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Battle of the Barges
Part of Battle of Britain Western Front of World War II

A Handley Page Hampden bomber
Date12 August - 11 October 1940
Location
English Channel, France & Belgium Coastlines
Result British victory[1][2][3]
Belligerents
United Kingdom United Kingdom Nazi Germany Germany
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Nazi Germany
Units involved
RAF
Royal Navy		 Kriegsmarine
Casualties and losses
21 transport & 214 barges damaged or destroyed
5,000 killed or wounded (many burned)[1]
German invasion barges waiting at Boulogne Harbour, France during the Battle of Britain

The Battle of the Barges was a military conflict that took place during the Battle of Britain in World War II between July and October 1940. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force decided that while the air war was taking place over much of England, an attack on the German invasion barges and ships on the Axis occupied coasts were to be given maximum damage. In a period of three months of attacks and In the end the British navy and air force succeeded in destroying and damaging a huge number of barges and ships inflicting huge losses on equipment and troops. In addition the psychological impact from the damage from the German command point of view as one of the reasons for the complete abandonment for Operation Sealion.[4]

Background[edit]

After the declaration of war on Nazi Germany by [[Great Britain|Britain and France in the aftermath of the German invasion of Poland, nine months of stalemate took place along the Western Front. After the Polish Campaign, in October 1939, the planners of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe High Command) and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) turned their attentions to Western Europe.[5]

The German offensive—named Unternehmen Gelb (Operation Yellow), and also known as the Manstein Plan - began in the West on 10 May 1940. The central campaign - the Battle of France - ended in Allied defeat and the destruction of the main French Army forces. The British Expeditionary Force escaped during the Battle of Dunkirk, but the Germans captured Paris on 14 June and overran two thirds of France. As a result the French surrendered on 25 June 1940.[6]

With Western Europe neutralised, the OKL and OKW turned their attention to Britain. Hitler hoped Britain would negotiate for an armistice, for which he was prepared to offer generous terms. The tentative offers made by Hitler were rejected by the Churchill coalition government.[7] Hitler then ordered the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to prepare for an amphibious assault of Britain, codenamed Operation Sealion. The Luftwaffe was to eliminate British air power and the German navy (Kriegsmarine) were ordered to make all the necessary preparations for transporting the army across the English Channel. The Luftwaffe's task came first. Once the RAF had been rendered impotent, Göring and Hitler hoped that an invasion would be unnecessary.[8] If this proved not to be the case, the Luftwaffe would then support the army and prevent the Royal Navy interdicting German sea traffic.[9][10] Göring named the offensive against the RAF as Operation Eagle Attack (Adlerangriff).[11]

The British Government made frantic efforts to prepare to meet the threatened invasion and were not content to sit and wait for the Germans to make the first move. They also sought to attack the Germans before any landings took place. From 15 May 1940, the War Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff Committee ordered a night time bomber campaign against the German oil industry, communications, and forests/crops, mainly in the Ruhr area. It was clear that a potential invasion of this country was next on the German agenda and the large numbers of invasion barges photographed by the RAF's fledgling Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) had shown gathered along the Channel ports. With this threat evident the RAF was sent to over the English Channel to attack them by bombing.[12]

Battle of the Barges[edit]

Considerable efforts were made to attack by air and sea the German shipping which had been assembled in occupied ports between The Hague and Cherbourg, starting in July 1940.[13] These attacks became known as the "Battle of the Barges".[2]

RAF Bomber Command[edit]

By 4 July, the Air Ministry gave Bomber Command orders to attack ports and shipping. The Blenheim light bombers were identified as being best able to deliver the low level attacks on the gathering invasion fleet, although the the whole of Bomber Command's force was used on several occasions to attack the barges. On 12 August: five Handley Page Hampdens attacked the Ladbergen Aqueduct on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. The waterway was blocked for ten days, impeding the movement of barges towards the Channel ports.[14]

This Blenheim Mark VI bomber of No. 40 Squadron RAF which performed raids on German invasion barges at Ostend on 8 September 1940.

By September, the build-up of invasion barges in the Channel ports had become a top priority target. On 7 September, the government issued a warning that the invasion could be expected within the next few days and, that night, Bomber Command attacked the Channel ports and supply dumps. On 13 September, they carried out another large raid on the Channel ports, sinking 80 large barges in the port of Ostend.

On 15 September Sergeant John Hannah gained the Victoria Cross during a raid by RAF bombers on invasion barges at Antwerp.[15] On 17 September a major attack by Bomber Command commenced on ports along the occupied coast. The raid was a great success and in all 84 barges were destroyed or damaged at Dunkirk.[16] By December 1940 the RAF had destroyed most of the invasion barges at Dunkirk.[17]

The raids continued and serious losses were inflicted. On 17 September Bomber Command despatched 194 bombers to blitz the invasion ports again and also targets in Germany from Le Havre all the way to Emden. A bomber formation struck a German mock invasion attack at Le Havre the bombers dropped incendiaries and high explosives over the exposed barges and accompanying ships. The mock invasion force was effectively annihilated during the attack - many drowned but many arrived on shore badly burned. The fires from this raid could be seen all the way to Kent. Hundreds of Germans burned and some were caught out in the open training. A bomber formation struck a German invasion mock attack at Le Havre completely destroyed the Germans, many drowned but some arrived on shore badly burned. During the Battle of Le Havre in 1944 a 51st Highland division officer was shown by the French the graves of 2,000 who perished during this attack, and that populace were so shocked they had no choice in helping. Soldiers were treated for burns in French hospitals about that time, and it was widely reported that their injuries were caused by burning oil rather than incendiaries. Le Havre never really recovered from the bombing which it received then. It is likely that American war correspondent William Lawrence Shirer saw some of these burned men in Berlin during his report.[18]

German invasion barges at Wilhelmshaven

On this basis as well as other events and the frustration with Goring, Hitler postponed Sea Lion on the same day. The British however did not let up and on 19 September more bombers were sent, with almost 200 barges had been sunk. The ports were then attacked virtually every night until the end of the Month.[19]

Royal Navy[edit]

Operation Lucid[edit]

Main article: Operation Lucid

26 September: a plan to send fire ships into the harbours at Calais and Bolougne to destroy invasion barges, was abandoned when one of the old tankers that were to be used had engine failure.[20] 4 October: A second attempt at Operation Lucid, this time the operation was cancelled because of bad weather. 7 October: A third attempt at Lucid was cancelled when the destroyer carrying the force commander hit a mine was damaged and had to be towed home.

Operation Medium[edit]

HMS Jupiter fires her 4.7-inch guns during Operation Medium, the bombardment of Cherbourg on 10 October 1940

HMS Revenge escorted by the destroyers Javelin, Jaguar, Jupiter, Kashmir, Kelvin, Kipling and a screen of Motor Gun Boats sailed from Plymouth and formed the striking force. While a covering force of three cruisers and six destroyers aimed to prevent German naval forces from interfering.

This operation by the RN and No 2 and 3 Groups RAF were to attack German invasion shipping in the port of Cherbourg. The first phase was for Blenheims of 2 Group to bomb the harbour area followed by Wellingtons of 3 Group who would carry out a combined bombing and flare dropping during which the Revenge force would carry out a bombardment of the port area.

On the night of 10 October the force approached Cherbourg and began the bombardment. During the eighteen minute bombardment, 120 15-inch shells were fired by the battleship HMS Revenge, and a total of 801 4.7-inch shells were fired by her escorting destroyers. The British force came under accurate fire from German heavy coastal artillery who replied for thirty minutes without hitting any of the warships. The British force after the bombardment had terminated, were able to retire undamaged. The damage caused was moderate but the Germans realised the danger of leaving the barges in the water began to withdraw them on to land.

Deceptions[edit]

Main article: Petroleum Warfare Department

Inspired by a demonstration of petroleum warfare, one false rumour stated that the British had a new bomb: dropped from an aircraft, it caused a thin film of volatile liquid to spread over the surface of the water which it then ignited.

Invasion fleets disperse[edit]

As early as September 20 photographs taken by a Supermarine Spitfire flying over Cherbourg revealed that five destroyers and an E-boat were no longer at anchor in it harbour. A the beginning of October more reconnaissance photographs showed that a number of barges assembled in the invasion ports was falling. Hitler ordered the German High Command to postpone Operation Sealion until the Spring of 1941.

The damage sustained was considerable - by December 1940 the RAF had destroyed most of the invasion barges at Dunkirk alone.

Aftermath[edit]

The burning sea lie provided the British with their first major black propaganda victory. The compelling story mixed with fact (with the Le Havre raid) is likely to be the basis of a number of invasion myths that remained in circulation throughout the remainder of the 20th century: that the Germans attempted an invasion which was thwarted by the use of sea-burning bombs.[21]

Between 15 July and 21 September, German sources stated that 21 transport vessels and 214 barges had been damaged by British air raids. These figures may have been under-reported.[16] Plans were made for another attempt in early November, but by then Hitler had postponed Operation Sealion and the Admiralty correspondingly postponed further operations[22]

However plans to revive operations such as Operation Lucid were revived in the spring of 1941, but never put into action.[23] Attacks by the Royal Navy, Bomber command and Coastal command contributed to the general victory.[24] It also seemed that the attacks frustrated German high command undermining Hitlers confidence in Goring in addition to the whole operation, thus forcing the cancellation of Operation Sealion.[25]

References[edit]

Citations
  1. ^ a b Van Creveld p 77
  2. ^ a b Holland p 775 Cite error: The named reference "Holland" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Levine p 26
  4. ^ Van Creveld pp 77-78
  5. ^ Healy 2007, pp 3–5
  6. ^ Hooton 2007, pp 47–48, p 77, p 86
  7. ^ Parker 2000, pp 98–99
  8. ^ Murray 1983, p 45
  9. ^ Hooton 1997, p 17–18
  10. ^ Parker 2000, p 93
  11. ^ Hooton 2010, p 75
  12. ^ "A History of the Battle of Britain: Bomber Command". Battle of Britain. RAF Museum.
  13. ^ The British Bombing Survey Unit (1998) [The Strategic Air War Against Germany, 1939-1945] Frank Cass Publishers, ISBN 0-7146-4722-5 (p. 29)
  14. ^ Donnelly pp 145-46
  15. ^ "Sergeant John HANNAH". http://www.bomber-command.info/sitemap.htm. Baxter, Bob. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  16. ^ a b Jackson, Robert (2013), id=jYtHrfu38XYC&pg=PT81&lpg=PT81&dq=hms+revenge+bombards+cherbourg&source=bl&ots=q4kewc1Vl4&sig=scWmFiHIrttDzWWPBO9XXOxn-F8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dvXjUorHO5GDhQf1zYCADA&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=hms%20revenge%20bombards%20cherbourg&f=false Churchill's Channel War: 1939-45, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 9781472800671
  17. ^ "German WWII plan to invade Britain revealed in MI5 file". BBC News. 25 August 2010.
  18. ^ Rankin pp 281-82
  19. ^ p 46
  20. ^ "Battle of Britain, September 1940".
  21. ^ Hayward 2001, passim.
  22. ^ Agar 1961, p. 155.
  23. ^ Hayward 1994, pp. 37–41.
  24. ^ Wright, Gordon (1968). The Ordeal of Total War: 1939–1945. New York: Harper & Row. p. 32.
  25. ^ Cavendish p 123
Bibliography
  • Creveld, Martin Van (2012). The Age of Airpower. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781610391085.
  • Van Creveld, Martin L. (1973). Hitler's Strategy 1940 - 1941: The Balkan Clue.
  • Cavendish, Marshall (2004). History of World War II, Volume 1. Marshall Cavendish Corp. ISBN 9780761474838.
  • Donnelly, Larry (2004). The Other Few: The Contribution Made by Bomber and Coastal Aircrew to the Winning of the Battle of Britain. Red Kite / Air Research. ISBN 9780954620127.
  • Foynes, Julian (2021). The Battle of the Barges: The RAF's Campaign Against Hitler's Invasion Fleet. Mention the War Ltd. ISBN 9781911255833.
  • Hayward, James (1994). Shingle Street. LTM Publishing. ISBN 0-9522780-0-6.
  • Harwood, Jeremy (2014). World War II from Above: An Aerial View of the Global Conflict. Zenith Press. ISBN 9780760345733.
  • Holland, James (2010), The Battle of Britain, Corgi Books, ISBN 978-0552156103
  • Hooton, E. R (2010). The Luftwaffe: A Study in Air Power 1933-1945. Classic. ISBN 9781906537180.
  • Murray, Willamson. Strategy for Defeat. The Luftwaffe 1935–1945. Princeton, New Jersey: University Press of the Pacific, 1983. ISBN 978-0-89875-797-2.
  • Parker, Matthew (2000). The Battle of Britain. Headline. ISBN 9780747234500.
  • Piekalkiewicz, Janusz (1985). The Air War, 1939-1945. Blandford Press. ISBN 9780713711325.
  • Rankin, Nicholas (2009). A Genius for Deception: How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199756711.
  • Robinson, Derek (2005). Invasion, 1940: The Truth about the Battle of Britain and what Stopped Hitler. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 9780786716180.
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