Battle of the River Forth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of the River Forth |
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| Part of the Phoney War of World War II | |||||||
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 United Kingdom |
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| Hans Storp |
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The Battle of the River Forth was an exciting air battle during World War II. It happened on October 16, 1939, over the Firth of Forth in Scotland. British Supermarine Spitfire planes from Squadron 602 and Squadron 603 fought against German Junkers Ju 88 bombers. This battle was important because it was the very first time German planes attacked Britain during the war.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
When Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, many people worried about German air attacks. They feared cities would be bombed. However, Adolf Hitler hoped to avoid a full war with Britain. He wanted to find a peaceful solution. Britain did not want to compromise. So, Germany decided to start bombing. Hitler still wanted to avoid harming too many civilians. He set special rules for the attacks.
Britain had always seen threats coming from the east. So, many Royal Navy bases were built to protect the North Sea. One important base was Rosyth, located on the Firth of Forth.
When the war began, two fighter squadrons protected central Scotland. These were part of the Auxiliary Air Force, made of volunteer pilots. Squadron 603 was at Turnhouse airfield. They were learning to fly Supermarine Spitfires. They could only fly during the day. Squadron 602 was based at Abbotsinch.
To help defend against German attacks from the east, Squadron 602 moved closer to the Firth of Forth. They first moved to Grangemouth on October 7. Then, on October 13, they moved to RAF Drem, which was even closer to the coast.
The Air Raid: October 16, 1939
Morning Events
October 16, 1939, started with good weather. There were some broken clouds. At 9:20 AM, a radar station detected two German planes. They were Heinkel He 111s from Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG26). These planes were based at Westerland on Sylt, the closest German air base to Britain.
The Heinkel planes had cameras. They were on a spying mission. German pilots knew Spitfires were in the Firth of Forth area. Even if official reports said there were none.
At 9:45 AM, British observers saw one German plane flying over Dunfermline. It was heading towards Rosyth. Another plane was seen near Galashiels. Three minutes later, at 9:48 AM, three Spitfires from Squadron 602 took off. This group was led by Flight Lieutenant George Pinkerton. They were ordered to patrol the Island of May.
At 10:08 AM, lookouts on the British cruiser HMS Edinburgh spotted a Heinkel bomber. Soon after, the bomber was seen over Drem airfield. Pinkerton's group patrolled for 20 minutes. Then they were told to fly south towards Dunbar. Pinkerton saw the Heinkel. At 10:21 AM, he ordered his planes to attack.
The German plane suddenly turned left to escape into the clouds. Pinkerton and another pilot, Archie McKellar, fired at it. But they did not hit the bomber. The German plane landed safely back at Sylt. These were the first shots fired in the air war over Britain. Pinkerton's group returned to Drem at 10:44 AM.
Throughout the morning, Spitfires from Squadron 602 kept taking off. They tried to find other German planes but had no luck. By lunchtime, all planes were back on the ground. One group from Squadron 602 landed at Coastal Command station Leuchars. They had flown far north and needed to refuel and eat lunch.
The RAF did not know that the German planes had sent back important information. They reported on the weather over the Forth. They also reported seeing British ships. They thought they saw the battlecruiser Hood. At Westerland, 12 German bombers were waiting. They wanted to know if the weather was good enough to attack Britain.
Afternoon Attack
Besides KG 26, another German unit was at Westerland. This was Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG30). They flew the new Junkers Ju 88A-1 bombers. The leader of KG30 was Hauptmann Helmuth Pohle. He would lead the attack. Twelve Ju 88s would fly in four groups of three planes.
The second group was led by Oberleutnant Hans Storp. They planned to fly across the North Sea at a high altitude. They would reach land near Berwick-upon-Tweed. Then they would fly west across Scotland. Finally, they would turn north to attack from the west. Each plane carried two 500 kg bombs. They carried fewer bombs to save fuel for the long flight.
The first group of bombers took off at 11:55 AM. At 12:25 PM, radar stations spotted the planes. Pohle's group had drifted north during their flight. They landed about 20 miles from Berwick. Instead of turning back, Pohle decided to fly straight to the target. His bombers flew over East Lothian, south of Drem airfield. Then they flew over the Firth of Forth. Pohle flew lower to begin the attack. The weather was clear with some clouds.
Below them, they saw several ships near the bridge. But the ship they thought was Hood was not there. The ship they had seen earlier was Repulse. It looked like Hood. Repulse was safely in the Rosyth dockyard. It was no longer a target. Two light cruisers, Edinburgh and Southampton, were anchored in the target area. The destroyer Mohawk was heading to the dockyard. Other British ships nearby were the destroyer Jervis and the aircraft carrier Furious.
A few minutes after the first Ju 88s crossed the coast, the second group arrived. They crossed the border north of Lauder. At 2:20 PM, the Royal Observer Corps reported enemy planes over East Lothian. Soon after, Turnhouse airfield ordered Squadron 602's Blue Section to take off from Drem. They were to check on two unknown planes over Tranent.
At 2:27 PM, an anti-aircraft gun battery reported three enemy planes. They were flying up the Firth. At 2:30 PM, Pinkerton found nothing over Tranent. He was ordered to fly north to patrol the Firth. At the same time, Spitfires from Squadron 603's Red Section took off. They were led by Flight Lieutenant Pat Gifford. They were told to fly east towards East Lothian.
Just before this, the first three Ju 88s were over the bridge area. Pohle saw the ship he thought was Hood was in the dockyard. He then focused on the ships in the open water. He chose Southampton as his target. He dived his plane steeply. As he dived, part of his cockpit canopy broke off. The rear machine gun was lost. But Pohle continued his attack. He dropped his bombs at 1,800 feet. He then turned towards the north bank of the estuary. He planned to watch the second wave's attack.
Meanwhile, Storp's group arrived. They began their attack at 2:38 PM. They had flown across the borders. Then they headed north over the Pentland Hills. Yellow Section of Squadron 603 took off at 2:35 PM. They were climbing to intercept the enemy. Storp flew lower and decided to attack the ships near the bridge. He chose one of the cruisers as his target. He dropped his bombs at 2,400 feet. He believed he hit Southampton.
Storp was sure his bombs hit the target. He and the other two Ju 88s turned south. They hoped to fly back to the North Sea.
As Storp's group tried to leave, Pohle was flying in circles over Inverkeithing. Squadron 603's Red Section was over Midlothian. Squadron 602's Blue Section patrolled the northern part of the estuary. Squadron 603's Yellow Section was climbing from Turnhouse.
One of Yellow Section's pilots, ‘Black’ Morton, saw three Ju 88s to the north. This was probably the third group. But closer, at about 3,000 feet, were three other Ju 88s. This was Storp's group trying to escape. Yellow Section's Spitfires attacked the enemy planes one by one.
Bullets from the Spitfires damaged Storp's plane. Its left engine stopped working. One of his gunners, Obergefreiter Kramer, was killed. Storp's plane was chased by Spitfires. He knew he could not reach the North Sea. The fight continued over the Pentland Hills. Storp's plane was a new type. He wanted to keep it from the British. He decided to try to land it in the estuary.
While this was happening, Squadron 603's Red Section was ordered to fly west. They suddenly saw Storp's damaged Ju 88 flying towards the sea. They flew behind it, taking turns firing. They did not realize Yellow Section was already chasing it. Yellow Section was not happy to be "cut out" by their friends. The Ju 88 crashed into the sea off Prestonpans. Flight Lieutenant Gifford delivered the final blow at 2:45 PM.
A small fishing boat, Dayspring, was near the crash site. Its captain, John Dickson, quickly rescued three injured German airmen. Kramer had gone down with the plane. The Germans were taken to Cockenzie and handed over to the police. Squadron 603's Red Section returned to Turnhouse.
When Storp's group finished their attack, Pohle turned east. He was heading for the North Sea. He was intercepted by Squadron 602's Blue Section. This included Flight Lieutenant Pinkerton, Flying Officer McKellar, and Paul Webb. Pinkerton spotted Storp's plane about 3 miles ahead. Before he could attack, he was distracted by three other planes. These were Sea Skuas on a training flight. By the time Pinkerton looked back, Storp had disappeared into the clouds. Webb had lost his section mates.
Pinkerton spotted the fleeing Ju 88s through a cloud. He and McKellar chased it into clear skies further east. Two of Pohle's crewmen were killed in the attack. The third was badly injured. The attacks also damaged the engines. Pohle had to land his plane in the sea off Crail. Like Storp, a boat nearby rescued the injured pilot and his gunner. The gunner died the next day. Pohle was the only survivor of his crew.
The exact time Pohle's plane crashed is not clear. Observers heard firing at 2:43 PM near Elie. Pinkerton noted the attack was at 2:45/55 PM. They landed at 3:00 PM.
There were still two more groups of Ju 88s approaching. At 2:15 PM, the third group crossed the coast at Dunbar. They flew west but then turned south towards Haddington. At the same time, six Spitfires from Squadron 603 took off. They were ordered to fly east and patrol over North Berwick.
Three of Squadron 602's Spitfires had landed at RAF Leuchars to refuel. While they waited, they saw several planes. They thought they were Bristol Blenheims, which looked like the Ju 88. The mistake was quickly corrected. These were the three Ju 88s of the fourth group. They had crossed the coast much further north than planned.
After this, there were many small fights for the rest of the afternoon. At 3:20 PM, a Ju 88 was seen over the Firth. At 3:25 PM, bombs landed very close to the Mohawk. Splinters from the bombs hit the ship. This killed 13 sailors and two officers.
At 3:30 PM, two Spitfires, one from Squadron 602 and one from Squadron 603, found a Ju 88. They chased it over the Island of May. One of Squadron 603's pilots, ‘Robbie’ Robertson, took off for his second flight at 3:40 PM. North of Turnhouse, he found a Ju 88 flying low. It was heading south directly over Squadron 603's base. Anti-aircraft gunners did not fire. They feared hitting Robertson's Spitfire. But at 4:00 PM, ‘Black’ Morton took off to chase it. The Ju 88 turned east. It flew low across the center of Edinburgh. Robertson chased it. Morton flew towards Leith and Portobello. He hoped to cut it off. Robertson flew low over the city. He held off firing. He did not want his bullets to cause damage or injury on the ground.
Eventually, the two Spitfires met over Portobello. They attacked the Ju 88. Some stray bullets did hit property. A painter was hit in the stomach but recovered. Skirmishes continued, but the main battle was over.
What Happened After
At the time, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) reported losing two planes. The RAF reported losing none. The British Fighter Command saw it as a victory. After the war, it was found that a third Ju 88 was badly damaged. It landed in the Netherlands. All its crew were killed. It is not known if Spitfires or anti-aircraft fire damaged this plane.
The two German planes shot down into the water were the first enemy planes brought down over Britain. It is generally agreed that the Ju 88 flown by Hans Storp was the first. It was brought down by Squadron 603. However, some people disagree. They claim the plane flown by Helmut Pohle, brought down by Squadron 602, was first. Looking at the times, Squadron 603's plane was likely first.
Gifford and Pinkerton were given credit for destroying these planes. Other airmen who helped did not receive official recognition. Both enemy planes were destroyed by pilots from the Auxiliary Air Force. This showed that these volunteer squadrons were just as good as regular ones.
This battle was the first German air attack. So, it was very interesting to people in Britain and other countries. The RAF carefully studied how their systems worked. Questions were asked in Parliament about why there was no air raid warning in Edinburgh. Newspapers around the world, like The New York Times, reported on the battle.
The British airmen had great success. But the Luftwaffe also had some success. They caused significant damage to some ships. However, no ships were sunk. Sixteen Royal Navy sailors died, and 44 were injured. The Mohawk was badly damaged. But it managed to reach the Rosyth base. Its captain died from his wounds once his ship was safe.
The captured German airmen were treated well. Their injuries were cared for. They became prisoners of war in Canada. Those who were killed and whose bodies were found were buried with full military honors.
Gifford and Pinkerton both received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their bravery.
The air battle over the Firth of Forth on October 16, 1939, was the first Luftwaffe attack on Britain. It was also the first time the RAF fired at enemy planes over Britain. It was the first time enemy planes were shot down over Britain during the war. And it was the first time an enemy plane crashed on British soil during the war.
Sometimes people say the planes attacking on October 16, 1939, were Heinkel 111s. Some people on a train crossing the Forth Bridge thought the bridge was a target. It is also sometimes said that a Heinkel He 111 shot down at Humbie on October 28, 1939, was part of this raid. It was not. These were two separate events.
