Circus offensive facts for kids
Circus was a special plan used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The idea was to send bomber planes, protected by many fighter aircraft, over areas controlled by Germany. This was done to make German fighter planes, called the Luftwaffe, come out and fight.
These "Circus" missions usually involved 20 to 30 bombers. They had a huge escort of up to 16 squadrons of fighter planes. A group of bombers this big was too important for the Luftwaffe to ignore.
At first, medium bombers like the Handley Page Hampden were used. But even with many escorts, they were easily hit by anti-aircraft fire (called flak) and German fighters. The Hampdens were then replaced with Bristol Blenheim light bombers. However, these planes didn't do much better.
Heavier bombers, such as the Short Stirling, were easier to protect. But the Bomber Command needed these big planes for other important missions.
Later, a type of fighter-bomber called the "Hurribomber" was used. This was a Hawker Hurricane plane that could also carry bombs. It worked better, but it could only carry a small amount of bombs. So, it didn't cause much damage on the ground.
There were other secret names for similar missions:
- Ramrod: This was like a Circus mission, but the main goal was to destroy a specific target. An example was Operation Ramrod 16.
- Ranger: This involved a large group of fighter planes flying over enemy territory. Their aim was to wear down the German fighter force.
- Roadstead: These were low-flying attacks aimed at ships along the coast.
- Rhubarb: These were small, independent fighter missions. Pilots would look for and attack any ground targets of opportunity they found.
History of Circus Operations
After the Battle of Britain ended, the RAF's Fighter Command changed its plans. Instead of just defending Britain, they started to attack German fighters over the English Channel. They had their new instructions ready by December 1940.
There would be two main types of attack missions. One was called "Rhubarb." In these missions, small groups of planes would fly under cloudy skies. They would attack any enemy aircraft they found. The other type was "Circus." On clear days, several squadrons, sometimes with a few bombers, would fly sweeps over northern France. Over time, "Circus" came to mean missions that always included bombers.
"Rhubarb" patrols started in December 1940. Pilots could attack ground targets if they saw them. But their main goal was to shoot down German planes. By mid-June 1941, Fighter Command had flown many "Rhubarb" patrols. They claimed to have shot down seven enemy planes, but they lost eight of their own pilots.
"Circus" operations with bombers began in January. By June, eleven such missions had been flown. The targets included docks on the French coast and airfields. During the same time, more than forty sweeps were made without bombers. Fighter Command's main goal was to fight German planes. Bomber Command, however, focused on destroying targets on the ground.
Leaders in the RAF realized that the damage from the bombers might not be huge. So, the commanders of Bomber and Fighter Commands met. They agreed that the main purpose of a "Circus" was to make German fighters come out and fight. This had to happen in a way that gave the British an advantage. To do this, the bombers had to cause enough damage that the Luftwaffe couldn't ignore the attacks.
Before Operation Barbarossa, which was Germany's invasion of the USSR, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Charles Portal, gave new orders. He told Fighter and Bomber Commands to find a way to keep German fighters in western Europe. This would stop them from going to help the Luftwaffe in eastern Europe.
So, the plan was to fly "Circus" missions against factories and other important targets in places like Bethune and Lille in north-east France. This might make German fighter planes move to defend those areas. This would leave other areas weaker for unescorted bombers to attack Germany during the day. At the same time, night bombing missions would target the industrial region of the Ruhr.
The Air Ministry told the RAF that the main goal of "Circus" missions should be to destroy ground targets. Fighting German fighters was a secondary goal. Soon, it became clear that bombing during the day without escorts was too dangerous. Heavy bombers should only be used for night missions.
Over six weeks, RAF Fighter Command flew 8,000 missions to support 376 bomber missions. They also flew another 800 missions just sweeping for enemy planes. Fighter Command was losing pilots and planes over Europe. But these losses were less than during the Battle of Britain, and they could replace the lost aircraft. In August, "Circus" missions were flown with 2 Group and 5 Groups from Bomber Command.
See also
