Operation Obviate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Operation Obviate |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
 Tirpitz at her mooring off the island of Håkøya in November 1944 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Germany |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| C.C. McMullen James Bazin Willie Tait |
Wolf Junge |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 39 Avro Lancasters | 1 battleship 2 flak ships Anti-aircraft batteries |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 aircraft | Minor damage to battleship 3 injured |
||||||
Operation Obviate was a British air raid during World War II. It happened on 29 October 1944. The goal was to sink the huge German battleship Tirpitz. This ship was a big threat to the Allied forces.
British Royal Air Force (RAF) bombers flew from Scotland to attack Tirpitz. The battleship had recently moved to a new spot near Tromsø in northern Norway. This attack followed an earlier raid called Operation Paravane. In that attack, Tirpitz was badly damaged.
The Allies didn't know how badly Tirpitz was damaged. They still thought she could sail and attack their ships. So, they decided to try and sink her for good. On the day of the attack, clouds covered the area around Tromsø. This made it very hard for the bombers to hit their target. Tirpitz was not directly hit, but a bomb exploding nearby caused some damage. One British bomber crashed in Sweden, and others were also damaged.
Even though Operation Obviate didn't sink Tirpitz, the Allies didn't give up. They used similar plans for the next attack, Operation Catechism. This raid happened on 12 November 1944. The weather was clear that day, and Tirpitz was finally sunk.
Contents
Why Tirpitz Was a Threat
From early 1942, the German battleship Tirpitz was a major danger. She was stationed in fjords along the Norwegian coast. Her job was to threaten Allied convoys. These convoys were carrying important supplies to the Soviet Union.
Tirpitz was so powerful that she could easily defeat the smaller ships protecting the convoys. She could also try to sail into the North Atlantic Ocean. There, she might attack convoys heading to the United Kingdom. Her sister ship, Bismarck, had tried to do this in 1941. To stop Tirpitz, the Allies had to keep many powerful warships with their Home Fleet. These big ships had to guard most convoys for part of their journey.
Previous Attacks on Tirpitz
The British tried many times to sink Tirpitz.
- Between January and April 1942, RAF bombers attacked her four times. These raids were not successful.
- In September 1943, during Operation Source, British Royal Navy divers used midget submarines. They placed explosives under Tirpitz while she was in Kaafjord, Norway. This caused serious damage.
- On 3 April 1944, aircraft from British aircraft carriers attacked Tirpitz in Operation Tungsten. They caused more damage.
- Later carrier attacks, like Operation Mascot in July and Operation Goodwood in August, did not succeed.
Because carrier attacks weren't working, the job of sinking Tirpitz was given to the RAF's Bomber Command. On 15 September 1944, two special squadrons, Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons, attacked Tirpitz in Kaafjord. This was Operation Paravane. They used Avro Lancaster bombers armed with huge Tallboy bombs. One Tallboy hit Tirpitz, causing a lot of damage to her front (bow). This made her unable to fight at sea.
Preparing for the Attack
After Operation Paravane, the German Navy commander, Karl Dönitz, discussed Tirpitz. He learned it would take nine months to fix the ship. Also, the repairs had to be done in Kaafjord. But Soviet forces were getting closer to northern Norway. Dönitz decided Tirpitz couldn't stay there or be fully repaired.
Instead, he chose to use Tirpitz as a floating artillery battery. She would help defend Tromsø against Allied landings. He also hoped that keeping the ship active would "tie down enemy forces." This means she would make the Allies keep their warships in the area, even if she couldn't sail.
Tirpitz was moved to a shallow spot near Håkøya island, west of Tromsø. This area was flat and near the sea. It didn't have the natural protection of the deep fjords where she had hidden before. Workers started to build up the seabed to make the ship more stable.
Allies Track Tirpitz
The Allies knew Tirpitz was badly damaged. But they weren't sure if she was completely out of action. They didn't know about Dönitz's decision. So, the Royal Navy still kept big warships in the Home Fleet. These ships were needed elsewhere, like in the Pacific to fight Japan.
Tirpitz sailed to Tromsø on 15 and 16 October. She could move on her own, but tugboats were ready to help if her damaged bow broke off. She arrived at Håkøya on 16 October. About 600 sailors, mostly from her engine room, were removed. This left about 1,700 sailors on board.
British spies in Norway quickly reported Tirpitzs new location. A spy named Egil Lindberg confirmed her arrival in Tromsø on 16 October. The British sent the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable to confirm Tirpitzs position. The RAF also sent planes to take photos of the area.
On 18 October, British reconnaissance planes found Tirpitz. A de Havilland Mosquito plane took photos from high up. Then, Fairey Firefly planes from Implacable took low-altitude photos. The German anti-aircraft guns fired at them, but no planes were lost. The carrier commander wanted to attack, but the Home Fleet commander, Admiral Bruce Fraser, said no. He knew the carrier's planes probably couldn't do enough damage. He believed RAF heavy bombers were needed.
British Preparations
The RAF started getting ready to attack Tirpitz right away. The Tromsø area was within range for Avro Lancaster bombers flying from northern Scotland. But they needed extra fuel tanks and other changes. The round trip would be very long, about 2,252 miles (3,624 km).
The Lancasters from Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons were changed to fly further. They got powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. They also carried two extra fuel tanks inside the plane. This made the planes much heavier than usual. To fix this, some parts were removed. These included gun turrets, some ammunition, and armor plating. This made the Lancasters very open to German fighter planes. No British fighters could fly far enough to protect them.
The plan for the attack was given on 24 October. Thirty-six Lancasters would attack Tirpitz, 18 from each squadron. An extra Lancaster from No. 463 Squadron RAAF would film the attack. Only Tallboy bombs would be used. Each bomber would carry one of these 12,000-pound (5,400 kg) bombs. These were the biggest bombs the RAF had. They could break through strong armor.
The bombers would wait at their home bases for good weather. Then, they would fly to airfields in northern Scotland. From there, they would fly across the Norwegian Sea. They would cross the Norwegian coast where German radar couldn't see them. The planes would meet over Torneträsk lake in northern Sweden. This route meant flying over neutral Sweden. But it would let them approach Tromsø from the south-east, which the Germans might not expect.
If the weather was good, the bombers would fly to Tromsø. They would attack Tirpitz if they could see her. If she was hidden by clouds, they would only bomb if they could clearly see landmarks nearby. If they couldn't meet these rules, they were not to drop their bombs. After the attack, they would fly straight back to Scotland.
Group Captain Colin McMullen was in charge of the ground and air crews. Wing Commanders James Bazin (No. 9 Squadron) and "Willie" Tait (No. 617 Squadron) would lead their units in the air. The attack was named Operation Obviate.
Plans were also made for planes that ran low on fuel or were damaged. RAF Sumburgh in Shetland was an emergency airfield. If planes had engine trouble or not enough fuel, they could fly to Soviet airfields in Vaenga or Yagodnik. The British also asked for three Royal Navy destroyers to be placed along the return route. These ships would rescue crews if any bombers crashed into the sea.
The British got information from two sources. Lindberg, the Norwegian spy in Tromsø, sent updates on Tirpitz and the weather. Also, Allied codebreakers listened to and decoded German radio messages.
German Defenses
Tirpitz was very open to attack when she first arrived at Håkøya. Her usual smoke generators and anti-aircraft guns were not there yet. They hadn't been shipped south. Her only protection came from her own guns, two nearby flak ships, and some anti-aircraft batteries in Tromsø. British intelligence thought there were 16 heavy and 16 light anti-aircraft guns in the area. Tirpitz was also surrounded by torpedo nets. No German fighter planes were nearby.
The water under Tirpitz was deeper than expected. This meant the ship could capsize (flip over) if she was badly hit. It was not possible to move her closer to shore because of the torpedo nets. So, work began to build up the seabed with earth and gravel.
The battleship's crew expected more air attacks. They thought the ship would not survive. This, and the belief that Germany would lose the war, made their spirits low. The people of Tromsø also expected air attacks and worried about being accidentally bombed.
The Attack on Tirpitz
On 26 October, the RAF told the Admiralty that Operation Obviate would start soon. The two squadrons were told to get ready. This included loading the Tallboy bombs. On the evening of 27 October, the aircrews were briefed on the plan. They were told they would fly to the Scottish airfields the next morning.
On 28 October, 20 Lancasters from each squadron flew to Kinloss, Lossiemouth, and Milltown. A photo reconnaissance Mosquito flew over Tromsø that morning. It confirmed Tirpitz was still there and the weather was good. Since the forecast for the next day was also good, the attack was set for 29 October. Another Mosquito flew over Tromsø at midnight and reported clear conditions.
The bombers left Scotland early on 29 October. No. 9 Squadron sent 20 Lancasters, taking off between 1:18 and 2:55 am British Summer Time (BST). No. 617 Squadron sent 19 aircraft, leaving between 1:03 and 2:10 am BST. The No. 463 Squadron Lancaster, which was filming, also went along.
Over Tromsø
The flight to Norway was calm. The planes flew individually across the Norwegian Sea. They climbed higher after crossing the Norwegian coast. One No. 9 Squadron plane had engine trouble and returned to the UK. The bombers met over Torneträsk lake, formed up, and flew to Tromsø. They climbed to their bombing heights, between 13,000 and 16,000 feet (4,000 and 4,900 meters). Swedish anti-aircraft guns fired at them near Abisko, but no planes were hit.
The attack on Tirpitz was difficult because of clouds. The weather was good on the way to Tromsø, but the area around the ship was mostly covered by clouds. Tirpitz was visible when the bombers first arrived. But she was hidden before any planes could drop their bombs. The pilots were told to bring their bombs back if they couldn't see the target. But almost all the bombers attacked anyway. This was probably because they didn't want to fly such a long way back with a 12,000-pound (5,400 kg) bomb.
The first bombs were dropped at 7:49 am GMT. No. 617 Squadron led the attack. Sixteen planes from this squadron dropped Tallboys at Tirpitz's estimated position. Some planes made several passes before dropping their bombs. No. 9 Squadron started its attack six minutes later. Seventeen Lancasters dropped Tallboys. Like No. 617 Squadron, several No. 9 Squadron planes made multiple passes. At least two No. 9 Squadron crews could see Tirpitz through gaps in the clouds. The others aimed at her estimated position. The last bomb was dropped at 8:07 am GMT.
The German defenders fired at the British planes. Four No. 9 Squadron Lancasters, at least one from No. 617 Squadron, and the film plane were damaged. The No. 617 Squadron Lancaster lost so much fuel that its pilot decided to land in northern Sweden. This way, the crew would not become prisoners of war. The plane made a crash landing in a bog near Porjus. All the crew survived and later returned to the UK. The damage to the other Lancasters was not serious.
None of the Tallboys hit Tirpitz directly. Several landed in the water nearby. The explosion of one bomb damaged the battleship's left propeller shaft and rudder. It also caused some flooding. Three of her crew were injured. People in Tromsø felt the explosions from the huge bombs.
After the Attack
Most of the Lancasters returned to the UK without problems. Their flights lasted about 13 hours. One No. 617 Squadron plane made an emergency landing at RAF Sumburgh because it ran out of fuel. This was one of the planes that had not dropped its bomb. The damaged No. 463 Squadron plane landed safely on one wheel at RAF Waddington. The airmen knew Tirpitz had not been sunk. They were disappointed. No. 5 Group's commander, Air Commodore Ralph Cochrane, sent them a message: "Congratulations on your splendid flight and perseverance. Luck won't always favour the Tirpitz. One day you'll get her."
Allied intelligence soon learned that Tirpitz was only slightly damaged. A Mosquito plane took photos over Tromsø at 12:10 pm GMT on 29 October. The photos showed no clear damage to the battleship. German radio reports, which the Allies decoded, confirmed that the damage was minor. Lindberg, the spy, suggested the RAF "give her another salvo" (another attack).
The Germans believed several Lancasters had been shot down. Tirpitz's crew thought their gunners had done a good job. This made their morale better. They expected more attacks. They were frustrated that Luftwaffe (German air force) fighters had not been there to protect the battleship. After Operation Obviate, 38 fighter planes were moved to Bardufoss to improve the area's air defenses.
The British were still determined to sink Tirpitz as soon as possible. Soon after the 29 October raid, they decided to use the same plans for the next attack, called Operation Catechism. On 12 November, Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons flew from northern Scotland again. The weather over Tromsø was clear when they arrived. Tirpitz was hit by two Tallboy bombs. The damage from these bombs and several near misses caused the battleship to capsize (flip over). Between 940 and 1,204 of her crew were killed.
The Lancaster that crash-landed near Porjus, nicknamed "Easy Elsie", is still there today. Its engines and tires were removed and sold locally after it crashed. The plane's body was taken apart by a scrap dealer in the 1960s or 1970s. But it was too hard to move, so it was left there. The tail section was recovered in 1984 by the Swedish Air Force. The crash site was opened to visitors in the early 1990s. Plans to bring the rest of the wreckage back to the UK have not worked out.
