| Subject: Re: OPERATION STRANDFEST 3 |
Author:
mike smith
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Date Posted: 12:29:07 05/27/06 Sat
In reply to:
Johan Ryheul
's message, "OPERATION STRANDFEST 3" on 11:50:59 07/10/05 Sun
My grandfather was one of the men of 2KRRC who escaped by swimming the Yser canal. Do you know if there is anything left to see if I vist Newpoort in September?
Thankd Mike
>Schusta 29
>05.00 till 20.00 Idem Schusta 1 but for the A293
>
>Kasta 23
>Around 09.00 bombing flight on the Allied aerodrome at
>Bray Dunes
>
>FFA 231
>05.00 till 20.00 stationed at the Flugplatz Vlissegem
>and operating in demand of the I Marine Feldflieger
>Abteilung.
>
>FF48b and Schusta 16 were kept in reserve.
>
>When the attack started at 07.51 hours, two Schusta
>planes were flying at low altitude over the storming
>infantry and were reporting the progression of the
>troops to the artillery and HQ.
>A total of 6 planes was used for wireless telegraphy
>during the operation and with full success.
>
>4 C type planes from Kogohl I were used as
>Sturmflieger, and were flying at altitudes between
>20-50 meters attacking the enemy positions with
>machinegun fire, operating just in front of the
>infantry.
>The principle of Stormflieger was completely new, and
>reports also mention that some British soldier were so
>terrified by the attack that they were surrendering,
>hands in the air, even before theyw ere reached by the
>Marine Infantry ! The planes themselves were very
>slightly damaged, only a few bullet holes were found.
>Kagohl I was also very happy about the results and
>sees a new way of warfare in it, they call them the
>Infanterie-Kampfflieger. They even made a task
>description : Their goal is to help the hard fighting
>infantry in attacks or defences, by deep flying, so
>strengthening the own troops and weaken the enemy by
>bombing and machine-gunning them. Needed are fast and
>very maneuverable planes with at least two MG’s,
>capable of dropping bombs and with a light armor.
>Construction of special bombs with shrapnel or even
>gas is wished.
>The use is only adequate when the planes attack on the
>right moment, exactly on the moment that the troops
>are leaving the trenches attacking the enemy, so that
>they are under attack already from the air. It is
>even said that a good pilot, used in this way, has
>tactical more value than a Jasta pilot, shooting down
>an enemy at high altitude…
>
>Reports also say that between 20.00 and 22.00 all
>available planes were used to bomb targets in the area
>and to strafe them with machinegun fire on the western
>side of the Yser river, making the Allies unable to
>bring along any reinforcements or to give any support
>to their attacked colleagues on the other side of the
>river.
>
>The Jasta’s on the other hand did over 70 war flights,
>but Allied air activity was extremely low duet o the
>weather conditions. Before noon only one enemy plane
>was sighted, and during the afternoon a total of only
>4 !
>
>Jasta 17 was protecting Kagohl I during it’s flights
>and they shot down a Nieuport plane. This probably
>was not a Nieuport but very probably Sopwith Camel
>N6361 of 4 Naval Squadron, shot down between Pervijze
>and Ramskapelle at 7.50 PM, killing Flight S.Lt. EW
>Busby, who was the first Sopwith Camel casualty due to
>combat. It is said that it crashed south of
>Nieuwpoort and that the wings had already broken off
>in the air. A terrible death…
>
>On the 10th of July 1917, during the Strandfest
>operation, Kagohl I was bombing during 3 operations
>Oostduinkerke-bad and Nieuwpoort, targeting ammo and
>troop concentrations in that area. They claim that
>during the first raid they made explode an ammo dump
>near Oostduinkerke.
>It seems that between 8 and 10 in the evening they
>dropped over 6000 kg of bombs for this operation.
>Unfortunately nobody could confirm me if the story is
>real on the destruction of the ammo dump.
>
>Later that night the railway station, harbor
>installations and aerodrome of Dunkirk were bombes as
>were the railway station of Adinkerke, and De Panne
>and Koksijde. This was again a total of 1500 kg of
>explosives.
>
>Concerning the artillery this was their activity :
>From 05.00 till results are ok :
>Battery Pommern (1 x 38 cm gun), Moere (in fact
>Koekelare) was to open fire on the railway station of
>Adinkerke
>Battery Deutschland (4 x 38 cm guns) at Bredene had
>Zielgruppe 3, an unidentified target (probably targets
>along the Yser river)
>Battery Tirpitz (4 x 28 cm guns) at Stene, Oostende,
>was to fire at the Veurne railway station
>At 08.00 five railway guns (21 or 28 cm, not
>specified) was to open fire on various targets
>Between 10.00 and 12.00 the Pommern gun had to fire at
>Adinkerke in general and between 14.00 and 16.00
>targeted again the railway station and the same
>location
>Even after darkness they were firing on their targets…
>
>They were assisted by A293, A231, and very curiously,
>a unit unnamed before A204… Curious thing is that the
>unit is only mentioned once in a list on the artillery
>flights, while the others are named frequently, and
>that FA A 204 is not even mentioned in the list of
>units that participated. I think they did only some
>recon over the French targets during the operation.
>
>The photo’s taken of the results, were immediately to
>be taken to the Generalkommando Gardekorps
>(Marinekorps) and to the III Marine Infantry Division
>by a motorcyclist.
>
>It is clear that the operation was the first of it’s
>kind and opened the way for a completely new way of
>warfare, which is still used with success by modern
>forces.
>
>
>Jabbeke, Flanders – 11 July 2005
>
>Johan R. Ryheul
>
>
>Sources :
>
>- Kofl 6 – Bayerisches Kriegsarchiv
>- Kofl 4 - Bayerisches Kriegsarchiv
>- KTB Battery Deutschland and Pommern – Militärarchiv
>Freiburg
>- Kofl Marine – Militärarchiv Freiburg
>- Various - Marinekorps Flandern Archive – Jabbeke
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