RAF raid on La Caine (1944) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids RAF raid on La Caine (1944)
Part of the Battle of Normandy
Modern photograph of the château (Panzergruppe West HQ, 1944)
Date 10 June 1944 Location La Caine, France 49°02′07″N 0°31′08″W / 49.03528°N 0.51889°W / 49.03528; -0.51889 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Arthur Coningham	Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg (WIA) Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans  †
Units involved
Second Tactical Air Force RAF No. 121 Wing RAF (Hawker Typhoon) 245 Squadron No. 124 Wing RAF (Hawker Typhoon) 181 Squadron 182 Squadron 247 Squadron No. 137 Wing RAF (B-25 Mitchell) 226 Squadron No. 139 Wing RAF (B-25 Mitchell) 98 Squadron 180 Squadron 320 (Netherlands) Squadron	Panzergruppe West
Strength
42 Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers 72 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers
Casualties and losses
	Killed: Chief of Staff and 17 staff officers Wounded: Geyr von Schweppenburg

The RAF raid on La Caine (1944) was an important attack by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. On June 10, 1944, RAF planes bombed a château in La Caine, France. This château was the secret headquarters of a German tank army, called Panzergruppe West.

The attack happened just after the D-Day landings in Normandy. The German army was planning a big counter-attack against the Allied forces. The RAF raid killed many German officers and wounded their commander. This forced the Germans to delay and then cancel their planned attack. The raid was a big success for the Allies.

The German Tank Headquarters

What was Panzergruppe West?

Panzergruppe West was a special German army group. It was in charge of all the German tank divisions in France and Belgium. Its job was to train these tank units. It also had to be ready to command them if the Allies invaded.

The commander of German forces in Western Europe, Gerd von Rundstedt, created this group. Its leader was General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. On June 9, 1944, just three days after D-Day, the German commander Erwin Rommel ordered Panzergruppe West to prepare a counter-attack. This attack was meant to push the Allied troops back into the sea.

How the Allies Found It

The Allies had a secret code-breaking team at Bletchley Park in Britain. This team could read German radio messages. These messages were sent using a special machine called Enigma.

On June 8, 1944, the British noticed a lot more radio messages from Panzergruppe West. They used special equipment to find out where these signals were coming from. They discovered the headquarters was at a château in La Caine, France. The Germans had parked their vehicles in an orchard nearby. They did not even try to hide them. This information was quickly sent to the Allied commanders.

Preparing for the Attack

The RAF Gets Ready

The Second Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) was ordered to attack the château right away. They gathered all available planes for the mission. The main planes used were Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers and North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers.

The Typhoons were loaded with eight powerful rockets. The Mitchell bombers carried their maximum load of eight 500-pound bombs. Several squadrons of Spitfire planes were also ready to protect the bombers. The plan was for the Typhoons to attack first at a low height. Then, the Mitchells would drop their bombs from a higher altitude.

3-inch rockets being loaded onto a Typhoon plane.

Waiting for the Weather

The morning of June 10 was cloudy. The attack was planned for the afternoon, but the weather was not good enough. The pilots had to wait for the clouds to clear. While waiting, some Typhoon planes flew other missions near Caen.

Finally, in the evening, the planes took off. Many Mitchell bombers from different squadrons joined together. Spitfire planes flew alongside them for protection. A few planes had to turn back due to mechanical problems. In total, 42 Typhoons and 69 Mitchell bombers headed towards La Caine.

The Attack Begins

An RAF B-25 Mitchell bomber, similar to those used in the raid.

On the evening of June 10, German officers were having dinner at the château. Air raid sirens suddenly went off. The officers rushed outside to see what was happening. They watched the Typhoon planes approaching. They did not realize they were the target until the very last moment. The German commander, General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg, arrived by car just before the attack.

The first wave of 17 Typhoons fired 136 rockets. They attacked from about 2,000 feet up. Then, the Mitchell bombers flew in at 12,000 feet. At 9:15 p.m., the bombers dropped 552 five-hundred-pound bombs. The bombs hit the château and the nearby grounds with great accuracy.

The attack was devastating. The German chief of staff, General Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans, and 17 other officers were killed. General Schweppenburg and another officer were wounded. The second wave of Typhoons arrived to find the headquarters and vehicles already destroyed. They fired their remaining rockets at anything still standing. The mission was a huge success.

After the Raid

The Impact of the Attack

The La Cambe German war cemetery, where some officers killed in the raid are buried.

The raid killed 18 German staff officers of Panzergruppe West. This included their chief of staff, General Dawans. General Schweppenburg, the commander, was wounded. The château itself was not completely destroyed. However, the nearby orchard, where the German vehicles were parked, was heavily bombed. All the important communication equipment was also destroyed.

Because of this raid, the German counter-offensive was stopped. The Panzergruppe West headquarters had to move to Paris. It took them a long time to get back into action. This gave the Allied forces a critical advantage in the Battle of Normandy. The raid showed how important intelligence and air power were in the war.