Bombing of Friedrichshafen in World War II

Friedrichshafen World War II bombings
Part of Strategic bombing campaign in Europe

Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen
Date 1944-1945
Location Lake Constance district
Belligerents
Fifteenth Air Force

RAF Bomber Command

 Luftwaffe
(Defence of the Reich)
Commanders and leaders
Carl Spaatz

Arthur Harris
Main articles: Operation Pointblank and Operation Crossbow

Bombing of Friedrichshafen in World War II attacked 5 strategic targets in the Lake Constance district (German: Bodenseekreis) during the Combined Bomber Offensive campaigns of Operation Pointblank and Operation Crossbow against Nazi Germany manufacturing. Targets included the Dornier Flugzeugwerke aircraft works at Manzell, the Maybach tank factory, the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin aircraft works and its Oberraderach test facility near Raderach, and the Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG factory.

Chronology
Date Target Description
1942-08-17 Zeppelin Works Allied intelligence had suspected the Zeppelin Works (German: Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) was involved with the V-2 rocket.[1]
1943-06-20 Zeppelin Works Operation Bellicose targeted suspected Würzburg radar production at Friedrichshafen.[2] (In early June, a CIU photo interpreter (Claude Wavell) had identified a stack of ribbed baskets--Würzburg radar reflectors--at the Zeppelin Works, Winston Churchill had reviewed the photos on June 14, and No. 5 Group RAF received attack orders on June 16.)[3] The bombing hit the Zeppelin Works' V-2 production which had only produced a few V-2 tanks and fuselage sections by June 20.[4]:143
1944-02 An underground factory at Immenstaad near Friedrichshafen was suspected of being a synthetic oil and/or liquid oxygen plant.[5]
1944-04-28 ZF Friedrichshafen A night attack by 322 heavy bombers damaged several factories and destroyed the factory producing tank gearboxes.[6]
1944-07-20 Zeppelin Works The 485 BG bombed Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.[7] (V-2 production planned for Zeppelin had been moved to the Mittelwerk after Operation Hydra (1943) bombed the Peenemünde Army Research Center.)[4]:193
1944-07-28 Dornier Flugzeugwerke The 464 BG bombed the Manzell aircraft works.
1944-08-03 Oberraderach & ZF Friedrichshafen Oberraderach (primary target) and the Zahnradfabrik (English: gearwheel factory) secondary target were bombed.[8][9] As early as September 20, 1942, Albert Speer had warned Hitler of the critical importance of Friedrichshafen tank plants and Schweinfurt ball-bearing plants.[10]
1944-08-16 Oberraderach The 485 BG bombed the Ober chemical works.
1944-10[11] Goldbacher Stollen In an underground tunnel near Friedrichshafen,[11] forced labor of KZ-Häftlinge im Goldbacher Stollen,[11] KZ Nebenlager Raderach[12] and the Aufkirch subcamp of Dachau concentration camp provided forced labor for constructing a facility for armament manufacturing (code name "Magnesit"[11]) safe from Allied air raids.
1945-02-25 Maybach tank factory Mission 847: 377 B-17s are sent to hit the Maybach tank factory at Friedrichshafen (63) using Gee-H.[13] Maybach Motorenbau (Freidrichshafen) and Norddeutsche Motorenbau (Berlin) produced nearly all tank engines.[14]
1945-04 Goldbacher Stollen The incomplete underground facilities were captured by French troops[11] (~170 forced laborers died during the construction).[11][15],

References

Notes
  1. ^ Ordway, Frederick I, III; Sharpe, Mitchell R (1979). The Rocket Team. Apogee Books Space Series 36. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. p. 74. ISBN 1894959000. 
  2. ^ "Campaign Diary June 1943". Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. UK Crown. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jun43.html. Retrieved 2009-03-22. 
  3. ^ Irving, David (1964). The Mare's Nest. London: William Kimber and Co. pp. 65,81. 
  4. ^ a b Neufeld, Michael J. (1995). The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemünde and the Coming of the Ballistic Missile Era. New York: The Free Press. p. 143,174,193. 
  5. ^ "Minutes of Meeting No. 45/6" (pdf: document starts - p 19). Enemy Oil Intelligence Committee. February 6, 1945. http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Tom%20Reels/Linked/B1870/B1870-0073-0208%20Item%204.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-22. 
  6. ^ "Campaign Diary April 1944". Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. UK Crown. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/apr44.html. Retrieved 27 December 2010. 
  7. ^ "485th Missions". 485th Bomb Group Association. http://www.485thbg.org/485th_Missions.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-27. 
  8. ^ "August 1944". 461st Bombardment Group (H). http://www.15thaf.org/49th_BW/461st_BG//Missions/August1944.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-27. 
  9. ^ Glantzberg, Hughes. "Missions". 461st Bomb Group (H) "The LibeRaiders". 461st.org. http://www.461st.org/Missions/Missions.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
  10. ^ Speer, Albert (1970) [1969 - German: Erinnerungen (Recollections)]. Inside the Third Reich. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston. New York and Toronto: Macmillan. p. 433. ISBN 978-0-684-82949-4. LCCN 70-119132. 
  11. ^ a b c d e f http://www.stollen-ueberlingen.de/lng/england.htm (Google translation)
  12. ^ "KZ Nebenlager Raderach" (in German). V2Werk-Oberraderach.com. http://www.v2werk-oberraderach.de/DON/KZ.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-27.  (Google translation)
  13. ^ McKillop, Jack. "Combat Chronology of the USAAF". http://www.usaaf.net/chron/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-25.  February 1945
  14. ^ Williamson, Charles C.; Hughes, Richard D.; Cabell, C. P.;Nazarro, J. J.; Bender, F. P.; & Crigglesworth, W. J. (5 March 1944), Plan for Completion of Combined Bomber Offensive 
  15. ^ Kliebenschedel, Thomas. "Die Serien- Prüfstände bei Ober-Raderach". A4 (V2) rocket manufacturing plant in Friedrichshafen 1942-45. V2Werk-Oberraderach.de. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.v2werk-oberraderach.de/Pruefstaende_2_1.html&ei=b_YGSoHkOYjCtwelpKWfBw&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPr%25C3%25BCffeld-Anlage%2Braderach%26hl%3Den. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 
Bibliography

External links

External media
Operation Bellicose map
ZF Friedrichshafen damage