246,309.
- ^ Ordway, Frederick I, III; Sharpe, Mitchell R. The Rocket Team, Apogee Books Space Series 36. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, p118.
- ^ a b c d “The V-Weapons”, After The Battle: p14, <http://www.afterthebattle.com/ab-con1.html#index>
- ^ Henshall (1985). Hitler’s Rocket Sites. St Martin's Press, p147.
- ^ Investigations of the "Heavy Crossbow" installations in Northern France. (html). The Papers of Lord Duncan-Sandys. Churchill Archives Centre (February 1945). Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 8th Air Force 1944 Chronicles. Retrieved on 2007-05-25. 1944: January, February, June, July, August, September
- ^ Bastien, Charles R (1976). 32 Copilots, p56. “858th Squadron (North Pickenham) Engineer-Gunner Louis A Dezarlo, B-24J 44-40167: "I was flying the left waist gun position. We received a direct hit (I think an 88). It went through Sonner's seat, through Sonner and out the roof. Fortunately, it was a dud. Lou D'Auino (Radioman) was standing behind Sonner's seat with his elbow resting on the seat back and the round singed his sleeve on the way out. Sonner was flying the plane at the time and he slumped forward causing us to lose several thousand feet of altitude as well as the rest of the Group. He never knew what hit him. It took several crew members to pry him out of his seat.”
- ^ a b Hadden Crew 608 (html). U S Army Air Force /2nd Air Division /492nd Bomb Group (Heavy). Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ a b c d Campaign Diary. Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. UK Crown. Retrieved on 2007-05-24. 1944: June, July, August
- ^ Aphrodite-Missions, Aircraft and Crews. B-17 Flying Fortresses: Queen of the Skies. Jing Zhou. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
- ^ 42-39758 to 42-50026 USAAF Serial Numbers. Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
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- NOTE: Since pilots were to abandon the aircraft after transfer of control to the mothership (not impact), the August 4 claim for the Siracourt target appears inaccurate: "pilot killed when abandoned aircraft too soon before impact."
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