Killing "the Beast" - Second Try
Based on aerial reconnaissance following 617's first assault, British intelligence wrongly concluded that the German Battleship Tirpitz was still serviceable. Only after the war did the British learn that 617's first raid had in fact rendered the great battleship incapable of conducting operations. On the misconception that the Tirpitz might yet sally forth to wreck havoc on the convoys bound for Russia, 617 was again ordered to "sink the Tirpitz."
Meanwhile, under cover of low cloud, the Germans towed the Tirpitz down to Altenfjord, where the Germans moored it as a floating gun-battery to deter allied landings. Discovered there by British reconnaissance aircraft shortly after Oct 15, the move seemed to support the thesis that the ship was still seaworthy, i.e. that it had not been seriously damaged in the earlier raid. The move, however, put the German battleship with in range of Lancasters operating from the tip of Scotland --provided they had new, more powerful engines and again stripped away all "excess" weight.
Excess weight in these circumstances were deemed to be both the mid-upper turret and the armor plate behind the pilot's seat. In addition, the tail turret was removed to enable auxiliary fuel tanks to be inserted and then put back in place on top of them. Each crew was then required to conduct a variety of airworthiness tests with the modified aircraft to which they were assigned, noting which engine settings produced the lowest fuel consumption.
29 October was the date set for the next attack, and again 617 was supported by 9 Squadron. They took off from Lossiemouth in the dark of night and pouring rain late on 28 October. First they flew at just 600 feet over the water to avoid radar detection from the Germans in Norway. At a given point, they turned due east to "sneak through" a reputed gap in the radar and dash across the narrow neck of Norway into neutral Swedish airspace.
Over Sweden, visibility cleared enough for the crews to look down on the brilliant lights. To men who by then had endured five years of blackout the sight of peaceful lights on streets, cars and in windows was always uplifting.
Once into Swedish airspace they turned north and flew at low altitude so the mountains west of them served as a radar shield. After flying independently, as the RAF routinely did, the aircraft of 617 and 9 Squadron assembled over a prominent landmark in northern Sweden. From here, with Wing Commander Tait leading, they set course for a pass back over the Norwegian mountains. After passing back into enemy airspace, they continued gaining altitude to reach 18,000 feet, the height at which the Tallboys worked best, and set course for the Tirpitz.
However, the predicted good visibility was deteriorating rapidly. Although from forty miles away the battleship had been clearly visible, low cloud was rapidly creeping in and soon all but obscured the target. Meanwhile, the Tirpitz had opened up with all her 36 guns, including the 15-inch guns designed to sink other battleships. There were also 98 shore-based anti-aircraft guns shooting at them. The air was soon smudged with smoke as well as cloud.
Feeling that they hadn't come all this way just to return again, pilot after pilot made repeated runs over the Tirpitz. Wing Commander Tait made three runs before releasing his bomb; Flying Officer Carey made six. One aircraft had a "hang-up" a bomb that lodged in the bomb bay and Tait flew alongside it four times to divide the flak until it finally came loose. Meanwhile, one bomb had hit the deck and sent smoke up through the clouds and other bombs landed close enough to rock the battleship. Three aircraft never found enough break in the clouds to release their bomb and returned with them instead.
Again, they had failed to noticeably damage, much less sink, the Tirpitz. But this time one of 617's aircraft failed to return. It was "E-Easy Elsie" commanded by Australian F/O Bill Carey. After dropping his bomb on the sixth attempt, E-Easy Elsie was hit twice by flak. This took out the port inner engine, put holes in his fuel tanks and damaged the hydraulics, causing the undercarriage to drop down and the bomb doors to open. The port outer engine was also running roughly, evidently damaged in some way. They had no chance of returning across the arctic seas to Scotland and could not raise the Royal Navy on the VHF channel they had been given.
So, Carey turned the aircraft landward and started heading for Sweden. To reach that neutral haven, however, he first had to clear the Norwegian mountains that reared up 6,000 feet. His Lancaster would not climb until they had jettisoned every piece of "extraneous" equipment on board. This included vandalizing before throwing overboard their bomb site, radio equipment, Gee navigation system and more. They just barely reached the 6,000 feet minimum to slip back over the mountains with only a hundred feet to spare. Finally, after a 200 mile flight, Carey managed to make a forced landing in a marshy field still far north of the Arctic Circle.
Although the rest of the crew survived the crash landing unscathed, Carey himself had a painful, though not critical, leg injury. His navigator and wireless operator volunteered to try walking to the nearest town, following the navigator's map. They found and "borrowed" a row boat which enabled them to shorten the distance considerably by rowing across a long lake. On reaching the town indicated on the map, the Scottish navigator Pilot Officer Alex McKie boldly walked up to the first house, knocked on the door an announced he was RAF. The door was slammed in his face. Undaunted, he went to the next house and repeated his performance. This time the lady of the house allowed him to continue speaking and explain his aircraft had made a forced landing and they wanted to report to the Swedish military authorities. He and the wireless operator were immediately invited in, offered food and drink, and a seat by the fire while their hostess contacted her husband. Not long afterwards, the Swedish army arrived and took them to the local police station. Before the interrogation could even begin, McKie interrupted with the news that four of the crew were still beside the wreck and one needed medical attention. He was invited to show the Swedish army where the wreck was located on a map and help was sent out immediately.
Their good treatment continued. Not only were they put up in the local hotel rather than the jail, locals insisted on standing them drinks at the local pub (with the full approval of the Swedish army personnel in attendance). The senior Swedish officer insisted that they join him for dinner. They were repeatedly thanked by various civilians. While sleeping, their dirty uniforms were laundered and their shoes polished before their dinner with the local commandant. Meanwhile, Carey was sent on to a better hospital. The following day they were sent south to a larger internment center. Here they were expeditiously "processed" and after interrogations at the British Embassy repatriation was arranged for them on a priority basis. After two weeks leave, all six, uninjured members of the crew were reunited at Woodhall Spa, and eventually F/O Carey also joined them. They flew a further ten operations together before the end of the war.
My novels
about the RAF in WWII are intended as tributes to the men in the air and
on the ground that made a victory against fascism in Europe possible. This raid on the "Tirpitz" features in "Moral Fibre."
they took the war to Hitler.
Their chances of survival were less than fifty percent.
Their average age was 21.
This is the story of just one bomber pilot, his crew and the woman he loved.
It is intended as a tribute to them all.
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"Where Eagles Never Flew" was the the winner of a Hemingway Award for 20th Century Wartime Fiction and a Maincrest Media Award for Military Fiction. Find out more at: https://crossseaspress.com/where-eagles-never-flew
For more information about all my aviation books visit: https://www.helenapschrader.com/aviation.html
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