Kiel Canal operation
Title
Kiel Canal operation
Description
Describes operation dropping mines in Kiel Canal. Mentions attack at low level, anti-aircraft fire and lucky not to be hit. Concludes by telling of flying to cover crew who had failed to get back to station in time and refusing a commission. Page numbered 2 and 3.
Language
Format
Two page printed document
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
BPotterPLPotterPLv8
Transcription
[Keil Canal Operation]
My most memorable successful operation was when dropping mines in the Kiel Canal from 500ft. We flew straight along the canal dropping one mine at a time in what was one of the most heavily defended targets of the war. There was so much firing along the canal that we could see almost as clearly as in daylight.
It was necessary to fly at 500ft to ensure the mines would enter the water at the right angle to prevent them breaking apart. It meant that every gun on either side of the canal and all ships could fire at us without fear of hitting one another. To this day I marvel that we survived, as unlike most of the targets where only the Flak and Fighters had to be braved, for the first time we were the sole target during our drop run. Sheer luck.
We all felt fear at times, but it affects people differently. For me it was a stimulant and when a civilian I was unable to settle until I became a fireman.
I flew on two other ops to cover for bods who could not get back to the station in time and their crews asked me to help out to save the absentees getting into trouble. On one op the c.o. knew what was going on as that morning he called me to his office to offer me a commission (which I had to refuse owing to putting my age up to join the RAF). He recognised me
[page break]
at briefing and knew I was with the wrong crew. However, he did nothing except to say that he needed to know if I did it again.
My most memorable successful operation was when dropping mines in the Kiel Canal from 500ft. We flew straight along the canal dropping one mine at a time in what was one of the most heavily defended targets of the war. There was so much firing along the canal that we could see almost as clearly as in daylight.
It was necessary to fly at 500ft to ensure the mines would enter the water at the right angle to prevent them breaking apart. It meant that every gun on either side of the canal and all ships could fire at us without fear of hitting one another. To this day I marvel that we survived, as unlike most of the targets where only the Flak and Fighters had to be braved, for the first time we were the sole target during our drop run. Sheer luck.
We all felt fear at times, but it affects people differently. For me it was a stimulant and when a civilian I was unable to settle until I became a fireman.
I flew on two other ops to cover for bods who could not get back to the station in time and their crews asked me to help out to save the absentees getting into trouble. On one op the c.o. knew what was going on as that morning he called me to his office to offer me a commission (which I had to refuse owing to putting my age up to join the RAF). He recognised me
[page break]
at briefing and knew I was with the wrong crew. However, he did nothing except to say that he needed to know if I did it again.
Collection
Citation
“Kiel Canal operation,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 16, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/30874.
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