| Subject: OPERATION STRANDFEST 3 |
Author:
Johan Ryheul
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Date Posted: 11:50:59 07/10/05 Sun
In reply to:
Johan Ryheul
's message, "OPERATION STRANDFEST 2" on 11:49:47 07/10/05 Sun
Concerning the other units involved, this were their operations on the 10th, a day which was very clouded and stormy :
Marine Feldflieger Abteilung I
From 05.00 till 10.00 : Photographing of results of the artillery on Allied targets. This artillery had been led from the air to their targets by the same unit the previous days. From 10.00 till 20.00 Helping the artillery to find targets. From 20.00 till 23.00 Observation on enemy artillery activity and locations, observing of the Sperrfeuer, barrage artillery and reporting on the matter.
Marine Feldflieger Abteilung II
From 05.00 till 20.00 Long distance observation, afterwards photo recon flights.
FFA 293
05.00 till 20.00 same operations as MFFA I
Schusta 1
05.00 till 20.00 Protection flights on demand of the I Marine Feldflieger Abteilung.
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 MGs, 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 Jastas 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 its 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 photos 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 its 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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