Operation Boring

[wuzak]

View: https://youtu.be/3gUJyoE9Hds?si=DY7IcBDkfjeagfmH

As far as I can tell, without downloading the ORBs, they only specify the bombs as 4000lb, not whether they were MC or HC.

I would think they would be MC, as the HC "cookie" might break up on impact on such raids.

 

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

1 January 1945, 17 Mosquito from 8 Group sent to rail tunnels in area bounded by Coblenz-Kaiserslautern-Trier-St. Vith-Euskirchen, 12 including 1 missing credited with attacking primary targets, 4 secondary targets, 1 abort, 5x4000 pound M2, 11x4000 pound MC, 1 Mosquito XVI from 692 squadron missing, 1 XVI from 128 squadron crashed in UK outbound.

 

[Casor]

Great vid. In respect to its effect on the Bulge however, too little too late. Mostly too late. By Jan 1 the Germans had already shot their wad, the weather had improved for allied air cover, and they were already out of gas and in retreat

 

[wuzak]

1 January 1945, 17 Mosquito from 8 Group sent to rail tunnels in area bounded by Coblenz-Kaiserslautern-Trier-St. Vith-Euskirchen, 12 including 1 missing credited with attacking primary targets, 4 secondary targets, 1 abort, 5x4000 pound M2, 11x4000 pound MC, 1 Mosquito XVI from 692 squadron missing, 1 XVI from 128 squadron crashed in UK outbound.

Thanks Geoffrey.

Still surprised some HC were used (4,000lb M@ is HC Mk 2?).

 

[Geoffrey Sinclair]

I do not have a detailed RAF ordnance manual, I think the 4,000 pound M2 was MC, not HC.

128 squadron 6 Mosquito XVI, 5 attacked, 1 crashed
571 squadron 5 Mosquito XVI attacked
692 squadron 6 Mosquito XVI, 5 attacked, 1 more missing, seen to be hit by flak, squadron records give tunnel latitude and longitude

The Mosquito XVI did not carry any defensive armament.

 

[EwenS]

There were
4,000lb HC Mk.1/2/3/4/5/6
4,000lb GP Mk.1/2
4,000lb MC Mk.1/2.

I would assume that "4,000lb M2" was a reference to to the last of these.

Bulletpicker is your friend with links to Ordnance manuals of the period.

Britain

Ordnance, Explosives, and Related Items British Bombs

www.bulletpicker.com

 

[Gnomey]

Good one!

 

[JDCAVE]

Very Interesting. I was not aware of this operation either. I have attached the 8-Group ORB summaries of these attacks. Surprising to me that they used 4,000 lb MC bombs, but Harris records in his Despatch on War Operations that MC bombs were used by Mosquito Aircraft for high altitude as the ballistics of these bombs were superior to the HC bomb. It was also used with success to breach the dykes on Walcheren Island. So, initially, I was about to correct Geoffrey, but in fact, I "stand corrected!"

I would be interested to see the Form B's for these attacks. They might be quite revealing!

Jim

 

[fannum]

This excellent account echoes the also little known and poorly reported B-26 (nee A-26) night intruder missions in North Korea, just a few years later.
The NKs had to move at night, and coastal boat, road and rail traffic was dead meat. With the mountainous terrain, tunnels abounded, hiding places for trains.
With similar vintage equipment, brave USAF Invader and Naval and Marine Corsair and Skyraider pilots perfected night rail tunnel skip bombing via only wing mounted search lights to thread through narrow valleys to trap/destroy hidden trains and their rocky caves.
One of few accounts from Korea is fiction, but according to the late NASM curator and prolific author, Bob Mikesh who flew those mission, quite accurate in both fact, spirit and attitude. Turn the Tigers Loose!

Bob later flew B-57 interdiction missions in Vietnam, also poorly covered.