Operation Corona facts for kids
Operation Corona was a clever plan by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. Its main goal was to confuse German pilots who were defending their country at night. These pilots, called night fighters, tried to stop RAF bombers from attacking German cities. The RAF used special radio messages to trick the German pilots.
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What Was Operation Corona?
Operation Corona was a secret mission. It aimed to make German air defenses less effective. The RAF wanted to protect its bombers during night raids. They did this by sending fake radio messages. These messages sounded like they came from German air traffic control.
How Did Operation Corona Work?
The RAF found people who spoke German perfectly. Some of these people were native German speakers. Others spoke German so well they sounded like natives. These skilled speakers pretended to be German air defense officers. They would talk on the radio to German night fighter pilots. They would give them new orders. Sometimes they would tell pilots to go to the wrong place. Other times, they would tell them to land right away. This made it harder for the German pilots to do their job. It helped the RAF bombers stay safer.
Why Was Operation Corona Important?
Many people had left Nazi Germany before the war. Most of them were Jews. Some of these people came to live in the United Kingdom. They were very valuable to the RAF. They could speak German with different accents. This meant they could sound like any German officer. They could trick the German pilots easily. This helped the RAF confuse the enemy's air defense system.
When Was Operation Corona First Used?
The first time Operation Corona was used was during a bombing raid. This raid was on the German city of Kassel. It happened on the night of October 22 to 23, 1943.
How Did Germany Respond?
The German air force, called the Luftwaffe, soon realized they were being tricked. To counter Operation Corona, they changed their radio controllers. They replaced male controllers with female ones. But the RAF had a plan for this too. They used German-speaking women from the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). These women then pretended to be the new female German controllers.
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