Author Topic: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations  (Read 844 times)

Offline oboe

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New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« on: January 02, 2022, 10:42:57 AM »
How many WWII special air operations were there?   

Criteria: Mission must be unorthodox by nature, planned and carried out secretly, often with specially trained crews and/or purposefully designed or altered weapons or aircraft.

Here is my short list.  Can you guys add any more?
  • Operation Bodenplatte, 1945 - Luftwaffe New Year's Day low-level attacks on Allied airbases in Low Countries
  • Operation Jericho, 1944 - RAF Mosquitos low-level attack to bust open Amiens prison
  • Operation Z, 1941 - IJN sneak attack to destroy US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor
  • Operation Judgement, 1940 - RAF Swordfish night sneak attack against Italian fleet anchored at Taranto
  • Doolittle Raid, 1942 - USAAF B-25s flown from aircraft carrier USS Hornet attack targets in Tokyo and other Japanese cities
  • Operation Chastise, 1943 - RAF Lancasters from 617 Squadron attack dams in Ruhr
  • Operation Vengeance, 1943 - USAAF P-38s attack Yamamoto’s inspection tour flight
« Last Edit: January 02, 2022, 10:47:39 AM by oboe »

Offline Devil 505

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2022, 12:35:12 PM »
Operation Frantic: a series of seven "shuttle bombing" missions in 1944 where heavy bombers and escorts from the the 8th or 15th Air Forces (depending on mission) would strike a target in Poland or Romania and continue on to bases in Ukraine where they would support Soviet forces for a week before conducting another direct flight home with a target along the way.

Operation Donnerkiel: The Luftwaffe component of Operation Cerberus, better know as "The Channel Dash". Luftwaffe fighters from Jg's 1, 2, 26 and NJg 1 flew escort sorties from dawn to dusk over the German ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen as they traversed the English Channel from France to Norway.
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Offline oboe

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2022, 12:47:37 PM »
Excellent!

Offline Nefarious

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2022, 01:34:31 PM »
Fritz X and Hs 293 guided bomb missions?

Not sure if they had a specific name for the operations.
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Offline oboe

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2022, 08:51:59 AM »
Fritz X and Hs 293 guided bomb missions?

Not sure if they had a specific name for the operations.

That might qualify I think, depending on whether it was a single operation, or a sustained campaign.

I was wondering about the Ar234 attacks against the bridge at Remagen, or the air assault/paratroop attacks by the Luftwaffe against Crete?

Offline oboe

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2022, 08:32:20 AM »
What about the air attack portion of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941?   The Luftwaffe's surprise attack against Russian airfields decimated the VVS, and German losses were very light.

Online Volron

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2022, 01:39:57 PM »
What about the air attack portion of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941?   The Luftwaffe's surprise attack against Russian airfields decimated the VVS, and German losses were very light.

If it were to be done in AH it would be "modified", very much like Pearl Harbor snapshots.


I believe a Remagen snapshot was done, but it was ages ago, before the 410 was added at the very least. :headscratch:
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Offline Guppy35

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2022, 12:44:42 PM »
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Offline oboe

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2022, 06:41:07 AM »
Very interesting, Dan.   

I noticed in the colorized photo of the B-25, they used a blue-grey instead of grey, and left out the red center of the RAF fuselage roundel. 

Offline Guppy35

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Re: New Year's quiz - WWII special air operations
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2022, 12:17:07 AM »
Very interesting, Dan.   

I noticed in the colorized photo of the B-25, they used a blue-grey instead of grey, and left out the red center of the RAF fuselage roundel.

Someone's very poor attempt at colorizing.  I hate that when people try and guess what's correct.
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