The Other Dam - Kembs Barrage
The "Dambusters" got their name and fame from an attack on the Ruhr dams in May 1943. In that attack, they famously used the extraordinary bouncing bombs developed by Barnes Wallis. Yet, despite the success of the strike, those bombs were never used again. "The Dambusters" did, however, destroy another dam of arguably equal importance in another dramatic and dangerous operation.
By October 1944, the Allies ground forces were already planning for an assault on Germany, and the U.S. military high command expected the Germans to destroy all the bridges over the Rhine and withdraw behind this formidable defensive barrier. U.S. plans therefore called for an amphibious assault, which would undoubtedly be costly and dangerous. One threat seemed particularly great. A large double-decker dam, the Kembs Barrage near the Swiss city of Basel, controlled the flood levels of the river. If the sluices were opened suddenly and simultaneously, a wall of water would rush down river, sweeping away everything in its path -- including any pontoon bridges built by the U.S. army. Understandably, the U.S. army wanted the dam controlling those waters destroyed before they built their pontoon bridges and risked their troops.
It is notable that the task of destroying the Kembs Barrage, fell not to the USAAF, the alleged experts at strategic bombing, but was handed over to the RAF's "special operations" squadron. Then again, maybe the fact that this was another attack on a dam made the selection of the famous "Dambusters" inevitable. Problematic was that the design and structure of the Kembs Barrage (as shown above) was very different from the solid Ruhr dams. In consequence it was unsuitable for the use of the bouncing bombs that had been so successful on 617's debut raid. Other methods would have to be employed.
Given the precision necessary to take out a target of this nature, the planners at bomber command opted for a daylight raid. Fortunately, the Allies now had long-range fighters capable of providing protection all the way to the target and back. No less than three Mustang squadrons: RAF squadrons 129, 306 and 315, the latter both Polish squadrons. In addition, a Mosquito squadron, 627 also based at Woodhall Spa, provided reconnaissance before and after. Fighter escorts, however, could not shield Lancasters from flak.
A total of 13 aircraft from 617 Squadron were detailed for the raid and they were to fly in two groups. One group of seven Lancasters led by Squadron Leader Gerry Fawke was ordered to bomb from 7,000 feet and were expected to distract the defenders. Meanwhile, the remaining six aircraft would attack in pairs at 600 feet. The squadron CO Wing Commander Tait assumed responsibility for leading this low level attack. All aircraft carried a single 12,000lb Tallboy bomb with ten minute delay fuses. This was intended to reduce the smoke and dust from early strikes obscuring the target for the aircraft that followed. It also ensured that the low-flying aircraft would not be damaged by their own bombs. Despite this precaution, there was no question that flying at 600 feet into heavy and light flak was, as one participant called it, madness. [John Nicol. Return of the Dambusters: What 617 Squadron did Next. Collins: 2015. 225.]
Shortly after 13:00 on 7 October, 1944, the 13 Lancasters of 617 took to the air and soon met up with their fighter escort. They flew low across the Continent to stay, literally, below the radar. At first the weather was clear, but the closer they got to the target the more clouds there were, although visibility was sufficient to proceed. The low-level group executed a dog-leg approach while the high-level group flew straight in to bomb. Although they encountered heavy flak, all seven aircraft were able to make their bomb run and return safely to base. They also left the target in tact.
Wing Commander Tait led the first pair of the low-level group out of the cloud cover, flanked by Squadron Leader Wyness. The cloud base was at 1,500 feet, and Tait led them down to just 500 feet for the attack. Despite attempts by the escorting Mustangs to distract the flak batteries, the flak barrage as fierce. Tait continued into the face of it, dropped his bomb on the instructions of his bomb aimer, and then pushed the throttles to full power as he turned and climbed away. It was at this moment that his crew saw Wyness explode into flames, spin out of control and crash into the ground.
The next two aircraft, piloted by Squadron Leader Cockshott and Flying Officer Sanders encountered not only the same flak but also the slipstreams of the previous two Lancasters. The latter made Cockshotts bomb fall wide, while Sayers' bomb released prematurely for some reason. It was later retrieved by the Germans and studied in great detail.
Meanwhile, however, the last pair of Lancasaters under the command of Flight Lieutenant "Kit" Howard and Flying Officer Phil Martin dropped out of the cloud and made the bomb run at 500 feet. Howard either misjudged the run or had a hang-up because he called to Tait his intent to go around again. Tait tried to stop him, ordering him twice to abandon the attack. Howard either didn't hear him or decided not to comply. Martin stayed with him, breaking off his attack and circling around again.
As they made their second approach, Martin saw the starboard fuel tanks of Howard's Lancaster explode, setting the entire aircraft on fire. He veered to starboard and crashed into a woods. Martin was about 400 yards behind Howard and pressed ahead with his attack. Just as the bomb aimer reported "bomb gone!" the aircraft shuddered as it was hit by flak. When Martin attempted to turn away and escape, he found his rudder useless -- the cables had been severed by shrapnel. The next thing they knew they were flying through the balloon barrage over the Swiss city of Basel. Fortunately for the crew, the flight engineer was able to jury-rig rudder controls by tying the ends of the rudder cables to an axe. The flight engineer stood in the back of the aircraft controlling the rudder with that axe all the way back to England.
While the battered Lancasters turned for home, the reconnaissance Mosquitos came in to take photos of the damage. These showed a breach of the dam that caused the water to flood out -- if not at a rate to create a deluge. By the following morning, Swiss newspapers were reporting that the level of the Rhine had dropped more than three meters, bringing shipping to a halt, while down river the German authorities were issuing flood alarms. The objective had been achieved.
Although less spectacular than the initial dams raid, the attack on the Kembs Barrage made a vital contribution to the success of the Allied invasion of Germany -- and at a lower cost that the debut operation of 617. It is an important incident, described in detail, in my novel "Moral Fibre."
The attack on the Kembs barrage is an episode in award-winning "Moral Fibre." This book, as with all my novels about the RAF in WWII, is intended as a tribute to the men in the air and on the ground that made a victory in Europe against fascism possible.
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
Ahh, team work. Most excellent!
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