Operation Crossbow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operation Crossbow was a British project in World War II to destroy a German secret weapons rocket project.
In June, 1942, Germany began working on a new secret weapon. It was originally called the Aggregat 4(A4), but was also called Vergeltungswaffe (Retribution weapon), as it was built in response to the mass bombing of urban areas in Germany.
British intelligence first became aware of this new weapon when, on 22nd August, 1942, a Danish naval officer discovered an early test version that had crash landed on the Danish island of Bornholm between Germany and Sweden. The officer sent a photograph and a detailed sketch of the bomb to Britain and preparations began to deal with this new weapon that had the potential to win the war for Germany.
With the help of spies and the resistance movement in Germany, British Military Intelligence eventually discovered that the rockets were being built at Peenemünde and in May, 1943, Winston Churchill ordered Operation Crossbow, a plan to destroy rocket production and launch sites. Over the next few months Arthur Harris, head of RAF Bomber Command, arranged for 36,000 tons of bombs to be dropped on these targets.
By February 1944 the Royal Air Force had badly damaged the Peenemünde armaments factory and successfully destroyed 73 out of the 96 launch sites built by the Germans for the V-1 Flying Bomb. The V-2 rocket had mobile launch platforms.
[edit] Hollywood
The 1965 spy thriller and war movie Operation Crossbow (film), was made from a story from Duilio Coletti and Vittoriano Petrilli. It is a highly fictionalized account of the real-life Operation Crossbow, but it does touch on the main aspects of the operation. Directed by Michael Anderson, its stars include George Peppard, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Tom Courtenay and Anthony Quayle. To help the box office, Sophia Loren appears courtesy of her husband and producer of the film Carlo Ponti, in a cameo role despite lead billing.
[edit] References / external links
- Gruen, Adam L. The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, Preemptive Defense, Allied Air Power Versus Hitler’s V-Weapons, 1943–1945 @ U.S. Air Force.net
- Crossbow @ Spartacus Schoolnet history project
- Operation Crossbow (the movie)
