RAF Attack on Dam in Italy

Which photo are you referring to there Bill? I don’t remember it.

Hi Dave,
This is first time I’ve ever seen any reference to these various ww2 attacks ( Just passing by really today ) and it tallies in with my books and pamphlets,etc, I have from 1970’s that made me realize what the Aussies and Kiwi’s were achieving in WW2 and they achieved one heck of a lot indeed. I don’t remember reading about these dams attacks (at any time) so your postings here have “Woke me up” so to speak. So this is good reason now for me to go back into all these books and refresh my memory.

My abiding interest is what I found out about the Aussies at Milne Bay, when they stopped the Japanese advance towards Aussie dead in their tracks, unbelievable and totally absorbing books reading. Since 1970’s, I have mentioned to enthusiasts over here in UK about Milne Bay, but met with (generally) blank stares, because no one seemed to realize or understand what went on. This battle and many others ,now including your posts describing these dams raids are part of the same thing. People just don’t know. But you are educating folks nicely Dave. I just now followed the link about ME 109 (Black 6 ) I had no idea of it’s history, but I do now. So keep up the posts Dave and If I find anything of interest relating here, I’ll reply.
One of the first pics. you show is of . Aircrew sitting around with what looks like Beers in hand. Would that be a home brew or would barrels of the stuff have been flown under wings of KittyHawks, etc. I know the RAF in Middle East WW2 certainly did that with Spitfires. Can you also imagine what the effect on pilots would have been if they ran into enemy planes. “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !!!!! jettison the Beer barrels, not bloody likely”——lol !!!!

Bill T.

More likely because they cannot all add in their stupid dog’s name jokes. :stupid:

I have no problem with the film remake of the Dams raid, it will be great. But I agree there are other stories out there that have not been told either, which should be made more widely known. All I am doing is highlighting a couple of them.

I actually suspect this latest find where the 1000lb bombs were dropped on the dam probably did very little damage at all, and the press beat the story up a bit. I’d be interested to know more about the real history here though. Was the Erdestau dam really “destroyed” or “smashed” as the headlines claim? If yes then why is it so little known. And were the fighter-bombers that dropped the bombs the same aircraft that shot down the balloons and Bf110’s? There really is a great story in this, somewhere.

Amazing that not a single person has shown any interest in this. Is it well known and “old hat” to you all?

Very brave stuff……

It sounds like a pre-emptive strike to stop the Germans opening the flood gates while they were retreating and flooding our troops.

Once you start digging there are so many truly heroic raids in addition to the ones so well known about. (That is why I think they should not remake the Dambusters film but find another raid to create a film around – there are plenty). The cynic in me says that the reason so few have replied to this raid thread is that it didn’t involve Lancaster’s raiding Germany, but I shouldn’t think like that!

http://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/Pescara.htm

It seems the Lightnings led by Nichols were from the 370th FG

Interesting, I hadn’t heard of these attacks.

And from the Chicago Tribune dated 6th of November 1944

YANK FLYERS SMASH ANOTHER DAM IN GERMANY

Supreme Hdq, Allied Expeditionary Force, Paris, Nov. 5

American fighter bombers which made their debut as dam busters less than one month ago, cracked down on another of Germany’s artificial lakes today by destroying the hydro-electric dam at Ederstau lake near Fritzler, 16 miles southeast of Kassel.

The job was done by Lightnings in a group commanded by Col. Howard F. Nichols, of Grand Rapids, Mich., which were scheduled to hit another target. That assignment was obscured by clouds. The pilots then saw barrage balloons protecting the dam. They shot down the balloons and then scored ten hits on the dam and a powerhouse with 1000lb bombs.

I have discovered another dam attacked and destroyed by aeroplanes, via this report in the New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25044, 7 November 1944, Page 5, via Papers Past

GERMAN DAM DESTROYED

VICTORY FOR LIGHTNINGS

(Recd. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 6

A group of Lightnings shot down the whole of the balloon barrage protecting the hydro-electric dam at Lake Ederstau, 16 miles south-east of Kassel, North-western Germany. Fighter-bombers then ten times made a direct hits and destroyed the dam. Eleven Messerschmitt 110’s tried to interfere. The Lightnings, without loss to themselves, shot down two of the enemy planes.

Amazing that not a single person has shown any interest in this. Is it well known and “old hat” to you all? Anyway here’s some more info I found that includes the name of the RAF pilot that breached the dam.

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24887, 8 May 1944, Page 3

DAM SHATTERED

ENEMY AREAS FLOODED

ACCURATE ATTACK IN ITALY

(Recd. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 6

The R.A.F. in Italy carried out a daylight dive-bombing precision attack on a great dam on the Pescara River, behind the German lines, on the Adriatic coast. The dam is some 20 miles up the river from the port of Pescara, and supplies an important electric-power station for Rome. Mustangs and Kittyhawks made the attack, and the crews were specially trained for weeks before the raid in the same way as were the R.A.F, crews who destroyed the Mohne and Eder dams last year.

The German raids, however, were carried out in moonlight. Only special technique could succeed in causing the heavy under-water explosion needed to wreck the steel and concrete gates of the dam.

Direct Hit Observed
The first flight, consisting of Mustangs, went in and dropped their bombs and then climbed to 5000 ft. to watch the result. The next flight were Kittyhawks, which also succeeded in securing a direct hit on the target. They were followed by a third flight of Kittyhawks. A few minutes later the main wall of water was a mile downstream, followed by six smaller waves.

The Naples correspondent of the British United Press says the crews were briefed to make a power-dive through heavy flak. The bombs had to crash into a small target area from a low level. The strategic importance of the raid was to cause flooding in the German rear areas. Pescara is only about ten miles from the Allied front. Water is now flooding supply and concentration areas.

Basin Drained Almost Dry
A Naples correspondent says the first breaching of the sluice gates was achieved by Sergeant Alexander Guguid, from Dyce, near Aberdeen. Water immediately poured through the gap,- The pilot of a reconnaissance plane who flew low over the Pescara dam to-day says the basin is drained almost dry. It is not yet possible, however, to assess the full damage to German communications.

It is recalled in London that the Italians in 1934 released water through the sluices with disastrous results. The town of Pescara was flooded to a depth of 3ft.. the water not subsiding for a week.

It seems one of the squadrons involved was No. 3 Squadron RAAF, and they were part of No. 239 Wing, according to this page
http://www.3squadron.org.au/indexpages/history3b.htm

So, who were the other squadrons in that Wing? And who were the kiwis in the Wing’s squadrons at that time? Any ideas?

It looks as though it was quite an interesting raid. There were some Aussies involved, I wonder if any Kiwis were among them.

Here’s another article from http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/59186194

AUSSIES IN SPECTACULAR RAID ON BIG ITALIAN DAM

ALGIERS/ Sat.

Australian Kittyhawk and Mustang pilots took part in a spectacular attack en the great Pescara Dam,12 miles south-west of Chieti on the Pescara River.

Their bombs cracked the mighty iron sluice gates and
let loose a mountain of water on the luckless town.

The Pescara Dam is one of Eastern Italy’s chief sources
of hydro-electric power, and supplies amongst other cities the Italian capital of Rome. The dam is strategically
important because it and Pescara are only about 10 miles
from the Allied Adriatic front.

The wall of water which the bombers let loose is now flooding supply and concentration areas behind Kesselring’s east coast defences.

For weeks dive-bombing crews based on Naples have been specially training: for the Pescara raid. When they received their final briefing they were told that they
must make a power-dive no matter what flak met them, break into the small target area at very low level because it was necessary to cause tremendous under-water explosions to crack the iron sluice gates.

Among the ‘Australians taking part was Flight-Lieut. Ken Richards, of “Warragul, Victoria, who scored one direct hit on the dam itself, while other Kittyhawk bomber pilots also scored with their bombs.

The returned pilots say that they saw debris from the
smashed, dam hurtle Into the air, and then watched while the flood waters poured down the Pescara
River like a mighty tidal wave, sweeping everything before it and flooding the Pescara River itself so that the Germans’ front line is now threatened.

It will be remembered that the Italians in 1934 released the water through the sluices, with disastrous results, and flooded Pescara town to a depth of 3 ft. The waters
then did not subside for a week.

A feature of the raid is that despite their difficulties we did not lose a single machine.

I just found this article which has a bit more on this Dam raid:

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 106, 6 May 1944

DAM BURSTS

DARING R.A.F. ATTACK

Pescara River Flooded In Enemy’s Rear

Rec. 1.30 p.m.
LONDON, May 5

The R.A.F. in Italy carried out a dive-bombing precision attack on the dam on the, Pescara River behind the German lines, on the Adriatic coast.

The dam is some 20 miles up the river from the port of PesCara and supplies an important electric power station for Rome.

Mustangs and Kittyhawks made the attack and the crews spent some time in training, as did the R.A.F. crews who destroyed the Mohne and Eder dams last year, raids which, however, were carried out in moonlight and not in daylight.

Only special technique could succeed in causing the heavy under-water explosion needed to wreck the steel and concrete gates of the dam.

The first flight, consisting of Mustangs, went in and dropped their bombs and then climbed to 5000 feet to watch the result. The next flight to come in were Kittyhawks, which also succeeded in securing a direct hit on the target.

They were followed by a third flight of Kittyhawks. A few minutes later the main wall of water was a mile downstream, followed by six smaller waves. The strategic importance of bursting the dam was to cause flooding in the enemy’s rear. A similar flood some years ago in the same area took several weeks to clear.