|
Operation Goodwood was a series of unsuccessful British carrier air raids conducted against the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' at her anchorage in Kaafjord, Norway, during late August 1944. It formed the last of several major attacks made by the Home Fleet during 1944 which sought to eliminate the threat ''Tirpitz'' posed to Allied shipping by badly damaging or sinking the warship. While each of the previous raids on Kaafjord conducted by Fleet Air Arm aircraft had involved only a single air strike, Operation Goodwood involved repeated attacks over a week. The Royal Navy hoped that these raids would wear down the formidable German defences. The British fleet departed its base on 18 August, and launched the first raid against Kaafjord on the morning of the 22nd. This major attack was unsuccessful, and a small raid that evening inflicted little damage. Two further major strikes were conducted on 24 and 29 August, but without success. ''Tirpitz'' was struck by two bombs during the raid on 24 August, but neither caused significant damage. British losses during Operation Goodwood were 17 aircraft to all causes, and a frigate sunk by a submarine. An escort carrier was also badly damaged. German forces suffered the loss of 12 aircraft and damage to 7 ships. Following Operation Goodwood, responsibility for attacking ''Tirpitz'' was transferred to the Royal Air Force in late August 1944. In three heavy bomber raids conducted during September and October 1944, the battleship was first crippled and then sunk. Historians regard Operation Goodwood as a significant failure for the Fleet Air Arm, and attribute its results to shortcomings with the force's aircraft and their armament. ==Background== From early 1942, ''Tirpitz'' posed a significant threat to the Allied convoys transporting supplies through the Norwegian Sea to the Soviet Union. Stationed in fjords on the Norwegian coast, the battleship was capable of overwhelming the close-escort forces assigned to the Arctic convoys or breaking out into the North Atlantic.〔Ellis (1999), pp. 294–295〕 To counter this threat, the Allies needed to keep a powerful force of warships with the British Home Fleet, and capital ships accompanied most convoys part of the way to the Soviet Union.〔Bennett (2012), p. 9〕〔Faulkner and Wilkinson (2012), p. 109〕 Several air and naval attacks were launched against ''Tirpitz'' in 1942 and 1943. On 6 March 1942, torpedo bombers flying from the aircraft carrier attacked the battleship while she was attempting to intercept Convoy PQ 12 but did not achieve any hits.〔Bennett (2012), p. 11〕〔Bishop (2012), pp. 78–83〕 Bombers from the Royal Air Force and Soviet Air Forces also attempted to strike ''Tirpitz'' in her anchorages several times in 1942 and 1943 but failed to inflict any damage.〔 On 23 September 1943, two British X-class midget submarines penetrated the defences around the battleship's main anchorage at Kaafjord in northern Norway during Operation Source, and placed explosive charges in the water beneath her. This attack caused extensive damage to ''Tirpitz'', putting her out of service for six months.〔Woodman (2004), p. 340〕 Following Operation Source, the task of attacking ''Tirpitz'' was assigned to the Home Fleet's aircraft carriers. Following months of preparations, a successful attack (Operation Tungsten) involving two strike forces of 20 Fairey Barracuda dive bombers escorted by 40 fighters was conducted on 3 April 1944. While ''Tirpitz''s crew suffered heavy casualties during this operation, the battleship was not badly damaged.〔Bennett (2012), pp. 14–17〕 Nevertheless, she was placed out of action for several additional months while repairs were completed.〔Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 267〕 The Home Fleet initiated a further four raids against ''Tirpitz'' between April and July 1944, though the battleship was only attacked during the last of these operations. These attacks were hindered by the transfer of many of the Home Fleet's airmen to other units following Operation Tungsten, as the replacement aircrew were less experienced.〔Zetterling and Tamelander (2009), p. 283〕 The first raid (Operation Planet) began on 21 April but cancelled three days later when agents stationed near Kaafjord reported bad weather over the target area.〔 The Home Fleet put to sea to attack ''Tirpitz'' again in mid-May in what was designated Operation Brawn.〔Zetterling and Tamelander (2009), p. 280〕〔Bishop (2012), p. 310〕 A strike force of 27 Barracudas escorted by Vought F4U Corsair and Supermarine Seafire fighters took off from the carriers and ''Victorious'' on 15 May, but returned to the ships without attacking after they encountered heavy cloud over Kaafjord.〔Brown (1977), p. 36〕 The next raid, Operation Tiger Claw, was initiated in late May but cancelled due to bad weather on the 28th of the month.〔 The subsequent attack (Operation Mascot) was timed for mid-July, before the resumption of the Arctic convoys, which had been suspended since April 1944 to free up ships for the Normandy landings.〔Tarrant (1994), p. 129〕 The strike force of 44 Barracudas and 40 fighters dispatched on 17 July reached the target area, but found ''Tirpitz'' cloaked in a protective smokescreen and the attack failed to inflict any damage on the battleship.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Operation Goodwood (naval)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|