Operation Carthage
Encyclopedia
Operation Carthage, on 21 March 1945
, was a controversial British
air raid on Copenhagen
, Denmark
, during the Second World War
. The target of the raid was the Shell
hus, Gestapo
headquarters, in the city centre, a building that had been used for the storage of dossiers and the torture of Danish citizens.
in the hope of freeing imprisoned members and destroying Gestapo records. Britain initially turned down the request as too risky, due to the location in a crowded city core and the need for low-level bombing, but eventually approved it in early 1945 after repeated requests.
Once approval had been given, planning took several weeks. This included scale models of the target building and the city itself in preparation for a very-low level attack.
de Havilland Mosquito
F.B.VI fast bombers of 21
, 464
and 487
Squadrons of No. 140 Wing RAF. These were organised in three waves of six aircraft with two RAF Film Unit Mosquito B.IVs to record the attack. Thirty RAF Mustang F.III fighters would give cover out and back from German aircraft and also attack flak during the raid.
The force left RAF Fersfield
in the morning and reached Copenhagen after 11:00. The raid was carried out at rooftop level. In the course of the initial attack, a Mosquito hit a lamp post, damaging its wing and crashing into the Jeanne d'Arc School, about 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) from the target. Several bombers in the second and third wave attacked the burning school, thinking it was their target and as a result 125 Danish civilians died in the school, including 86 schoolchildren.
The raid had succeeded in destroying Gestapo headquarters and severely disrupting Gestapo operations in Denmark, as well as allowing the escape of 18 Gestapo prisoners. Fifty-five German soldiers, 47 of the Gestapos Danish employees, and eight prisoners died in the headquarters itself. Four Mosquito F.B.VI bombers and two Mustang F.III were lost, and nine airmen died on the Allied side.
1945 in Denmark
-Incumbents:* Monarch - HM Christian X* Prime minister - German military rule , Vilhelm Buhl , Knud Kristensen-Events:...
, was a controversial British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
air raid on Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The target of the raid was the Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
hus, Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
headquarters, in the city centre, a building that had been used for the storage of dossiers and the torture of Danish citizens.
Background
The raid was requested by members of the Danish resistance movementDanish resistance movement
The Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
in the hope of freeing imprisoned members and destroying Gestapo records. Britain initially turned down the request as too risky, due to the location in a crowded city core and the need for low-level bombing, but eventually approved it in early 1945 after repeated requests.
Once approval had been given, planning took several weeks. This included scale models of the target building and the city itself in preparation for a very-low level attack.
Raid
The attacking force Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
F.B.VI fast bombers of 21
No. 21 Squadron RAF
No. 21 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1979.The squadron is famous for Operation Jericho: on 18 February 1944, the crews of de Havilland Mosquitoes breached the walls of a Gestapo prison at Amiens, France, allowing members of the French...
, 464
No. 464 Squadron RAAF
No. 464 Squadron RAAF was a Royal Australian Air Force bomber squadron during World War II.-History:The Squadron was officially formed on 1 September 1942 at RAF Feltwell, Norfolk in the United Kingdom, under the Empire Air Training Scheme. No...
and 487
No. 487 Squadron RNZAF
No. 487 Squadron was a Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber squadron, formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. It served in the European theatre during World War II, under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.-History:No...
Squadrons of No. 140 Wing RAF. These were organised in three waves of six aircraft with two RAF Film Unit Mosquito B.IVs to record the attack. Thirty RAF Mustang F.III fighters would give cover out and back from German aircraft and also attack flak during the raid.
The force left RAF Fersfield
RAF Fersfield
RAF Fersfield is a former World War II airfield located southwest of Norwich, Norfolk.Built in 1943/1944, the airfield was originally a satellite of RAF Knettishall. It was constructed to Class-A bomber specifications, with a main runway , and two secondary runways of...
in the morning and reached Copenhagen after 11:00. The raid was carried out at rooftop level. In the course of the initial attack, a Mosquito hit a lamp post, damaging its wing and crashing into the Jeanne d'Arc School, about 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) from the target. Several bombers in the second and third wave attacked the burning school, thinking it was their target and as a result 125 Danish civilians died in the school, including 86 schoolchildren.
Results
The following day, a photo-reconnaissance aircraft surveyed the target to assess the results. Damage was heavy with the west wing of the six-storey building reduced to nearly ground level. The Danish underground supplied a photograph showing the building burning from end to end.The raid had succeeded in destroying Gestapo headquarters and severely disrupting Gestapo operations in Denmark, as well as allowing the escape of 18 Gestapo prisoners. Fifty-five German soldiers, 47 of the Gestapos Danish employees, and eight prisoners died in the headquarters itself. Four Mosquito F.B.VI bombers and two Mustang F.III were lost, and nine airmen died on the Allied side.