Operation Bodenplatte, one gruppe's viewpoint

[00:00:00]Operation Bowden Plata. It was the largest force of German fighters to ever take to the air. The Luftv Bafa High Command had thrown the dice for the last time. It was a cloudless sky, light winds from the southwest, and a temperature of about -5° C. The 65 aircraft had already been pushed to their takeoff positions by ground crews.

[00:00:24]The two JU88 Pathfinders took off at 1,600. On the 31st of December, 20 190 D9s of JG-54's third group flew into first on assignment to JG26.

[00:00:40]The JG54 pilots included PARP and Hans Praa, both formerly of JG26.

[00:00:47]Obser and his wingman took off.

[00:00:52]Next came Mayor Boris. He was followed by 12 aircraft of the third staff, 12 of the second, 10 of the first, and 10 from the fourth. 17 JG54 aircraft brought up the rear. To save time, the aircraft took off straight down the field as well as along both diagonals.

[00:01:28]All but the last few aircraft formed up over first, then dive for the ground, heading for the Ziter Z at an altitude of only about 30 m.

[00:02:04]Many of the Yumo engines would not start in the cold. Leonit and Tio Neble leading the second swarm had trouble starting his engine and was the last to take off.

[00:02:48]The targets were 16 tactical airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium, and eastern France. 33 fighter groupin and one ground attack groupa flew the mission.

[00:02:59]Operation Bowden Plata had been planned at General Mayor Peltza's 14 December conference. Priller had not known of the army's planned Arden's attack at the time, but it was now obvious that the air and ground attacks had been planned to coincide.

[00:03:14]However, the weather had been unsuitable for air operations.

[00:03:17]By New Year's Eve, it was obvious that the ground offensive had stalled, but the air operation nevertheless proceeded. It was hoped that an air attack on the morning after New Year's Eve would find the enemy indisposed from heavy drinking. All of the airfields were to be hit simultaneously at 0920. A dawn attack was not possible due to the limited proficiency of the average German pilot, but a dawn takeoff was feasible. First Groupupa leader Boris briefed the pilots of JG26's first Groupa and JG-54's third group that their targets were aircraft on the field at Grimburgen and they were to be destroyed in three or four waves. The JG26 second and third group would be attacking the same target a ver airfield near Brussels. But the Groupen Commandura Tony Hel and Vulta Kaprinsky flew missions entirely independent of each other. targets were the familiar Brussels airfields the Gishvat Groupen had occupied just four months before.

[00:04:17]The length of the mission called for 300 liter auxiliary fuel tanks so no bombs would be carried and a large proportion of incendiary shells were carried. IFFF sets were removed from all aircraft. The missions would be flown by independent group in close formation at low altitude. Each groupa would be led across the battle lines by pathfinder aircraft JU88 night fighters which had been standing by at the three airfields of JG26. The groupen were to fly to the target along the route shown and return the same way but could fly a more direct route returning in case of emergency.

[00:04:58]0842 the ziter Z was reached officer Hines of Odarik was a member of the fornafle but flew as priller's wingman Yeah.

[00:05:31]The formation turned southwest toward Rotterdam.

[00:05:54]Radio silence was mandatory and close formation flying was stressed. It was impossible to keep to the planned formation of three shallow V's. So the formation resolved itself into a long strung out line of schwarma.

[00:06:24]The formation was fired on by German flack. The fighters were flying over one of the most heavily defended areas on the continent. the V2 launching sites around the A.

[00:06:36]The Lufafa planners had made a serious error.

[00:07:07]Ha. Officer Gearhart Croll of the JG549 stop who was flying an airplane borrowed from the fourth stople was hit near Roderdam and made an immediate belly landing.

[00:07:33]The aircraft burst into flames on impact and Croll leapt from the sliding aircraft with his flying suit on fire.

[00:07:41]He jumped into a ditch but couldn't break through the ice and had to roll to put out the flames. He went to a hospital for 2 weeks with facial burns.

[00:08:00]The capitane of the second staff overlit and France Coons was hit. He turned back and was forced to bail out or crash land with severe injuries.

[00:08:22]The formation had been reduced to 47 aircraft. 14 had returned to first now with equipment failure or flack damage.

[00:08:29]The rest turned south.

[00:08:45]Having turned south, they were fired upon again by Allied ships in the Shelp estuary.

[00:09:24]Belvable Paul Steincom of JG-54's 12th Stafle took a shell and pulled up to 1200 m to attempt to regain the German lines.

[00:09:44]but had to bail out and was taken prisoner overfell. Babel Balta Acres of JG54's 11th staff was shot down and killed Heat.

[00:10:48]Heat.

[00:10:59]At 09:15, just past the Shelt estuary, Myer Boris cited a formation of a dozen Spitfires. He later reported that they turned away without attacking, but the Spitfires brought down three to five of the 190s at the rear of the formation.

[00:11:28]Oba frighta deer Craigalo coined the formation later because his engine was slow to start.

[00:11:35]He was struck from the rear by a spitfire.

[00:11:48]His wooden propeller splintered and he had to kill the engine before it shook the fuselage apart. Too low to bail out, Craigo plowed into a clearing in an orchard.

[00:12:17]and became a P.

[00:12:25]Velvable Paul Rushman of JG54's Ninto Stafle was also hit by the Polish Spitfires. The startled pilot turned his head and saw a Spitfire aiming directly at him.

[00:12:39]The German pilot zoomed up to 200 m and bailed out.

[00:12:48]He landed in an icy river and was taken prisoner.

[00:13:05]Tio Nebo, who was the last to take off, took a long time to catch the formation, but trailed it without difficulty.

[00:13:18]At 0920, only 2 minutes behind schedule, the remaining faka wolves climbed to 200 to 300 meters on their approach to Grimberg. They had drifted west of the field, putting it into the glare of the rising sun. Lightning Crump's JG54 tent stople was assigned to flax suppression, and its eight aircraft were positioned last in the formation. According to Petrump, the reasoning the formation originally overflew the target was that Kriller's disappearance had led to a certain confusion at the head of the formation.

[00:14:00]Lightning Paump saw that they were about to miss the field entirely and took the initiative by diving to attack followed by the two flights of histo.

[00:14:29]Highly visible at the takeoff point on the field was a diagonal white cross, the international symbol for a non-operational airfield. The Thunderbolt unit that the pilots had been briefed to expect was nowhere to be seen.

[00:15:00]Crump made his first pass.

[00:15:21]He strafed a 4-ine bomber on the south end of the field and set it on fire.

[00:15:26]Then, seeing no sign of any flack that needed suppressing, led his flight to shoot up everything they saw standing around, including trucks, construction equipment, sheds, and barracks.

[00:15:51]Heat.

[00:15:59]Heat.

[00:16:16]Heat. Heat.

[00:16:40]Heat.

[00:16:42]Heat.

[00:16:49]Heat.

[00:17:00]Heat.

[00:17:09]Heat. Heat.

[00:17:39]Heat. Heat.

[00:18:19]RAF defenders on the field had no armament heavier than Bren guns. The gunners had ample time to study the pilots flight patterns and corrected their aim accordingly, beginning to hit their targets.

[00:18:39]Fenish Hans Yokam Verer of the third staff was making his second pass when his aircraft caught fire, presumably a result of gunfire. He bailed out without injury at an altitude of 60 m.

[00:19:13]Heat.

[00:19:21]Heat.

[00:19:45]At 0930, lightning Carl Hinesen cop of the second stafle was firing blindly into the smoke on his second pass when his aircraft was hit at an altitude of 60 m.

[00:19:58]It shuttered and dropped to the right.

[00:20:01]The airplane was noseheavy but kept flying well except for the pull to the right. He throttled back and headed east with no rudder control. Also at 0930, Felvable Carl Hertman of the fourth staff, a rookie on his first combat mission, was flying as cop's wingman.

[00:20:18]His aircraft was also hit on a second pass while in thick smoke. He pulled up and bailed out over the field.

[00:20:26]Litio Neble had eventually caught up to his swarm and led it across the field on his assigned task of flack suppression.

[00:20:33]When Neble pulled up after his third attack, his engine quit. He had only reached an altitude of 100 m, too low to bail out, so he decided to belly land his airplane in a freshly turned heel.

[00:20:45]The landing was perfect, giving the allies their first example of a near hole FW190D9.

[00:20:52]British examiners concluded that the aircraft had been brought down by a partridge strike in the radiator.

[00:20:58]In P camp, Nebo was nicknamed the partridge hunter.

[00:21:13]Heat. Heat.

[00:21:38]Heat.

[00:21:46]Heat.

[00:22:09]The 10 fakalos of the fourth shuffle were apparently the last to arrive. It is not known why they had fallen behind JG-54.

[00:22:27]They arrived after the departure of the rest of the attackers, made several quick strafing passes on the hangers, and turned for home.

[00:22:48]According to British records, after a 15minute duration, the German machine cannon fell silent.

[00:22:56]Mayor Boris's pilots facing only Bren gunfire claimed to have made seven to 10 slowfiring passes. They noticed the presence of four 4engine bombers, one twin engine bomber, and one Mustang.

[00:23:08]They claimed the destruction of all destruction confirmed by British sources.

[00:23:15]In addition, 12 trucks, two tankers, and two hangers were set on fire. Several hangers were seriously damaged, and one AA position was silenced.

[00:23:31]10 minutes after his aircraft was hit, Leitman cop approached the first airfield he saw, Twenta, on the east side of the Netherlands.

[00:23:53]He made a smooth landing. His rudder was gone. His right stabilizer was jammed down. A mechanic told him that he had been hit from beneath by the propeller of another fighter.

[00:24:05]His airplane was repaired that evening and cop returned to first the next day.

[00:24:11]Once he learned that his wingman Hertman had bailed out over Grimberen and was a prisoner, Alen cop reported that Hertman had been hit by ground fire at the same time as himself rather than reveal that Hartman had rammed his airplane.

[00:24:27]Boris's aircraft returned to Germany on the reciprocal of their outbound course.

[00:24:31]The aircraft recognition abilities of the German anti-aircraft gunners around Roderdam had not improved in the previous hour, and they once again put the Faka Wolfs under fire.

[00:25:22]more German fighters fell. Obafral was killed on his first mission.

[00:25:29]Officer Carl Zidler of the fourth staff was injured in a crash landing southwest of Ashnabbrook. Una officer Rishaw force landed his plane at El Melo without injury. Some pilots simply disappeared probably on this leg of the flight. The missing category included four pilots.

[00:25:49]Priller's wingman Hutah officer Hines Bodars Hopman Villy Botlander copyain of JG54's 11 staffle whiteman Jurgen Rottoff of JG54's 12th staff and obfright Carl Hines Brown of the four staff pips himself had returned early without suffering combat damage had not flown a mission in several months was unaccustomed to flying the Dora 9 and may have become disoriented when he lost sight of the ground in the mist at 11:24. The last pilot to reach first and now landed.

[00:26:59]Seven fourth stople pilots landed at Quackenbrook on their last drops of fuel. 12 first group of pilots failed to return from the mission. Four would eventually turn up. JG-54's third groupa lost 12 of its 17 pilots, a 70% loss.

[00:27:19]10 of the original 60 plus aircraft had reached other German bases with flack damage. JG26's second groupa had a more successful mission than the first group.

[00:27:30]They caught 403 squadron on the ground and flamed 11 Spitfires and damaged a dozen more with a black cloud of smoke up to 4,000 m.

[00:27:40]Mayor Hegel's report singled out over Loiton and Hoffman the fifth shafel capitane for his combat leadership and liton a glance for the destruction he had wrought in his nine low-level attacks which included the destruction of five aircraft damage to two more the destruction of a truck and more. This had been Gloo's 238th and last combat sort.

[00:28:07]In March, he left the Gash to train on the Me262.

[00:28:12]150 aircraft under command of JG26 took off, 32 pilots were killed or taken prisoner. Of the 900 LF BAFA pilots that took off, 300 failed to return to their bases with 214 pilots killed, missing or taken prisoner.

[00:28:33]Counted among the missing were 19 irreplaceable formation leaders, three Kodoran, six groupora, and 10apo capatina.

[00:28:45]Only onethird of the German force made their attacks entirely according to plan. Few allied pilots were lost. All Allied units were back up to strength in aircraft in only a week. When General Mayor Peltz was asked after the war, why after the Arden's ground offensive failed wasn't the air offensive canled, he replied, it never entered our heads and war is an exercise in illogic.

[00:29:13]Bowden Plata had weakened the German fighter force past any hope of rebuilding. It had sacrificed itself in a single grand and futile gesture.