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Thanks Airframes
has anyone managed to get a full copy of this doco.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imsRFurUDPA
I also posted this in the videos section.
For instance... were there other bombing raids carried out in WWII that were similar to the Shell building situation... where resistance groups were involved maybe?
This is a very old thread but my cousin Andrew retired last year and after doing various unimportant things such as visiting Australia was persuaded to search for his father's log books. He has found the last two covering the period 16 March 1942 to 9 March 1946 and thus I can attach Andrew's scan mentioning the Shellhus mission. My memory from long before when we had talked was slightly faulty and Jim had written bags of twitch rather than buckets of sweat.I decided to clutter the thread with a few more family memories. My relative Fl. Lt. S. J. (Jim) Rattray flew one of the Mustangs. I remember two extra details.
Firstly, he said that the Mustang pilots were offered a free choice of flying above or below the roof line. He was thankful that he had decided to fly along the streets because another pilot (a friend or perhaps his wingman - I have forgotten and Jim died in 1989) who flew higher was hit by FLAK and killed.
Secondly, he mentioned that after flying over or near the Shellhus, he had flown over Copenhagen harbour. He had the impression that this contained a fair fraction of the remaining German surface fleet. Naturally, these showed their appreciation of the RAF's display of low level flying by firing a salute with all available guns.
I have been trying over the last few days to find which ships were present without success. In May, the cruisers Prinz Eugen and Nürnberg surrendered at Copenhagen but Prinz Eugen only arrived on 20th April. However, Nürnberg seems to have arrived on 27th January. On 13th January, Nürnberg and the minelayer Linz were escorted by the destroyers Riedel and Ihn and torpedo boats T19 and T20 in laying the "Titus" minefield in the Skaggerak when they were attacked by a radar equipped RAF Halifax. Some others of this force may have remained near Copenhagen but the destroyers remained active in convoying ships to and from Norway. Other destroyers active around that area and time include Beitzen and Galster. Of course, a convoy may have been in Copenhagen harbour that day but I have not found any information.
Jim had written a comment in his logbook for the mission "buckets of sweat" (I might be able to get that scanned as his son still has it).