RAF raid on La Caine (1944)

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Attack on Panzer Group West's HQ
Part of Battle of Normandy

Modern photograph of the Chateau where Panzer Group West's headquarters was located.
Date10 June 1944
Location
La Caine, France
Result HQ rendered non-operational
Belligerents
Aircraft of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force HQ of Panzer Group West
Strength
40 Hawker Typhoon ground attack aircraft
61 Mitchells bombers
Casualties and losses
None recorded Killed: Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans and 17 other staff officers
Wounded: Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg

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The Attack on Panzer Group West's headquarters at La Caine in Normandy was a successful airstrike by the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force against the headquarters of Panzer Group West. The raid took place on 10 June 1944 and knocked out German control of its armour. The attack resulted in the wounding of the Panzer group commander, the breakdown of German communications and the withdrawal of the HQ to Paris.

Attack

During the Battle of Normandy, the headquarters of Panzer Group West was established in the Chateau at La Caine. On 9 June 1944, three days after the Normandy landings, the headquarters' new location was revealed to the British Intelligence by decyphering of German signals traffic.[1] On 10 June 1944, aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force bombed the village.[1] The raid was carried out by 40 rocket-armed Typhoons which attacked in three waves from low altitude and by 61 Mitchells which dropped 500 lb bombs from 12,000 ft.[2]

Casualties and damage

Eighteen members of the HQ staff were known to have died in the raid, including the chief of staff Generalmajor Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans [3][2] the most senior officer to be killed in the raid. The group's commander, General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg was wounded in the raid.[4] Although the Chateau was not badly damaged, the nearby orchard in which the HQ's vehicles were parked was thoroughly bombed.[2] and communications equipment was destroyed.

Effects

The HQ was rendered non-operational and withdrawn to Paris.[5] German command of the sector was temporarily given to the I SS Panzer Corps.[2] The attack destroyed the only western German Army organization capable of handling a large number of mobile divisions. [6]

References

  1. ^ a b "D-Day 1944 Air Power Over the Normandy Beaches and Beyond" (HTML). HyperWar Foundation. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  2. ^ a b c d RAF Air Historical Branch Records (typed manuscript), The Liberation of North-West Europe - Operation "Overlord", Volume 3 - The Landings in Normandy, pages 129 and 130.
  3. ^ "Liste des généraux morts durant la bataille de Normandie" (HTML) (in French). debarquement.com. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  4. ^ "New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force–(Vol. II) - Chapter 10 Normandy" (HTML). New Zealand Electronic Text Service. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  5. ^ Wilmot, C.: "The Struggle for Europe", pages 331 and 332. The Reprint Society, 1954
  6. ^ Murray, Williamson (July August 1984). "ULTRA: Some Thoughts on its Impact on the Second World War" (HTML). Air University Review. Air University. Retrieved 2007-09-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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